Angels 8, Indians 4: Chris Iannetta and Vernon Wells drove in two runs apiece while Ervin Santana pitched seven strong innings as host Los Angeles won its first series since late July.
Iannetta and rookie Mike Trout homered and Kendrys Morales collected three hits for the Angels, who were 0-4-1 in their previous five series.
Los Angeles, which climbed within six games of first-place Texas in the American League West, spoiled the return of Cleveland starter Roberto Hernandez as it scored five times in the second inning. Hernandez was pitching for the first time since Sept. 25, when he illegally was going by the name of Fausto Carmona.
Iannetta lifted a sacrifice fly during the uprising, which also featured an RBI triple by Erick Aybar and a run-scoring single by Alberto Callaspo. He added a two-out solo homer in the sixth that gave the Angels a commanding 8-1 lead.
Wells plated two runs without the benefit of a hit, delivering RBI fielder's choices in the second and third frames. Trout drilled a 3-1 offering from Hernandez into the Indians bullpen with two out in the fourth for his 22nd blast, tops among major-league rookies.
Santana (6-10) improved to 2-8 lifetime against Cleveland as he held the Indians to one run and four hits. The right-hander, who walked one and struck out four, has allowed three runs or less in three of his last four starts.
Hernandez (0-1) surrendered eight runs - five earned - and 10 hits over six frames as he fell to 0-4 in 11 career games against the Angels.
Shin-Soo Choo belted a three-run homer while Asdrubal Cabrera recorded two hits and an RBI for the Indians, who fell to 1-2 on their nine-game road trip.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Home plate umpire Greg Gibson left the game in the fifth inning after getting spiked near the left eye by Torii Hunter. While attempting to score from first on Morales' double, Hunter caught Gibson as he spun around after colliding with Cleveland C Carlos Santana while trying to touch the plate with his hand. Hunter was out on the play. ... Cabrera recorded the Indians' only extra-base hit other than Choo's homer, an RBI double in the sixth inning. ... Trout also leads all rookies with 66 RBIs.
Cleveland | LA Angels | |
Roberto Hernandez | Player | Ervin Santana |
Loss | W/L | Win |
6.0 | IP | 7.0 |
0 | Strikeouts | 4 |
10 | Hits | 4 |
7.50 | ERA | 1.29 |
Cleveland | LA Angels | |
Asdrubal Cabrera | Player | Kendrys Morales |
2 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 4 |
.500 | Avg | .750 |