Angels 6, White Sox 5: Mike Trout hit a game-tying grand slam and Erick Aybar drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as host Los Angeles rallied from a five-run deficit to stun Chicago.
After trailing 5-0 and enjoying little success against White Sox starter Chris Sale through seven innings, the Angels struck for all six of their runs in the eighth against the southpaw and reliever Jake Petricka (0-1). Trout knotted the game at 5-5 with his second career grand slam and Aybar capped Los Angeles’ six-run frame five batters later when he singled home Josh Hamilton.
Cory Rasmus (1-0) fanned three and walked one over two hitless innings to get the decision after getting recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day, and Ernesto Frieri struck out a pair during a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Hamilton totaled three hits for Los Angeles while Alejandro De Aza had two hits and knocked in two to lead Chicago.
Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham contributed run-scoring singles in the third and De Aza plated another run with an RBI double in the fourth in support of Sale, who allowed only a first-inning walk to Trout through four innings before giving up his first hit to Hamilton to open the fifth. Adam Dunn closed the book on Angels starter Matt Shoemaker four pitches into the sixth with a solo shot to straightaway center and De Aza made it a five-run lead with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
Sale appeared to tire in the seventh and Los Angeles opened up the floodgates in the next inning when Chris Iannetta singled home Aybar to break up the shutout and each of the next two batters reached to load the bases for Trout. Following a visit from pitching coach Don Cooper, Sale quickly jumped two strikes ahead of Trout before the two-time All-Star slugged a low changeup over the fence five pitches later to tie it up.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Sale, who was charged with five runs (four earned) and seven hits over seven-plus innings, had allowed a total of one run and six hits over his last 25 innings before the Angels’ eighth-inning outburst since returning from the disabled list on May 22. … Hamilton entered the contest 1-for-11 in his career off Sale, but went 2-for-3 against him Saturday. … Dunn’s solo blast was the 451st home run of his career, one behind Carl Yastrzemski for 35th place on the all-time list.
Chi. White Sox | LA Angels | |
Chris Sale | Player | Matt Shoemaker |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
7.0 | IP | 5.0 |
6 | Strikeouts | 6 |
7 | Hits | 9 |
5.14 | ERA | 5.40 |
Chi. White Sox | LA Angels | |
Alejandro De Aza | Player | Josh Hamilton |
2 | Hits | 3 |
2 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 3 |
.667 | Avg | .750 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Chi. White Sox | 9 | 1 | 15 | .273 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
LA Angels | 10 | 1 | 14 | .294 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 |