OC Register: Jared Walsh, Justin Upton power Angels’ comeback victory

[AngelsWin.com]

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  Anthony Rendon #6 of the Los Angeles Angels is greeted by Mike Trout #27 after scoring a run during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 3, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels strikes out against Lance Lynn #33 of the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 3, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Anthony Rendon (6) scores from a single hit by Jared Walsh during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Saturday, April 3, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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  Anthony Rendon #6 of the Los Angeles Angels is greeted by Justin Upton #10 after scoring a run during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 3, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Yermin Mercedes #73 of the Chicago White Sox is congratulated by Andrew Vaughn #25 after hitting a solo home run against starting pitcher Alex Cobb #38 of the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 3, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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ANAHEIM — Jared Walsh and Justin Upton were at opposite ends of the Angels stat sheet in spring training, with Walsh struggling and Upton sizzling.

Manager Joe Maddon expressed confidence all along in both, and they both delivered in the Angels’ 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.

Walsh drove in two runs, including the tying run with an eighth-inning triple. That wasn’t even his hardest hit of the night, because he smoked a 110 mph lineout to center in the first.

Just after Walsh tied the game, Upton blasted a two-run homer to give the Angels their first lead of the night.

Junior Guerra, who had recorded the final out of the eighth, stuck around to work the ninth to finish the Angels second come-from-behind victory in the first three games of the season. Closer Raisel Iglesias was unavailable after pitching in each of the first two games.

The rally came too late for Alex Cobb to get the victory on a night that he performed well in his Angels debut.

Cobb allowed three runs in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one, throwing an exceptional 71 percent of his pitches for strikes.

The veteran right-hander had struggled for most of the last three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, but he gave the Angels a chance to win on Saturday night.

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He threw 97 pitches, almost equally divided between his fastball, splitter and curve. He kept the ball on the ground, which worked out with the  Angels solid infield defense behind him.

In the third inning, shortstop José Iglesias made a great stop behind the bag and flipped the ball to David Fletcher for an inning-ending force, saving a run.

Cobb’s biggest problem was Yermin Mercedes, who homered in the second and drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the sixth. In between he singled, the middle hit in the rally that produced Chicago’s third run against Cobb.

Mercedes, a 28-year-old with just one big league at-bat coming into this season, has started off 2021 with eight consecutive hits, the first player since 1900 to accomplish that.

Tony Watson finally ended Mercedes’ streak by getting him on a flyout in the eighth inning.

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