Cleveland, OH – Shelley Duncan hit a solo home run and drove in two to help the Cleveland Indians take a 9-5 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim in a rain-sodden middle portion of a three-game set.
Jose Lopez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while Jason Kipnis drove in a run and scored twice for the Indians, who have won four of their last six. Zach McAllister (3-1) pitched six innings and gave up five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits with five strikeouts.
"He was very effective with his fastball and never got scared out there," said Cleveland manager Manny Acta about McAllister. "He was really strong out there and we were able to back him up at the plate."
Mike Trout hit a three-run home run for the Angels, who had won their previous two. Dan Haren (6-8) was tagged for seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits with one walk and one strikeout in 4 1/3 innings.
"We're going to get it looked at again when we get back home," said Haren of his ailing back. "It's not really enabling me to power the ball down in the zone. I've got to get something figured out here."
Kipnis singled home Shin-Soo Choo in the first inning while Duncan's sac fly followed by a run-scoring double by Jack Hannahan in the second gave Cleveland a 3-0 lead.
Duncan added a solo shot in the fourth for a 4-0 lead, but the Angels surged ahead in the fifth.
With two on and one out, John Hester reached base on a bad throw by Hannahan, scoring Alberto Callaspo. Trout, who sat out yesterday with a sore right pinkie, then tied the game with his 10th homer of the year. Albert Pujols gave the team a 5-4 lead with his 13th homer of the year two batters later.
It was a short-lived lead, though, as the Indians answered in the home half of the frame. Choo doubled to leadoff and Kipnis was later issued an intentional walk. Lopez doubled in Choo and Hisanori Takahashi took the mound. Michael Brantley hit a grounder to first that saw Pujols step on the bag, but his throw to the plate went wide and both runners scored for a 7-5 lead.
The Indians tacked on a run in the seventh as Brantley's groundout plated Kipnis for an 8-5 lead.
With one out in the top of the eighth, the game went into a rain delay.
When the game came back, the Angles left a man on second in the eighth and the Indians tacked on another run in the bottom half of the frame on Aaron Cunningham's RBI single.
Esmil Rogers came on for the ninth and got the first out, but the game went into another rain delay.
When play resumed, Rogers stayed on the mound and was greeted by a double from Erick Aybar, but he set down the next two batters to lock down the win.
Game Notes
The two delays went a total of one hour, 41 minutes...The Indians have won three of five from the Angels this season...Haren fell to 4-3 in 12 starts against the Indians.
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