ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Angels lost closer Huston Street because of a pregame injury, and that put a damper on their three-game sweep of the defending World Series champions.
Street strained his left oblique muscle playing catch and could be headed for the disabled list, so setup man Joe Smith had to close out the Angels’ 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals – a win fueled by Mike Trout‘s tying two-run homer and solo shots by Yunel Escobar and Andrelton Simmons.
Escobar, the Angels’ leadoff hitter, drove Chris Young‘s 3-1 pitch to center field for his third homer of the season leading off the sixth to put the Angels ahead 3-2. He had four hits in Tuesday night’s 9-4 victory.
“Chris did a great job. He gave up three hits, but two of them were home runs,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “They didn’t have a guy in scoring position all night long. Every run scored in that game was on a home run.”
Simmons ended the scoring in the seventh with his first homer as an Angel. His other 31 came with Atlanta, which sent the two-time Gold Glove shortstop to the Angels in a multiplayer trade that sent Erick Aybar to the Braves in November.
Fernando Salas (1-1) got the victory in relief and Smith got three outs for his first save in two chances. Nick Tropeanopitched 5 1/3 innings for the Angels, allowing two runs and eight hits with six strikeouts.
“I think today was just a battling day for me,” Tropeano said. “I don’t think I had my best stuff location-wise and was a little inconsistent with my fastball. But I made pitches when I had to and these guys picked me up offensively.”
Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer in the Royals’ first, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 17 games.
Young (1-4) allowed three runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander has allowed at least one home run in each of his first five starts.
“Physically, I felt great. I felt like I pitched better than my results,” Young said. “I feel bad that I didn’t make that lead hold up. This was a night where I could have picked up the hitters a little bit and get us back on track. I’m frustrated that we didn’t win. That’s my biggest disappointment.”
Tropeano came in having allowed two home runs in his first 75 1/3 innings in the big leagues.
Trout erased a deficit in the fourth with his fifth homer, driving an 0-2 pitch over the trees in center field after a leadoff single by Rafael Ortega. The 2014 AL MVP is hitting .353 over his last 14 games after starting the season 5 for 27.
“It was up and away, but the ball drifted back a little bit,” Young said. “It could have been a couple of inches higher, but when you make a mistake to a good hitter, he’s going to make you pay.”
SPIKE MARKS
Angels: Nine of Trout’s 37 career hits against Kansas City have been home runs. … The Angels have produced no more than four runs in 17 of the team’s first 21 games. … Tropeano picked off Dyson at first base with runners at the corners to end the fourth. The right-hander did the same thing to Seattle’s Nori Aoki in the second inning of his previous start to end the second inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: LHP Andrew Heaney, whose flexor muscle strain during his first start of the season is the reason Tropeano was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on April 7, will look at other opinions on the slow-healing injury. … LF Daniel Nava will work out in Arizona during the team’s six-game road trip.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Kris Medlen (1-1, 6.00 ERA) gets the assignment for the opener of a three-game series at Seattle. It will be his first appearance against the Mariners, one of four teams the seven-year veteran has yet to face along with the Angels, Rangers and Braves, the club that drafted him in 2006.
Angels: LHP Hector Santiago (2-0) opposes Colby Lewis in the opener of a three-game set at Arlington, Texas. The Angels have won each of Santiago’s last 10 starts including his no-decision on April 7 at the “Big A,” when they pulled out a 4-3 win on Albert Pujols‘ bases-loaded walk-off single in the ninth.
