OC Register: Angels bats come to life with four homers in rout of Astros

[AngelsWin.com]

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  Houston Astros third baseman J.D. Davis, top, tags out Los Angeles Angels’ Kole Calhoun at third at the end of a double play that scored David Fletcher during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, lines out to center field with Houston Astros catcher Tim Federowicz, center, and home plate umpire Ed Hickox, left, watching during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., left, kicks the mound, as Los Angeles Angels’ Justin Upton rounds third, after hitting a two-run home run, during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Justin Upton, center, hugs Mike Trout, left, after Upton hits a two-run home run to score Trout, as Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, goes up to bat against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left, of Japan, beats the relay throw to Houston Astros catcher Tim Federowicz to score on a double by Ian Kinsler during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Shohei Ohtani looks on as Justin Upton shakes hands with Mike Trout of the Angels after Upton’s two-run home run in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium on Sunday, July 22, 2018 in Anaheim. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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  ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 22: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beats the throw to Tim Federowicz #19 of the Houston Astros to score a run on a double by Ian Kinsler #3 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second inning at Angel Stadium on July 22, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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  ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 22: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run on a double by Ian Kinsler #3 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium on July 22, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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  Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney delivers to a Houston Astros batter during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, above, leaps to catch the throw as Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout steals second base during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, waits on deck while Justin Upton is at bat against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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  Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney delivers to a Houston Astros batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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ANAHEIM — The Angels tried to make up for two days of lackluster offensive performance in one day.

After scoring once in losing the first two games of this series against the Houston Astros, the Angels erupted for a 14-5 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Justin Upton all hit homers — all with at least one runner on base — to power the rout. Ian Kinsler hit a solo homer against Astros third baseman J.D. Davis, who mopped up in the eighth.

Calhoun’s three-run homer and Trout’s two-run shot helped the Angels to a seven-run seventh inning that put the game away.

Besides the homers, the Angels also got three hits from David Fletcher, two doubles and a walk from Kinsler and an RBI single and a walk from Luis Valbuena. All three players had been slumping lately.

An inconsistent offense has been one of the major issues for the Angels, resulting in them falling to the fringes of the playoff chase. Their problems were magnified in the previous two games, against Cy Young winners Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander.

They had no trouble with Lance McCullers Jr. or the relievers who followed him.

 

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Back-to-back RBI hits by Kinsler and Valbuena in the second inning put the Angels up 2-1. In the third, Trout walked and then Upton blasted a two-run homer 443 feet, off the fake rocks beyond the center field fence.

 

The homer was Upton’s 20th, making him the first Angels player to reach that figure while playing 90 percent of his games in left field since Juan Rivera in 2009.

The Angels still led 6-3 when they came to bat in the eight, before scoring all of their runs with two outs.

Trout’s homer marked something of a milestone. He hadn’t driven in any of his teammates since June 19, with his only two RBI in that span coming on solo homers.

The 13 runs were more than the 11 the Angels had scored in their previous five games combined.

It was plenty of support for Andrew Heaney, who gave up one run in six innings. Heaney allowed a run in the second, but stranded two runners to escape further damage. He then gave up just two hits and one walk in his last four innings.

No lucky charms were used in the events of this inning.
Seven runs in the 7th inning!
@d22flectcher @KoleCalhoun @MikeTrout pic.twitter.com/YfYaGE7iKY

— Angels (@Angels) July 22, 2018

More to come on this story.

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