Mike Trout is starting to see the ball pretty well for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and will try to keep the hot streak going when his club opens a four-game series Thursday versus the Chicago White Sox.
Trout, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, is batting .429 with three homers, seven RBI and nine hits in his last six games and went deep for the second straight game in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game series. Trout has eight home runs on the season.
Albert Pujols, Alberto Callaspo and Chris Iannetta all drove in runs for the Angels, who entered the game having won four of six games. Anaheim, though, has lost three of its last four contests.
Barry Enright was saddled with the loss after he gave up four runs and five hits in only two innings of work. Mark Lowe did no better in relief and surrendered four more runs. Kansas City was able to put the game out of reach with a seven-run third inning.
"I felt good. The first inning was a breeze, but a couple of walks in the third hurt and they felt what was best for the team was to take me out," Enright said.
The Angels are 1-2 on a nine-game homestand and sit 11 games off the lead in the AL West.
Anaheim will send Jerome Williams to the hill for his third start of the season Thursday and he is 2-1 with a 3.06 earned run average in 10 games (2 starts). Williams got extended work in relief April 29 in a 10-8 loss in 19 innings at Oakland and tossed six innings, allowing one unearned run.
Williams' first start came May 5 in an 8-4 loss to Baltimore, as he was saddled with defeat for permitting five runs in 4 1/3 frames. Williams won his last outing on Friday, when he allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-2 road win against the White Sox.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.74 ERA in five games (3 starts) in his career against the White Sox.
Chicago took the last two installments of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, including Wednesday's 9-4 victory behind Adam Dunn's big day at the plate. Dunn homered twice and finished with three hits and five RBI for the White Sox, who have won three of four games.
"I'm happy with the direction where the balls went," Dunn said. "I've gotten pitches to hit and had been fouling them off, but the last couple of nights haven't fouled them off."
Dayan Viciedo homered and Alex Rios collected three hits and three runs scored in the win.
Dylan Axelrod picked up his first win of the season and gave up three runs on nine hits and struck out four over 5 1/3 innings.
Chicago has lost each of Jose Quintana's last three starts and will hand him the ball Thursday. In a 3-2 setback against the Angels on Saturday, Quintana pitched well in defeat and allowed three runs, two of which were earned, in six innings.
Quintana, a left-hander, has made four road starts this season, going 1-0 with a 2.66 ERA, but is winless (0-2) in two career starts against the Angels.
The White Sox lost two of three to the Angels at home earlier this month and have dropped nine of the past 13 meetings between the teams.
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