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Clips

(April 10, 2017)

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Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 4)

Mike Scioscia on 2017 Angels: 'This is the best defensive team in all considerations'

Angels slugger Albert Pujols makes statement with key hits

Cliff Pennington caps Angels' seven-run rally in ninth to beat Seattle, 10-9

Mike Trout stars in the Angels' outfield, but Andrelton Simmons performs magic in the

infield

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 8)

Angels use seven-run ninth inning to stun Mariners, 10-9

Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker’s rough day easily forgotten

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 11)

Statcast of the Day: Angels win with 7 in 9th

Angels score seven in ninth to stun Mariners

Scioscia heaps praise on Angels' D

Skaggs starts series opener vs. Rangers

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 17)

Angels overcome 6-run deficit in 9th inning to rally past Mariners

Albert Pujols hits HR, game-tying single as Angels rally from six-run deficit

FROM ESPN.COM (Page 20)

On a day that featured the improbable, the Angels pulled off a miraculous win

FROM FOX SPORTS (Page 21)

Watch the Angels miraculously score 7 runs in bottom of ninth to beat the Mariners

FROM CBS SPORTS (Page 21)

Angels stage historic comeback with seven-run ninth inning to beat Mariners

April 10, 2017 Page 3 of 23

FROM NBC SPORTS (Page 22)

Angels overcome six-run deficit in ninth to beat Mariners

April 10, 2017 Page 4 of 23

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Mike Scioscia on 2017 Angels: 'This is the best defensive team in all considerations'

By Steve Dilbeck

Mike Scioscia isn’t exactly new to all this. He’s in his 18th season as the Angels’ manager.

Yet in all that time, he said, he’s never seen what he believes he now watches every game — the Angels’

best defense ever.

“We all feel — definitely in the time I’ve been here — this is the best defensive team in all

considerations,” Scioscia said. “Making routine plays, the range, the opportunity to take hits away. This

is our best defensive team.”

It starts with their defense up the middle. Andrelton Simmons is a Gold Glove shortstop some consider

the best in the game. This season the Angels added second baseman Danny Espinosa as his double-play

partner. In center field is two-time MVP Mike Trout. And strong-armed Martin Maldonado is the new

catcher.

“We’re as strong up the middle as you could be defensively,” Scioscia said.

Corner outfielders Cameron Maybin and Kole Calhoun give the Angels three outfielders who can cover a

lot of territory. Calhoun won a Gold Glove in 2015. The corner infielders — Yunel Escobar, C.J. Cron/Jefry

Marte — are above average. And though he may be limited to playing first base in National League parks

while fully recovering from foot surgery, Albert Pujols is another former Gold Glove winner.

“I definitely think it’s our best defensive team,” Scioscia said. “We’ve had some terrific defensive teams

over the years. Guys who were really good at making plays. But I think the dynamic this year is the

range, it’s the best we’ve ever had at a number of positions.”

Angels slugger Albert Pujols makes statement with key hits

By Steve Dilbeck

Albert Pujols had apparently read enough about his one-for-20 start. He sat at his cubicle, sneering and

raising an eyebrow at those who felt obligated to point it out.

This, of course, after he had homered and later singled in two runs to tie the score in the same

implausible ninth inning in which the Angels scored seven times to beat the Seattle Mariners 10-9.

Pujols said he hadn’t been any more comfortable Sunday than in any other game this season.

“I’ve been comfortable since the season started in Oakland,” he said. “You guys just like to start pointing

fingers with 10 at-bats into a season.

April 10, 2017 Page 5 of 23

“I’ve been in this situation before. I know what I can do. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I try to stay

positive all the time and do the best I can do to help the team win.”

Pujols is in his 17th season. The home run was his 592nd and it was the first of the seven runs the Angels

would go on to score.

“He got the one to get us going, but the much bigger hit … he went with it and drove in it into right field

to tie the game,” manager Mike Scioscia said.

Scioscia had played it cool before Saturday’s game when Pujols’ one-for-20 start had been mentioned,

saying he was far from worried that the majors’ active RBI and home run leader was off to a slow start.

Saturday night Pujols went three for four with a double, all prelude to his Sunday production in the

ninth.

“You could easily have come in the ninth inning and said, ‘Oh, six runs. They have a great closer, a great

bullpen.’ But you just go out and battle,” Pujols said.

“One thing I learned from [former St. Louis Cardinals manager] Tony La Russa is when a game is like that

you don’t ever want to give your at-bats away. And that’s how everybody takes it.”

Anyway, Pujols figured everything now is something of a bonus for him. When he had foot surgery last

December, doctors originally said he could be out up to four months.

“The big thing is I’m blessed to be here playing when I was supposed to miss the first two months of the

season,” he said.

Matt Shoemaker uneventful

Matt Shoemaker faced Seattle’s Kyle Seager for the first time since the third baseman lined a drive off

his skull last season.

Seager grounded out twice, though outfielder Leonys Martin sent a liner at Shoemaker in the second

inning that the right-hander had to duck to avoid. The drive went off his glove and Shoemaker recovered

to throw him out.

Short hops

Sunday marked the team’s first walk-off win of the season. It was the sixth walk-off hit for Cliff

Pennington. … The Angels have started the season 5-2 for the first time since 2007. They won 94 games

that season and lost in a division playoff series to the Boston Red Sox. … Andrelton Simmons has hit in all

seven games.

April 10, 2017 Page 6 of 23

Cliff Pennington caps Angels' seven-run rally in ninth to beat Seattle, 10-9

By Steve Dilbeck

These things happen. Happen like a superhero movie flops at the box office or teenagers act all

appreciative.

Crazy, implausible, stupid comebacks happen in sports. Just not often. Not like the wild ride

the Angels went on to score seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Seattle Mariners 10-9 on

Sunday afternoon.

The Angels looked like roadkill after trailing 8-1 in the seventh inning. The crowd thinned. Realists puffed

their chests. And then had jaws drop as the Angels went about their comeback.

They trailed 9-3 going into the bottom of the ninth when the earth shook beneath the Mariners. There

were four walks and five hits, the last coming from unlikely hero Cliff Pennington, who shot his first pitch

for a single into center field to drive in the winning run and complete the improbable comeback.

“That’s one of those magical wins that will probably only happen a couple times a year,” Pennington

said, “but it’s a good one.”

The game looked highly forgettable throughout most of the afternoon. Starter Matt Shoemaker was less

than sharp, giving up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The Angels managed only two hits against Hisashi Iwakuma in six innings, one an Andrelton Simmons

home run.

There was little to indicate what was to come.

“That was unbelievable,” Shoemaker said. “That was absolutely awesome. Those guys picked me up

huge. I had a really, really sour day turn out sweet.”

The Angels started to chip away at the Mariners bullpen, picking up two runs on Jefry Marte’s single in

the seventh inning.

Still, nothing really hinted at the ninth. Not even when Albert Pujols, who had twice flied out to the

warning track, led off with his first home run of the season.

Then Pennington walked and reliever Casey Fien was looking highly vulnerable. C.J. Cron singled and Ben

Revere walked to load the bases.

Seattle’s lead still at five runs, manager Scott Servais had seen enough and summoned closer Edwin

Diaz.

It briefly seemed as if Diaz would restore order. He quickly got two outs, Danny Espinosa bouncing out

to second base to drive in a run.

April 10, 2017 Page 7 of 23

But the third out would never arrive. Yunel Escobar lined a double into right field to drive in two runs.

The Angels trailed 9-7 with the heart of their order up.

“When we got to that point it was like, ‘OK, here we go,’ ” Pennington said. “The pressure is shifting

back on them.”

Diaz wavered. He threw a wild pitch to advance Escobar to third base and walked Kole Calhoun

and Mike Trout to load the bases for Pujols, who hit a single past diving first baseman Danny Valencia to

drive in two runs and tie the score 9-9.

Diaz had been struggling, throwing pitches in the dirt, but Pennington lined the first-pitch fastball for a

single to drive in Trout with the winning run.

“Those are guys he’s being a little more careful with, trying to respect a little more,” Pennington said.

“He was trying to make sure he made his pitch and he was missing. When I got up there I was expecting

him to come right at me. I wasn’t expecting the same treatment. I was ready for a heater.”

It was the first time since Aug. 28, 1986, that the Angels scored at least seven runs in the ninth inning to

win.

“We found some holes, those guys helped us with a couple of walks and we just had good at-bats all the

way through,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “There was some incredible clutch hitting at the end.”

Mike Trout stars in the Angels' outfield, but Andrelton Simmons performs magic in the infield

By Steve Dilbeck

The Angels act like he should be headlining in Las Vegas, showing those poor fools who make lions

disappear what real magic is about.

Andrelton Simmons does not wear a black cape, does not have a scantily glad assistant, probably

doesn’t even own a single white rabbit.

That doesn’t mean he can't perform wonders before your very eyes.

The shortstop was at it again Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium, using his defensive wizardry to leave

mouths agape and opponents shaking heads.

“He’s unbelievable,” said Angels center fielder Mike Trout. “Just as a baseball fan for me in center field

to watch him and play behind him, it’s something special.”

Simmons' latest defensive feat came in the third inning of the Angels’ 5-4 victory. They were trailing 2-1

at the time, with Seattle’s Jean Segura on first when Mitch Haniger hit a sharper bouncer to Yunel

Escobar at third.

As Escobar charged the grounder and fired to Jefry Marte at first, Segura rounded second, eyes fixed on

third. Simmons was way ahead of him.

April 10, 2017 Page 8 of 23

“I was looking at Segura to see if he was going to make a hard turn,” Simmons said. “I kind of wanted

him to go to third because I thought we’d have a good chance if he made a good throw.”

Only Marte’s throw was not particularly good, it was high. Simmons had to leap as high as he could to

snare it.

“I just have to catch it,” Simmons said. “Once I caught it I thought I might as well throw my glove down

there and see what happens.”

What happened was, with his back to the bag and still in the air, he swiped his glove and caught Segura,

sliding head first, on the hip just before he reached the bag.

Initially he was ruled safe, but the Angels asked for a review and the replay showed the tag had been

made before Segura touched the bag, completing the double play.

“That’s what Sims is all about,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. “This guy is a magician out there.

Just to catch the ball is one thing, but then to get it where you can get the tag on the runner is

extraordinary.”

Simmons actually had his back to the bag when he applied the tag and could not be certain it beat

Segura to the bag.

“I just tried to put my glove as low as I could,” Simmons said.

From his vantage point in center, Trout was confident Simmons had done his Houdini bit again.

“As soon as it happened, I knew he was out, just the way Sims reacted,” Trout said. “I mean, he’s a

magician out there.”

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Angels use seven-run ninth inning to stun Mariners, 10-9

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — The Angels provided a reminder of why their sport is different from most.

“There’s no time limit in these games,” Cliff Pennington said. “You’ve got to get 27 outs. They didn’t get

the 27th one today.”

Pennington’s walk-off hit capped the Angels’ seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, leading to a jaw-

dropping 10-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.

It was the first time since Aug. 29, 1986 that the Angels had scored at least seven in the ninth to win by

one.

April 10, 2017 Page 9 of 23

It also broke a streak of 346 straight big league games in which a team leading by six in the ninth held on to

win, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Dating to 2011, teams with a lead of at least six in the ninth

were 2,529-1.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Matt Shoemaker, who had been on the hook for a loss after he’d given up seven

runs. “That was absolutely awesome. Those guys picked me up huge. They made a really sour day really

sweet. It’s awesome.”

The remarkable victory capped sweep of the Mariners in the first home series of the season, and gave the

Angels five victories in their first seven games. Although it’s obviously too early in the season for the

standings to be truly relevant, the Angels hit their first off day on Monday with a one-game lead in the

American League West.

Last season they had a half-game lead for one day, and that was the high water mark. They were never

even two games over .500 last year and now they are three over.

Considering how last season went, and how the projections for this year looked, the Angels probably

wouldn’t have been terribly upset if they’d settled for a 4-3 week by losing this one. They certainly seemed

to be headed that way when they trailed 8-1 at the seventh-inning stretch.

But when Albert Pujols stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth, with the Angels down 9-3, he wasn’t

thinking that way.

“One piece of advice I got from Tony LaRussa is when the game is like that, you never want to give at-bats

away,” Pujols said.

Pujols instead greeted Casey Fien with a blast to straightaway center, his first homer of the season and

592nd of his career. Pujols had barely missed homers in two of his previous at-bats, a day after collecting

three hits.

The homer was a nice moment for Pujols, but not nearly as as nice as what he would do the next time he

came up …. later that inning.

After the homer, Pennington drew a walk. C.J. Cron dumped a single into left and Ben Revere walked to

load the bases, which prompted the Mariners to bring in their flame-throwing closer Edwin Diaz.

Diaz got Danny Espinosa on a run-scoring groundout and he struck out Martin Maldonado.

Twenty six outs. One to go.

Yunel Escobar then poked an opposite field shot inside the first-base line, driving in two runs. Escobar

hustled into second, barely beating the tag, and he popped up with his arms outstretched to help the

umpire with his safe call.

Diaz then walked Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout, bringing Pujols up again with the bases loaded. Diaz threw

him a 96 mph fastball over the inner half, and Pujols pushed it to the right side, just past the dive of first

April 10, 2017 Page 10 of 23

baseman Danny Valencia. Calhoun bellyflopped across the plate with the tying run as the Angel Stadium

crowd erupted.

When Pennington came up, he was now playing with house money. The game already tied. He knew that

Diaz didn’t need to be as careful, so he stood in the box looking for a fastball. Diaz pumped a 97 mph

fastball over the inside corner and Pennington yanked it over the head of right fielder Mitch Haniger, for

the sixth walk-off hit of his career. He was credited with a single because one base was all the Angels

needed to get Trout home with the winner.

As the Angels mobbed Pennington, the Mariners trudged off the field, still one out shy. The Angels

celebrated a victory that, they hope, can carry over beyond one day in April.

“Two or three weeks from now, when we’re down three or four runs in the seventh, it’s a feeling you’ve

had before,” Pennington said. “We’ve come back and won that game. So much of this game is between

the ears. You do this a couple of times and you start to believe you can and it happens more frequently.”

Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker’s rough day easily forgotten

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Matt Shoemaker picked a good day to have a bad day.

By the time he talked to the media about a sloppy outing in which he’d allowed seven runs, he did so amid

a joyful clubhouse following the Angels’ stirring seven-run ninth-inning rally to victory on Sunday.

“Overall it was really frustrating,” Shoemaker said. “I felt pretty good, felt OK. A couple pitches to one guy

really did the damage.”

That one guy was Robinson Cano, the Mariners star who had come into the game looking for his first

homer and first RBI of the season. He got both in one swing against Shoemaker in the third, a three-run

homer that put Seattle up 4-1.

In the fifth, Cano hit a two-run double after the Mariners had loaded the bases on a walk, a catcher’s

interference and a hit batter.

Shoemaker was pulled with one out in the fifth, down 6-1, and the lead grew to 7-1 after a sacrifice fly

against reliever Mike Morin.

“Shoe didn’t have his edge,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Obviously, they had a lot of traffic on the bases.

He put on a lot of guys. He hit a couple guys, walked a couple guys. I don’t think he ever got in his groove.

It wasn’t his day. He’ll be better.”

Two starts into his season, Shoemaker has not pitched up to the level he or the Angels would like. He gave

up only two runs in his first start, but he walked three and needed 99 pitches to get through five grueling

innings. Fortunately, the Angels rallied late to win that game, too, on Danny Espinosa’s three-run homer in

the ninth.

April 10, 2017 Page 11 of 23

LOOKING FOR MORE

Seven games into the season, the Angels still have not a starter throw a pitch in the seventh inning, and

they’ve had only one finish the sixth.

The bullpen has picked up the slack nicely, helping the Angels to win five of those games, but Scioscia

knows this can’t go on indefinitely.

“If you are going around three times in your rotation, like we did last year for a while when a lot of guys

were banged up, and you’re getting 14, 15, 16 outs a start, you better have an extra guy in your pen,”

Scioscia said before Sunday’s game. “We’re not there yet. We’ve absorbed it. We’ll be OK.”

On Monday they will have their first off day of the season, which gives them a chance to reset their

bullpen. After that, though, they begin a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, so there will be a premium on

preserving the bullpen.

ALSO

The Angels will face Cole Hamels, A.J. Griffin and Yu Darvish when the Texas Rangers come to Angel

Stadium for three games, starting Tuesday. They’ll counter with Tyler Skaggs, Jesse Chavez and Ricky

Nolasco…

Albert Pujols, who had five hits and three hard-hit outs in the last two games, rejected the notion that he

just started feeling good this weekend: “I’ve been comfortable since the season started. I hit some balls

hard in Oakland. you guys start pointing fingers with 10 at-bats into the season. I’ve been in this situation

before. I know what I can do. This is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.”

FROM ANGELS.COM

Statcast of the Day: Angels win with 7 in 9th

Los Angeles capitalizes on a pair of unlikely hits to keep comeback alive

By Austin Laymance / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- The Angels staged an epic, seven-run rally in the ninth inning to beat the Mariners, 10-9, on

Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium, thanks to a leadoff home run from Albert Pujols and a game-

winning single from Cliff Pennington. But it was two unlikely hits in the middle of the comeback that

kept the rally alive.

With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Yunel Escobar chopped a 2-1 fastball from Mariners

closer Edwin Diaz down the right-field line for a two-run double. The opposite-field hit pulled the Angels

within two runs, 9-7.

April 10, 2017 Page 12 of 23

The hit probability of Escobar's double was 12 percent, according to Statcast™, and it was only his 24th

ground ball hit to right field (out of 337) in the Statcast™ era. In other words, it was a rarity. Other

metrics on Escobar's timely double included an 89 mph exit velocity and a launch angle of -22 degrees,

per Statcast™.

"Escobar did an unbelievable job hitting that ball down the line," said Pujols, who started the rally with a

leadoff shot to dead-center for his 592nd career home run and first this season.

While Pujols' towering homer off Casey Fien was a beauty to watch leave the yard, it was his second hit

of the inning that was much more important, and even more rare.

Following Escobar's two-run double, the Mariners pitched around Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout, walking

both to load the bases with two outs. Pujols stepped in the batter's box for his second at-bat of the

inning, and first against Diaz.

Pujols stayed with an 0-1 fastball and took it the other way, muscling it through the right side of the

infield and just past the outstretched glove of first baseman Danny Valencia. Escobar and Calhoun raced

home and the game was tied at 9.

These charts represent every ground ball hit by Escobar and Pujols since 2015: They almost always pull

it.

"It's hard when you lose that kind of game," Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano said. "It's like

nothing is going our way. But you just have to keep fighting.

April 10, 2017 Page 13 of 23

The hit probability of Pujols' game-tying single was 37 percent, according to Statcast™, with an exit

velocity of 91 mph and a launch angle of zero degrees. For Pujols, it was his 19th hit (out of 312 total) on

a ground ball to right field in the Statcast™ era.

"Albert got the big hit," said Pennington, who followed Pujols with a single to right to score Trout for his

sixth career walk-off hit. "His at-bat is the one that if he gets out, we lose. If I get out, we just keep

playing. So Albert's the one who got the big hit. That's what he does. He knows what he's doing."

In all, the Angels sent 11 men to the plate and combined for five hits and four walks.

"We found some holes, those guys helped us with a couple walks and we just had good at-bats all the

way through," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "That's some incredible clutch hitting at the end and

good at-bats all the way through. Obviously, that's a huge deficit, but we just kept playing baseball and

got a couple breaks and Penny got the big hit."

Sunday was the Angels' first walk-off win of the season, and the first time the club scored at least seven

runs in the ninth to win a nine-inning game by one run since Aug. 29, 1986, when the Halos rallied with

eight runs to beat the Tigers.

"That's called not giving up to make 27 outs," Pujols said. "That's the beauty of the game, you think you

can flip a coin and it's over, and it's not until it's over."

Angels score seven in ninth to stun Mariners

By Austin Laymance and Greg Johns / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Now that's a rally. Trailing by six runs entering the bottom of the ninth, the Angels put

together one of the wildest comebacks in franchise history, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring

seven runs to overcome the Mariners, 10-9, and complete a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon at

Angel Stadium.

Albert Pujols drove in three runs in the inning, a leadoff homer -- his first dinger of the season -- and a

two-run single to tie the game with two outs, before Cliff Penningtondrove in the winning run with a

single to right to score Mike Trout.

"To come all the way back like that, that's one of those magical wins that probably only happen a few

times a year," said Pennington, who delivered his sixth career walk-off hit. "It's a good one."

The Mariners went to Casey Fien to begin the ninth, and he allowed four batters to reach base before

being relieved by Edwin Diaz. The Angels were able to keep the rally going against Seattle's closer for a

rousing victory.

"They had some good at-bats," said Mariners manager Scott Servais. "But when you've got a team like

that down, you've got to squash 'em. You've got to take 'em out. And we didn't get it done today. We

got some good things [done] offensively, but you have to get the final three outs and it didn't happen."

April 10, 2017 Page 14 of 23

For the Mariners, the crushing defeat dropped them to 1-6 on their opening road trip and

overshadowed a big day from Robinson Cano, who homered and drove in five runs. Cano smacked a

three-run homer and contributed a two-run double. It was the first homer of the season for Cano, who

had yet to drive in a run before Sunday's outburst.

Andrelton Simmons homered for the Angels, who were held to two hits in six innings against Mariners

starter Hisashi Iwakuma. Simmons' solo shot in the second extended his hit streak to 12 games, dating

back to last September. Kole Calhoun singled in the sixth for the only other hit off Iwakuma.

Iwakuma pitched well for his second straight start, but again had nothing to show for it as he's 0-1 with a

2.25 ERA. The right-hander struck out two against three walks and never allowed more than one

baserunner in any of his six innings.

Angels starter Matt Shoemaker, facing the Mariners for the first time since being hit in the head by

a Kyle Seager line drive in September, worked 4 1/3 innings and was charged with seven runs (six

earned) on five hits. Shoemaker walked two, hit two batters and struck out one. He was forced to field a

sharp comebacker in the second, but was able to get his glove up in front of his face to make a play on a

101-mph shot off the bat of Leonys Martin.

"It was unbelievable," Shoemaker said of the ninth-inning rally. "That was absolutely awesome. Those

guys picked me up huge, made a really, really sour day turn out sweet. It's awesome."

Mitch Haniger crushed a solo shot to center in the seventh, the second homer in as many days for the

Mariners rookie outfielder and his third of the season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The ninth inning: The last time the Mariners allowed seven runs in the ninth for a walk-off loss was April

10, 1998, at Boston. This was a collapse of historic proportions, as teams since 2011 had gone 2,529-1

when leading by six or more runs entering the ninth inning, according to ESPN Stats. Diaz couldn't locate

his slider and the Angels sat on his upper-90s fastball to do much of the damage. However, Fien took the

blame for opening the inning with a leadoff homer by Pujols and walks to Pennington and Ben Revere,

sandwiched around a single by C.J. Cron.

"That was a tough one to swallow," said Fien. "Six-run lead in ninth inning, I'm supposed to come in and

get outs and I couldn't get one. I put Eddie in a bad situation."

It was only a matter of time: After going six games without a homer from their Big Three of Cano, Nelson

Cruz and Seager, the Mariners' offensive firepower finally arrived with Cano's three-run blast off

Shoemaker in the third. Cano, who hit a career-high 39 homers last year, jumped on an 85-mph

changeup in a 2-1 count and drove it 412 feet, per Statcast™, over the fence in center field.

QUOTABLE

"There's no time limit in these games. They've got to get 27 outs. They didn't get the 27th one today." --

Pennington

April 10, 2017 Page 15 of 23

"We've had some tough losses in the past, though I don't know if any this tough -- with how this road

trip has gone. We needed to end it here on a positive note. But we will bounce back. Guys are anxious to

get back home and get the ball rolling back in our favor again.

"We're better than we've played and it's everybody. It's not just one guy. We have to coach better and

manage better. Everybody has to pick up their game." -- Servais

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Angels had lost their last 346 games when trailing by six or more runs entering the ninth.

WHAT'S NEXT

Mariners: James Paxton gets the ball for Monday's 2:10 p.m. PT home opener against the Astros at

Safeco Field. The Canadian lefty threw six scoreless innings with two hits in his season debut Wednesday

in Houston, but took the no-decision in a game Seattle lost in 13 innings.

Angels: Following an off-day on Monday, the Angels open a three-game series with the Rangers on

Tuesday at Angel Stadium. Tyler Skaggs is the scheduled starter. The left-hander allowed five runs over 5

1/3 innings against the A's in his last start. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. PT.

Scioscia heaps praise on Angels' D

Manager thinks team has the best defense in his 18 years with Halos

By Austin Laymance / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Mike Scioscia considers the 2017 Angels to be the best defensive teams he's managed

during his 18 seasons with the club.

"I definitely think it's our best defensive team," Scioscia said before Sunday's series finale against the

Mariners at Angel Stadium. "We've had some terrific defensive teams over the years, guys that were

really good at making plays. But I think the dynamic this year is the range is the best we've ever had at a

number of positions."

It all starts up the middle for the Angels.

Andrelton Simmons is widely regarded as the best defensive shortstop in baseball. He made a

spectacular tag on Seattle's Jean Segura to end the third inning of Saturday's 5-4 win, receiving a high

throw from first baseman Jefry Marte and reaching back to slap a no-look tag on Segura.

Then there's two-time American League MVP Mike Trout patrolling center field and new second

baseman Danny Espinosa, whose defense has drawn early praise from the manager.

"We're as strong as you can be up the middle defensively," Scioscia said.

April 10, 2017 Page 16 of 23

Angels general manager Billy Eppler improved the defensive over the offseason by signing Espinosa,

trading for outfielder Cameron Maybin, acquiring catcher Martin Maldonado and bringing in free-agent

outfielder Ben Revere.

"I think we all feel, definitely since the time I've been here, this is the best defensive team," said

Scioscia, who has managed the Angels since 2000. "When you take in all the considerations of making

routine plays, the range, the opportunity to take hits away, this is our best defensive team."

Skaggs starts series opener vs. Rangers

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

It's only the first month of the season, but the Rangers open a significant road trip when they face the

Angels on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels starts as they open a nine-game road trip against three American

League West division rivals. Left-hander Tyler Skaggs starts for the Angels as they open their third

straight series against an AL West opponent.

The Rangers play three games against the Angels, followed by three in Seattle and three in Oakland to

close out the trip. The Angels split four games with the A's to start the season, and then won their

weekend series against the Mariners.

"Every time you play a division rival, every game is important," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "It

will be a great road trip. We always play well there. These games are early, but we want to show what

we've got."

Neither starter fared well in his first start. Skaggs allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 5-1 loss to the A's

on Thursday. He is 2-1 with a 5.49 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.

Hamels allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings against the Indians on Wednesday, not factoring

in the decision in a 9-6 loss.

Three things to know about this game

• Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli is a career .343 hitter against the Angels, which ranks second

highest among active players with a minimum of 150 plate appearances against the Halos. Andrus is

sixth at .312, which includes a .316 average at Angel Stadium.

• Angels outfielder Mike Trout is a career .328 hitter against the Rangers. That's the fifth highest by

players with a minimum of 100 games played against them. He is second with a .447 on-base percentage

and third with a .592 slugging percentage.

• The Angels are 35-22 against the Rangers over the past three years.

April 10, 2017 Page 17 of 23

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angels overcome 6-run deficit in 9th inning to rally past Mariners

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- When Albert Pujols hit his 592nd career homer leading off the ninth inning, the shot

appeared to be a pleasant asterisk on a blowout loss for the Los Angeles Angels.

By the time he came up again eight batters later, the bases were loaded and the game had changed --

and Pujols came through again to keep an incredible comeback rolling.

Pujols homered and hit a tying two-run single before Cliff Pennington's drive to the wall capped Los

Angeles' ninth-inning rally from a six-run deficit for a 10-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

Pennington's single drove in Mike Trout to end a preposterous finish by the Angels, who trailed 8-1 in

the seventh and 9-3 before Pujols homered off Casey Fien.

The Halos scored seven runs on five hits and four walks in the ninth inning, sending them to their first 5-

2 start to a season since 2007. The franchise hadn't scored at least seven runs in the ninth to win a one-

run game since Aug. 29, 1986.

"To come all the way back like that, that's one of those magical, magical wins," Pennington said. "It will

probably only happen a few times a year, but it's a good one."

After Pujols connected and subsequently Fien walked the bases loaded, Yunel Escobar trimmed Seattle's

lead with a two-out, two-run double off closer Edwin Diaz (0-1), who gave up three hits.

"It's a tough one to swallow because I put (Diaz) in a bad situation, and he tried to battle and get himself

out of it," Fien said. "They got some hits that usually aren't hits, but it was one of those games."

Diaz then walked Kole Calhoun and Trout before Pujols and Pennington delivered back-to-back singles,

setting off a raucous celebration on the field and among the thousands of Angels fans who didn't leave

early.

"It's huge," Pennington said. "It gives you a lot of momentum. Two or three weeks from now, when

we're down by three or four runs in the seventh, it's a feeling that you've had before, where you've

come back and won that game. So much of this game is between the ears, that when you do this type of

thing a couple of times, you start to believe you can, and then it happens more frequently."

Andrew Bailey (2-0) pitched the ninth in the Angels' fifth win in six games since opening day.

Robinson Cano had a three-run homer and a two-run double for the Mariners, who fell to 1-6 in

excruciating fashion.

"It's a really tough one," Cano said. "The thing is, nothing is going our way. We've just got to keep

fighting. The last thing you want is to hang your head and start thinking about what happened the first

seven, eight games. Just get ready for tomorrow."

April 10, 2017 Page 18 of 23

The Mariners appeared to be cruising when Mitch Haniger knocked a 427-foot drive off Angel Stadium's

ficus trees in the seventh inning to put them up by seven runs. Instead, Seattle's bullpen fell apart in

spectacular fashion, giving up nine runs and nine hits in three innings.

GOOD START

Hisashi Iwakuma pitched six innings of two-hit ball for the Mariners, yielding only Andrelton Simmons'

early homer, but the Japanese veteran remains winless in two starts despite yielding only three runs in

12 innings.

SHOE'S COMEBACK

Matt Shoemaker yielded five hits and six earned runs while failing to get out of the fifth inning. It was

the right-hander's second start since his season ended early last September due to a line drive to his

head off the bat of Seattle's Kyle Seager.

"Those guys picked me up huge," Shoemaker said. "Made a really, really sour day turn really sweet. It's

awesome."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: Just one Los Angeles starter threw six full innings in the first week of the season, forcing the

bullpen to work extensively. The bullpen gets a rest day Monday, but the Angels have 20 games in the

ensuing 20 days.

UP NEXT

Mariners: James Paxton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for the home opener against Houston. He

pitched six strong innings against the Astros last week, allowing only three baserunners.

Angels: Tyler Skaggs (0-1, 8.44 ERA) looks to bounce back from a rocky season-opening start in Oakland

when the Angels open a three-game home series against Texas on Tuesday.

Albert Pujols hits HR, game-tying single as Angels rally from six-run deficit

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — When Albert Pujols hit his 592nd career homer leading off the ninth

inning, the shot appeared to be a pleasant asterisk on a blowout loss for the Los Angeles

Angels.

By the time he came up again eight batters later, the bases were loaded and the game had

changed — and Pujols came through again to keep an incredible comeback rolling.

Pujols homered and hit a tying two-run single before Cliff Pennington's drive to the wall capped

Los Angeles' ninth-inning rally from a six-run deficit for a 10-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners

on Sunday.

April 10, 2017 Page 19 of 23

Pennington's single drove in Mike Trout to end a preposterous finish by the Angels, who trailed

8-1 in the seventh and 9-3 before Pujols homered off Casey Fien.

The Halos scored seven runs on five hits and four walks in the ninth inning, sending them to

their first 5-2 start to a season since 2007. The franchise hadn't scored at least seven runs in the

ninth to win a one-run game since Aug. 29, 1986.

"To come all the way back like that, that's one of those magical, magical wins," Pennington said.

"It will probably only happen a few times a year, but it's a good one."

After Pujols connected and subsequently Fien walked the bases loaded, Yunel Escobar trimmed

Seattle's lead with a two-out, two-run double off closer Edwin Diaz (0-1), who gave up three

hits.

"It's a tough one to swallow because I put (Diaz) in a bad situation, and he tried to battle and

get himself out of it," Fien said. "They got some hits that usually aren't hits, but it was one of

those games."

Diaz then walked Kole Calhoun and Trout before Pujols and Pennington delivered back-to-back

singles, setting off a raucous celebration on the field and among the thousands of Angels fans

who didn't leave early.

"It's huge," Pennington said. "It gives you a lot of momentum. Two or three weeks from now,

when we're down by three or four runs in the seventh, it's a feeling that you've had before,

where you've come back and won that game. So much of this game is between the ears, that

when you do this type of thing a couple of times, you start to believe you can, and then it

happens more frequently."

Andrew Bailey (2-0) pitched the ninth in the Angels' fifth win in six games since opening day.

Robinson Cano had a three-run homer and a two-run double for the Mariners, who fell to 1-6 in

excruciating fashion.

"It's a really tough one," Cano said. "The thing is, nothing is going our way. We've just got to

keep fighting. The last thing you want is to hang your head and start thinking about what

happened the first seven, eight games. Just get ready for tomorrow."

The Mariners appeared to be cruising when Mitch Haniger knocked a 427-foot drive off Angel

Stadium's ficus trees in the seventh inning to put them up by seven runs. Instead, Seattle's

bullpen fell apart in spectacular fashion, giving up nine runs and nine hits in three innings.

April 10, 2017 Page 20 of 23

FROM ESPN.COM

On a day that featured the improbable, the Angels pulled off a miraculous win

By ESPN Stats & Information

A year ago, this was the kind of game you would have figured the Los Angeles Angels would lose. But

then was then and now is now, and the Angels have flipped the script and the American League West

standings, improving to 5-2 after a seven-run rally in the ninth inning on Sunday against the Seattle

Mariners.

Elias Sports Bureau research shows that it was the first time the Angels won a game when trailing by at

least six runs entering the ninth inning since Aug. 29, 1986, when they scored eight runs in the bottom

of the ninth inning to beat the Detroit Tigers 13-12. That’s the only other such win in franchise history.

The two comeback victories share the common bond of being won by a middle infielder not known for

his hitting, coming through against a closer with a reputation for being highly difficult to hit.

In 1986, it was shortstop Dick Schofield hitting a two-out grand slam against Tigers closer (and 1984 AL

MVP) Willie Hernandez.

This time around, it was Cliff Pennington -- who slashed .209/.265/.308 last season and who took over at

shortstop for Andrelton Simmons in the ninth inning -- singling against Mariners closer Edwin Diaz.

Sunday's contest also marked the first time the Angels scored seven or more runs in the bottom of the

ninth inning since April 15, 1994. After the Toronto Blue Jays put up five runs to lead off the ninth, the

Angels scored seven more to force extra innings and go on to win 14-13 in 10 innings.

You can see the improbability of how the inning went in the line graph below, which outlines the game’s

biggest win probability swings.

The inning’s beginning might have foreshadowed the unlikely nature of what was to come. Albert Pujols’

fly ball to left carried and then carried some more over the fence. The home run was calculated at 405

feet, aided 23 feet by the wind. It would not have been a home run in any park under normal weather

conditions (70 degrees, no wind).

This was a particularly stunning outing for Diaz, who entered with a 9-4 lead, and even though the bases

were loaded, that had to feel like the pitcher was in lockdown mode, especially after Danny

Espinosa grounded out and Martin Maldonado struck out. But a double, a wild pitch, two walks and two

singles later and the Angels were winners.

Among the most improbable things to come from Diaz’s performance is that he threw nine sliders and

netted only two strikes. He threw that pitch for a strike 73 percent of the time last season.

The Mariners fell to 1-6 for the season, a seven-game start matched in 1991 and 2004.

April 10, 2017 Page 21 of 23

The Angels are 5-2 and are among the unlikely division leaders, along with the Minnesota Twins, Tampa

Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. Those five teams were a combined 134 games

under .500 last season. According to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, none of those teams had an

Opening Day over/under higher than 79 wins for this season.

FROM FOX SPORTS

Watch the Angels miraculously score 7 runs in bottom of ninth to beat the Mariners

By Brett Smiley

The Los Angeles Angels ended the weekend with a bang on Sunday by scoring a touchdown in the

bottom of the ninth inning to overcome a 9-3 deficit and escape with a 10-9 victory.

The Angels batted around in a rally that started with Albert Pujols slugging a solo home run to center

then walk-single-walk drip-drip-drip until Seattle manager Scott Servais tried to extinguish the flame

with closer Edwin Diaz, who recorded a groundout and a swinging strikeout before unraveling. The rally

culminated in a Pujols single that scored two runs and, finally, Cliff Pennington ripping a single to deep

right that scored Mike Trout.

All in all, just a surreal ninth inning scene for the Angels, who scored a series sweep and improved to 5-2

in the young season. And also, folks, this is why you never leave early to “beat the traffic.”

FROM CBS SPORTS

Angels stage historic comeback with seven-run ninth inning to beat Mariners

The Angels entered the bottom of the ninth down 9-3 and still won

By Matt Snyder

The end of the first week of the 2017 Major League Baseball season for the Seattle Mariners and Los

Angeles Angels was quite a sight. It sent the reeling Mariners to a dreadful 1-6 record and the surging

Angels to 5-2.

It was also historic.

The Mariners entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 9-3 lead. That seems like a sure thing, right?

Not this time.

Albert Pujols started things off for the Angels with is 592nd career home run.

Cliff Pennington followed with a walk. C.J. Cron singled and Ben Revere walked.

April 10, 2017 Page 22 of 23

That would be it for Casey Fien, as Mariners closer Edwin Diaz entered the game. Surely he’d get the job

done, right? He did get Danny Espinosa to ground out. That made it 9-5 with runners at the corners and

one out. Martin Maldanado would strike out, so the order here was pretty tall for the Angels.

Yunel Escobar would then double and that’s when it started to get very interesting at 9-7 with Kole

Calhoun, Mike Trout and Pujols coming next.

Calhoun walked on four pitches. Diaz was falling apart. He walked Trout on four pitches and none were

particularly close.

Pujols then delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game, setting the table for Pennington, who “singled”

off the right-field wall, plating Trout to win the game.

Final score: Angels 10, Mariners 9. Again, it was 9-3 entering the bottom of the ninth.

Needless to say, this doesn’t happen very often. ESPN Stats and Info reported that teams entering the

ninth with a six-plus run lead had won 346 straight games and since 2011, teams leading by six or more

runs were 2,529-1. As for the Angels, it’s been quite a while since the franchise pulled off something like

this:

#Angels scored 7 runs in the 9th to win a 9-inning game by one run for first time since Aug. 29, 1986 vs.

DET (8 runs in bot. 9th- 13-12 win – Matt Birch.

The Mariners now head home and that’s gotta be one miserable flight.

FROM NBC SPORTS

Angels overcome six-run deficit in ninth to beat Mariners

By Bill Baer

Sunday afternoon was not a good day for relief pitchers wearing a Mariners uniform. The Mariners

entered the bottom of the ninth inning against the Angels with a healthy 9-3 lead. Casey Fien had the

responsibility of keeping the game out of reach for the Halos, but it was a responsibility he could not

fulfill.

Albert Pujols led off with a solo home run to center field, making it a 9-4 game. Fien then walked Cliff

Pennington, allowed a single to C.J. Cron, and walked Ben Revere to load the bases. Edwin Diaz came in

to relieve Fien and he at least got an out when Danny Espinosa hit a ground ball to second base. Diaz

fanned Martin Maldonado for the second out. Despite all that happened, the Angels still only had a 1.8

percent chance of winning according to FanGraphs.

Unfortunate for the Mariners, Yunel Escobar followed up with a bases-clearing double, cutting the

deficit to 9-7. During the next at-bat, facing Kole Calhoun, Diaz uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Escobar

April 10, 2017 Page 23 of 23

to move to third base. Diaz finished off the at-bat by issuing a walk to Calhoun on four pitches, then

walked Trout on four pitches to re-load the bases. Pujols, up for his second at-bat of the inning, singled

to right field, plating two runs to tie the game at nine-all. Pennington ended it with a single to right,

scoring Trout for the walk-off win.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, teams had lost 346 consecutive games entering Sunday when they

trailed by six or more runs entering the ninth inning. The Angels ended that streak.