Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - David Freese's two-run homer backed eight stellar innings from C.J. Wilson and helped the Angels rebound from an Opening Day loss as they downed the Mariners 2-0 on Tuesday.
Wilson (1-0) retired the final 17 batters he faced and only allowed two hits with one walk. He threw 63 of his 96 pitches for strikes and fanned a pair.
The outing was a welcome sight for the veteran after pitching to an ugly 4.51 ERA last season.
"C.J.'s performance is going to be important to our rotation," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think you're going to see a better year from him."
Freese followed Albert Pujols' double in the fourth with an opposite-field blast off James Paxton (0-1), who was otherwise solid over six innings.
"I left a cutter over the plate to Pujols, then made a mistake to Freese," Paxton said.
The only real trouble Wilson faced came in the second inning when the Mariners had runners on first and second and one out. The left-hander retired Logan Morrison and Mike Zunino to leave two on, and after Rickie Weeks singled with one away in the third, the Mariners did not have a single batter reach base.
Huston Street tossed a perfect ninth to collect his first save and finish off the brisk two-hour, 13-minute affair.
Game Notes
Wednesday's rubber match of this season-opening three-game series pits Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma against the Angels' Matt Shoemaker ... Paxton, who came in 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA in seven starts at Safeco Field, struck out five and gave up four hits ... The Angels recorded just five hits one day after recording four in the opener.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.