OC Register: Angels’ Tyler Skaggs ends winless drought in victory over Texas Rangers

[AngelsWin.com]

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, of Japan, and Mike Trout bow to each other after Ohtani scored on a double by Luis Valbuena during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, of Japan, smiles after he and Zack Cozart, right, scored on a double by Luis Valbuena during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, scores on a double by Luis Valbuena as Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos, left, stands at the plate during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, of Japan, smiles as he talks to Texas Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar while standing on second during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, drops his bat after hitting a single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, hits a single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Texas Rangers starting pitcher Doug Fister throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Texas Rangers third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa throws out Los Angeles Angels’ Michael Hermosillo at first during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

• Texas Rangers starting pitcher Doug Fister throws to the plate during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, June 3, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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ANAHEIM – Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs went nearly six weeks between wins. He had been pitching well enough going into Sunday’s start against the Texas Rangers, allowing 15 runs across his previous six games, but for a variety of reasons his fourth win over the season proved elusive.

Skaggs wasn’t perfect Sunday, but he did more than enough to win. The left-hander threw six shutout innings and Justin Upton homered in a 3-1 win before the announced crowd of 33,541 at Angel Stadium.

The Rangers made Skaggs (4-4) work. They put a runner on base in each of the first five innings. They even out-hit the Angels, 5-4. By the third inning, Skaggs had thrown 70 pitches.

Yet each time the Rangers threatened to score, Skaggs did not break. He was much more efficient over his final three innings and was removed after throwing his 107th pitch to end the sixth inning. He allowed four hits, walked three batters and struck out six.

Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Noe Ramirez allowed a solo home run to Nomar Mazara in an otherwise uneventful eighth inning. Justin Anderson pitched the ninth inning, walked the bases loaded, then got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to fly out to right field and was credited with his second save.

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By winning two of the three games against Texas (25-37), the Angels (32-28) temporarily moved within five games of first place in the American League West.

The Angels scored twice in the second inning against Rangers starter Doug Fister (1-6).

With one out, Shohei Ohtani grounded a ball to Ronald Guzman that the first baseman couldn’t field cleanly. The ball bounced off his glove, off his body, and had no play by the time Ohtani crossed first base. The play was scored a single.

Zack Cozart returned to the Angels’ lineup after missing four games with a strained left forearm. In his first at-bat, he drilled a much cleaner single that sent Ohtani to second base.

The next batter, Luis Valbuena, clobbered a double into the right-field corner that scored both Ohtani and Cozart, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead.

Upton’s 12th home run of the season, to-right center field, gave the Angels a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning.

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