Angels score four late runs as M’s suffer brutal 6-5 loss

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Mike Trout scored from second base on Jean Segura’s error in the top of the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels rallied from a four-run deficit for a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

For the second straight night, Trout was the source of some ninth-inning misery for the Mariners. He had a three-run double in Thursday’s series opener to give the Angels a 6-3 victory. A day later, Trout walked with one out, taking a close 3-2 pitch from James Pazos (3-4). Albert Pujols followed with a single and C.J. Cron chopped a hard grounder that Segura couldn’t handle that bounced far enough into left field for Trout to score the go-ahead run.

Seattle held a 5-1 lead going into the seventh inning thanks to home runs from Nelson Cruz and Mike Zunino, but the Angels scored four times in the seventh to pull even.

The Angels took advantage of the struggling young Seattle righty Andrew Moore in the seventh, most of the damage coming with two outs. Called up earlier Friday to take the spot of left-handed ace James Paxton, who was placed on the disabled list, Moore gave up a two-out infield single to Cameron Maybin and walked Trout to load the bases. Pujols delivered a two-run single, Cron added an RBI single, and Andrelton Simmons capped the rally with an RBI double that tied the game at 5-5.

Amplifying Moore’s struggles, Seattle failed to start getting a reliever ready in the bullpen until after Pujols’ hit.

Three Angels’ relievers quieted Seattle after the Mariners knocked around starter Ricky Nolasco. Cruz hit his 28th homer of the season leading off the second inning. He added a double in the fourth and his double off the wall in right-center field in the sixth scored Robinson Cano to give Seattle a 4-1 lead and end Nolasco’s night. Cruz later scored on Jarrod Dyson’s two-out single. Nolasco allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings.

But that was it for Seattle as Eduardo Paredes and Keynan Middleton (3-0) shut down the Mariners for three innings. Yusmeiro Petit pitched the ninth for his second save.