May 8, 2017 Page 1 of 16

Clips

(May 8, 2017)

May 8, 2017 Page 2 of 16

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels' Shoemaker upbeat about progress despite loss

Angels can't summon late-inning magic and fall to Astros, 5-3

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)

Struggling Matt Shoemaker can’t carry Angels, minus Mike Trout, over Astros

Angels Notes: Tight hamstring keeps Mike Trout out again

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Escobar homers twice, but Angels drop final

Escobar shows homer capability vs. Astros

Trout sits again due to hamstring tightness

Nolasco set to face A's for third time

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 12)

Altuve's 3-run homer propels Astros past Angels, 5-3

Mike Trout scratched, day-to-day with tight left hamstring

FROM REUTERS (Page 15)

Homers help Astros in 5-3 win over Angels

May 8, 2017 Page 3 of 16

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels' Shoemaker upbeat about progress despite loss

By Steve Dilbeck

Matt Shoemaker is certain he’s close to being the pitcher he was for most of last season.

“Very confident,” he said.

Just clean up a few things. Stop with the uncharacteristic walks. And one other little thing: “Eliminate

that three-run homer,” he said.

He gave up a three-run homer to Houston’s Jose Altuve on Sunday, the decisive blow in the Angels’ 5-3

loss to the Astros.

Shoemaker (1-2, 5.21 ERA) was charged with five runs in his six innings. He walked four and gave up two

home runs, things he seldom did last season when he had 10 starts without walking a single batter. He

had one stretch of 49 consecutive strikeouts without a walk.

But that was all before he took a wicked comebacker off his head Sept. 4 in Seattle, a frightening blow

that would ultimately require brain surgery and a long recovery.

This season, Shoemaker has not been the pitcher who finished with a 2.83 ERA in his last 20 games in

2016.

“Matt will get it,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. “In stretches we’ve seen all year, he’s dominant.

It’s still in him.”

Shoemaker said he’s viewed tape of himself from last season and is certain he’s close.

“Maybe a little mechanically better, more mentally better,” he said. “I’m still not quite there yet.”

Trout still out

Mike Trout did not start for the third time in four games as he tries to nurse a tight left hamstring.

Trout said he hoped to play Monday in Oakland, but Scioscia said the Angels will continue to be cautious

with their franchise player.

“Hopefully it’s moving in the right direction,” Scioscia said. “We’ll continue to monitor him and see how

it feels (Monday) and make decisions on a daily basis.”

Trout, 25, has never been on the disabled list.

“Hamstrings are just a different animal,” Scioscia said. “If your shoulder’s a little sore, you can DH or do

this or get a day. But when your hamstring’s a little tight and achy, you need to make sure you get it

addressed. And that’s where we are right now.”

May 8, 2017 Page 4 of 16

Short hops

In his first at-bat for triple-A Salt Lake City, C.J. Cron (left foot bruise) was hit on the right wrist by a pitch

and left the game for what the Angels said were precautionary reasons. X-rays were negative. … Scioscia

said closer Cam Bedrosian (right groin strain) was still a couple of long throw sessions away from getting

back on the mound. … Second baseman Danny Espinoza is hitless in his last 28 at-bats and has two hits

in his last 48 at-bats.

Angels can't summon late-inning magic and fall to Astros, 5-3

By Steve Dilbeck

They can’t all be thrillers. Some games just kind of happen, coming off almost flat, and defying recent

history.

The Angels lost to the Houston Astros 5-3 on Sunday without signs of a great comeback, absent any

drama, lacking even a hint of suspense.

Matt Shoemaker mostly pitched well, save for a three-run homer Jose Altuve hit during a four-run third

inning that pretty much decided the game.

There were two solo home runs from leadoff hitter Yunel Escobar, but otherwise the Angels failed to

take advantage of Houston right-hander Mike Fiers’ early struggles (51 pitches in the first two innings)

and could never mount the kind of comeback they’d pulled off the previous two nights.

“We made him throw a lot of pitches,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Fiers. “He made some

pitches to Yuni [Escobar] to get him out with a couple guys on.

“But we really didn’t pressure him the way we had hoped to. Then the bullpen came in and shut us

down. A hit here or there obviously could have swung that game a little differently but we didn’t get

them.”

Fiers had yet to win a game in five starts, and early on the Angels appeared poised to inflict some

serious damage against him. It just never happened.

Escobar homered in the first, and the Angels pushed across another in the second after Cameron

Maybin walked, stole second, took third on catcher Evan Gattis’ errant throw and scored on Martin

Maldonado’s two-out single.

When Fiers (1-1) walked struggling Danny Espinosa, the Angels seemed to have him on the ropes, or

close to it. Instead, Fiers got Escobar to fly out and then settled down, relatively speaking. He didn’t give

up another run until Escobar hit his second solo shot in the fifth.

Shoemaker had been making Angel Stadium everything home should be. He’d pitched there like the

ballpark came equipped with slippers and a warm fire, going 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in his last 11 home

starts.

May 8, 2017 Page 5 of 16

But Sunday he was a tad off, especially in the third. Alex Bregman started his troubles with a double, and

after a walk to George Springer, Josh Reddick singled Bregman home.

Up came Altuve, and one pitch later, out went the ball, and the game. Altuve’s fifth home run of the

season was driven out near the Angels bullpen in left and gave the Astros a 4-2 lead.

“Pretty frustrating,” Shoemaker said. “Go out there and, for the most part, pitch pretty decent. Pitchers

say this a lot, but you arguably win the game if you get that one pitch back.”

Shoemaker (1-2) did not allow another hit until Gattis led off the seventh with a solo home run. That

turned out to be Shoemaker’s final pitch.

In his six-plus innings, he was charged with five runs and five hits. He struck out four and walked three.

“He settled down and got through six, but it seemed like he just lost his edge here and there,” Scioscia

said. “He really didn’t have that combination of pitches working that we’ve seen when he’s really on.”

A 4-2 deficit going into the bottom of the third hardly seemed the biggest challenge the Angels have

faced of late. They struck with a bottom-of-the-ninth rally to beat Houston on Saturday night, and

scored four runs in the ninth to force extra innings in a 7-6 loss Friday. Twelve of their 16 victories this

year have been of the comeback variety, second in the American League to the Astros’ 14.

There would be none of that Sunday. After missing an opportunity to chase Fiers, they did little against

relievers James Hoyt, Will Harris and Ken Giles, managing just two more hits.

In Game 33 of the season, drama had taken the afternoon off.

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Struggling Matt Shoemaker can’t carry Angels, minus Mike Trout, over Astros

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Matt Shoemaker summarized his performance on Sunday afternoon with seven words that

every pitcher knows…

“If I could take one pitch back…”

In this case, the one pitch was a hanging slider that Jose Altuve hit for a three-run homer, the biggest blow

in the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Houston Astros.

“Pretty frustrating,” Shoemaker said. “You go out and and for the most part feel pretty decent.”

Except, of course, for a few misplaced pitches that end up being the difference in the game, which is how

most big league games work.

May 8, 2017 Page 6 of 16

Shoemaker’s few mistakes were a few too many for the Angels’ to overcome on a day they played without

Mike Trout, who missed the third game in the past four with a tight hamstring. They are 1-2 without him.

While they wait for Trout to return, which could come as soon as Monday, their margin for error is thin.

Without Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs in the rotation, they certainly can’t afford for Shoemaker to be

lugging around a 5.21 ERA, which is where he stands after his latest performance.

If you boil that down to its components, the two biggest ingredients to the recipe going bad are homers

are walks. When Shoemaker is at his best, he doesn’t give up much of either.

In 2014, his breakthrough season, he gave up just 14 homers and walked just 24 in 136 innings. This year,

he’s pitched 38 innings, and he’s already allowed nine homers and 18 walks.

“When you see the walks and home runs, you know the process isn’t quite were it needs to be,” Manager

Mike Scioscia said. “He needs to find his release point and repeat pitches better and all that stuff will go in

a positive direction.”

Scioscia and Shoemaker are both confident that it’s still there. In fact, Shoemaker believes his problems

may be mental, as much as anything.

“Just trying to lock it in better, have more focus, in game and in the side work in the four days you’re not

pitching,” he said. “If you’re here, you can play this game physically. Mentally, if you put it together, go in

and have your game plan, execute your pitches, you are going to be more successful than not.”

For two innings on Sunday, he did that, which in itself was progress. He had allowed at least one run in the

first inning in five of his first six starts. This time he got to the third before things began to unravel, all after

he had two outs.

Then he walked George Springer, gave up an RBI double to Josh Reddick and then hung a first-pitch slider

to Altuve.

Altuve crushed it 424 feet, and just like that the Angels 2-1 lead was a 4-2 deficit. Shoemaker settled down

and did not give up another run until the seventh, when he again hung a first-pitch slider, this one

deposited over the fence by Evan Gattis.

That was the last pitch he threw, completing an outing in which he threw six-plus innings, with two homers

and three walks.

“It seemed like he just lost his edge here and there,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t have the combination of

pitches working we’ve seen when he’s really on.”

Houston’s five runs were too much for the Angels to overcome without Trout. Yunel Escobar did much of

the damage with a pair of homers, including one on the first pitch of the game from Houston’s Mike Fiers.

Ever since snapping out of an 0-for-22 slump late last month, Escobar has hit .350 (14 for 40) with three

homers and three doubles. In his past seven games, he is 13 for 32.

May 8, 2017 Page 7 of 16

“He just continues to focus on the process,” Scioscia said. “He always has good at-bats. Hopefully he’s back

on the beam.”

Angels Notes: Tight hamstring keeps Mike Trout out again

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — With as many injuries as the Angels have already endured, they are taking no chances with

Mike Trout.

On Sunday, Trout was out of the lineup for the second day in a row, and third time in the past four games,

resting a tight left hamstring.

“Have to be smart about it,” Trout said. “I figure we take today and yesterday and see how it feels in

Oakland (on Monday)… I’m going to come to the field tomorrow ready to play and see how it feels.”

Trout sat out Thursday’s game and played on Friday. He was in the lineup on Saturday, but scratched at

the last minute because it tightened up on him during pregame warmups. The decision to rest Trout was

made before he even arrived at the ballpark on Sunday morning.

“The hamstring is a different animal,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “If your shoulder is a little sore, you can

DH, but if your hamstring is a little tight and achy you need to make sure you get it addressed and that’s

where we are now.”

Since Trout became an everyday player in April 2012, he has missed as many as three straight games just

once, in August 2013. He had a hamstring issue then. He missed two consecutive games in July 2015 with

hamstring tightness.

“It’s something similar,” Trout said of the 2015 injury. “Nothing serious. I just don’t want it to get too

serious.”

RICHARDS UPDATE

Garrett Richards, who has been out more than a month because of nerve irritation in his biceps, is still

waiting for clearance to throw, but he feels optimistic that he’s going in the right direction.

“It’s coming along,” Richards said. “It’s advancing at its own pace, but it’s moving forward. I haven’t had

any setbacks. It hasn’t plateaued yet. It’s going as we thought it would.”

Richards said he’s working out every day. The Angels are testing the strength in his biceps and comparing it

to readings from before the injury. When he approaches the level he was at before, he’ll be allowed to

throw again, he said.

“They won’t let me do anything until they are convinced it’s better, but I feel good,” he said. “There’s no

pain or anything, so it’s kind of frustrating.”

May 8, 2017 Page 8 of 16

ALSO

C.J. Cron (bruised foot) was hit in the right wrist by a pitch in the first plate appearance of his rehab

assignment on Sunday. He underwent X-rays that did not show a break, according to General Manager

Billy Eppler. Cron is day-to-day. Cron is eligible to come off the disabled list on Tuesday…

Mike Morin (neck) said he’s now feeling 100 percent and has begun a throwing program. Morin estimates

that he’s about three weeks away from returning to action. …

Cam Bedrosian (groin) said he has been throwing at a distance of about 120 feet but he’s not sure when he

will be able to get on a mound. “I thought it would be better by now, but we’re taking it day to day,” he

said.

Andrew Bailey (shoulder) and Huston Street (lat) are both throwing bullpen sessions, but Bailey is closer to

beginning a rehab assignment, Scioscia said. Scioscia said there is a timetable that would have Street ready

by June 1, when he’s eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Escobar homers twice, but Angels drop finale

By Maria Guardado and Brian McTaggart / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Jose Altuve's three-run home run highlighted a four-run third inning for the Astros,

powering Houston to a 5-3 victory over the Angels and clinching a series victory Sunday afternoon at

Angel Stadium.

Evan Gattis also homered for the Astros, who improved to 21-11, matching the best start in franchise

history, and built a 5 1/2-game lead over the Halos in the American League West.

"The big three-run homer was obviously a huge momentum shift from their dugout to our dugout by

taking the lead," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.

"When you win a series, there's no complaints," Hinch said. "All three games were really good games.

Our guys keep competing. We keep a pretty even keel. We have a fun group that knows how to win

some close games."

Astros right-hander Mike Fiers pitched five innings, allowing three runs on four hits while walking four

and striking out one. With Mike Trout out of the lineup for a second straight day due to left hamstring

tightness, Yunel Escobar inflicted most of the Angels' damage against Fiers, launching a pair of solo

home runs to mark his second career multi-homer game.

Escobar led off the bottom of the first by hammering a first-pitch fastball to left-center field for his third

home run of the season and his 10th career leadoff blast. He took Fiers deep again in the fifth, crushing

May 8, 2017 Page 9 of 16

a 3-2 cutter to center that reduced the Astros' lead to 4-3. Fiers has permitted 14 home runs this year,

the most in the Majors.

"Seems to be my downside this year is balls leaving the ballpark," Fiers said. "If they're solo home runs, I

can't really complain too much. If I can keep the ball inside the park, I'll be doing pretty good."

Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker yielded five runs on five hits, including two home runs, over six-

plus innings, with three walks and four strikeouts. Shoemaker, whose ERA spiked to 5.21 following the

uneven outing, has allowed nine home runs and 18 walks over 38 innings this season, both of which are

uncharacteristically high.

"Right now, I think he's losing counts," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously, there are some

walks that are creeping up. When he's going good, there will be very few walks. Right now [the walks]

are showing up, and he's paying the price for it. He'll be fine, but I think that's just the report card,

where you see the walks and home runs. You know that the process isn't quite where it needs to be. He

just needs to find his release point and repeat pitches better, and all that stuff will go in a positive

direction."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Astros erupt for four runs: The Angels jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after Escobar homered in the first

and Martin Maldonado added an RBI single in the second, but the Astros erased the deficit by erupting

for four runs off Shoemaker in the third. Shoemaker got into trouble after surrendering a double to Alex

Bregman and a two-out walk to George Springer. Josh Reddick put Houston on the board with an RBI

single, but Altuve delivered the biggest blow of the inning, blasting a first-pitch slider over the left-field

fence for a three-run home run that gave the Astros a 4-2 lead.

"It was good because it ended up winning the game," Altuve said. "This is what it's about; try to win

every series. The way this team has been playing is amazing. Everything you can do to keep going and

keep winning games and series, you've got to go out there and do it."

"Pretty frustrating," Shoemaker said. "You go out there and for the most part pitch pretty decent. As

pitchers, we can say this a lot, but it's just take one pitch back. We can arguably win the game if you take

that one pitch back."

Angels strand Revere at third: After Escobar's second homer of the game pulled the Angels within

one, Ben Revere lined a two-out triple to right field off Houston reliever James Hoyt in the sixth, putting

the tying run on third. But Maldonado could not come through for the Halos; he struck out swinging on

a slider from Hoyt to leave Revere stranded, preserving the Astros' 4-3 lead.

It was as close as the Angels would get, as Gattis opened the seventh with a solo shot off Shoemaker,

creating a two-run cushion for Houston.

QUOTABLE

"It's not his norm. He's given up home runs in the past, but not at this pace. It's about executing pitches,

and he's getting burned in =sort of a big fashion, and that's something he'll continue to work on. We'll

May 8, 2017 Page 10 of 16

keep working at it."

-- Hinch, on Fiers' homers

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

In the fifth, Hinch issued a challenge after Jake Marisnick was thrown out by Maldonado while trying to

steal second with two outs. A two-minute and 31-second replay review determined that Marisnick's

hand had touched the bag ahead of Andrelton Simmons' tag, extending the inning. But Shoemaker

subsequently coaxed a groundout from Reddick to leave Marisnick stranded at second.

WHAT'S NEXT

Astros: The Astros are off Monday before opening a two-game homestand at 7:10 p.m. CT Tuesday

against the Braves at Minute Maid Park. Right-hander Charlie Morton, who was drafted by the Braves

and broke into the big leagues with them, will start against his former club.

Angels: The Angels head to Oakland to open a three-game series against the A's on Monday night at the

Oakland Coliseum. Right-hander Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 4.68 ERA) will take the mound for the Halos.

Nolasco has gone 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in his first two starts against the A's this year.

Escobar shows homer capability vs. Astros

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Yunel Escobar put on a rare power display Sunday afternoon, blasting a pair of solo home

runs off Mike Fiers in the Angels' 5-3 loss to the Astros at Angel Stadium.

It was only the second career multi-homer game for Escobar, who homered to lead off the Angels' half

of the first inning to put the Halos up, 1-0, then went deep again in the fifth to trim Houston's lead to 4-

3. The 34-year-old infielder now has four home runs in 32 games this season after hitting just five in 132

games last year.

Escobar said he has not made any changes to his approach, instead attributing his early power surge to

simply playing in more favorable ballparks.

"That's just part of the game," Escobar said in Spanish. "I think sometimes we play in stadiums that don't

help us. Last year, I didn't hit that many home runs, but I thought I hit some balls hard at other ballparks

that would have been home runs here. If we had been playing in Houston, those rockets that I hit today

would have been doubles. I haven't changed anything. I'm still the same."

Escobar homered on the first pitch he saw in the first inning.

"He's a guy that's aggressive," Fiers said. "That's in the scouting report. He knows he's aggressive. He

knows he's swinging most of the time. He's not going to walk much. I've just got to make better pitches

and put him in a better spot early and get a ground ball that first pitch. If I make a good pitch down and

away and he rolls over, it's advantage me. One pitch, one out. He's going to be aggressive, and if you

make the mistakes, he's going to make you pay."

May 8, 2017 Page 11 of 16

Escobar went through an 0-for-22 slump in April, but he has heated up since then, going 14-for-40 (.350)

with three home runs and three doubles in the leadoff spot for the Angels.

"He went through a little stretch where he had some trouble getting some hits to fall, and he just

continues to focus on the process," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He always has good at-bats.

This afternoon, he got ahold of a couple pitches. Although home runs are not really a part of his game,

he can hit that ball a long way. He understands the type of hitter he is, and he's hopefully back on the

beam."

Trout sits again due to hamstring tightness

All-Star hopes to return to lineup for Monday's series opener in Oakland

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout was out of the Angels' lineup for a second consecutive game with left hamstring

tightness, but the star center fielder said Sunday that the malady is "nothing serious."

"I feel good this morning," Trout said prior to the Halos' series finale against the Astros at Angel

Stadium. "After the day off [Thursday], I felt good. It just tightened up on me a bit yesterday. I'll get

some treatment on it today and hopefully play tomorrow."

Trout, 25, had been slated to start in center field against the Astros on Saturday, but he was scratched

shortly before first pitch as a precautionary measure. He also sat out Thursday's game against the

Mariners with hamstring tightness.

"I always want to play," Trout said. "It was tough being in the lineup yesterday and coming out. I would

rather take two days now than be out for a while. I should be ready to go tomorrow."

Trout has started at least 157 games in each of the past four seasons in the Majors and has never been

placed on the disabled list. He has never missed more than three games in a row, which last occurred in

August 2013, and the Angels are hopeful this hamstring issue won't sideline him for much longer.

"We anticipate it getting better, not worse," manager Mike Scioscia said. "As long as he moves in the

right direction, we're going to evaluate him every day to see when he's ready to play. But we hope it's

not too long."

Trout had been enjoying one of the best starts of his career before the hamstring issue surfaced, batting

.355 with a 1.146 OPS, eight home runs, 21 RBIs and five stolen bases in 30 games.

Worth noting

• Struggling second baseman Danny Espinosa returned to the Angels' lineup Sunday after receiving a day

off to work on his swing. Espinosa entered Sunday in a 2-for-44 slump and was hitless in his last 25 at-

bats, prompting the Halos to drop him to the No. 9 spot in the order.

May 8, 2017 Page 12 of 16

Nolasco set to face A's for third time

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

Right-handers Kendall Graveman and Ricky Nolasco will face off Monday night as the A's and Angels

open a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum.

The Angels have won four of their last five against Oakland and are 5-2 against the A's in 2017.

Nolasco has already faced Oakland twice this season, going 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA. He allowed four earned

runs over 4 1/3 innings in his most recent outing against the Mariners on Wednesday and came away

with a no-decision. Nolasco experienced some cramping in his calf during his last start, but the 34-year-

old veteran said his leg feels fine now.

Graveman, 26, is scheduled to make his third start since being reinstated from the disabled list on April

27. He is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA since coming back from a strained right shoulder. In eight career starts

against the Angels, Graveman is 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA.

Three things to know about this game

• Angels center fielder Mike Trout is hoping to return to the lineup Monday after missing two games

with left hamstring tightness. He hit .418 with two doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs against Oakland

last season. Trout extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games Friday night.

• Graveman has struggled against Halos infielder Luis Valbuena (.417 average) and slugger Albert Pujols

(.364) in his career, while Nolasco has had trouble with A's first baseman Ryon Healy (.417) and infielder

Jed Lowrie (.400).

• Angels fans might not have known they were getting one of the Majors' strongest backstop arms when

the team traded fellow catcher Jett Bandy to the Brewers for Maldonado this past December. But those

who have watched the Halos regularly in 2017 certainly know about Maldonado's arm now. In his first

season as a starting catcher, the 30-year old Maldonado has posted the second-highest average arm

strength on "max-effort" throws (throws at or above his 90th percentile of effort) among big league

backstops.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Altuve's 3-run homer propels Astros past Angels, 5-3

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After Jose Altuve got picked off first base to end the first inning, he had a little talk

with himself. "I went to second base to play defense, and I said to myself, `OK, you've got to wake up

and start playing baseball," Altuve said.

May 8, 2017 Page 13 of 16

He and the Houston Astros are extremely good at getting back in the game.

Altuve hit a three-run homer during Houston's four-run third inning, and Evan Gattis also homered in

the Astros' 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

The AL West leaders overcame an early two-run deficit to win for the sixth time in eight games, opening

a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Los Angeles by taking two of three in the series.

The finale was a workmanlike win, with Altuve providing the biggest blow on his go-ahead homer. After

getting a day off Saturday, he extended his hitting streak in Anaheim to 17 games since June 17, 2015.

"Sometimes a day off does a guy well, mentally," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. "He got back to

doing Altuve-type stuff, which is being the best player on the field."

Mike Fiers pitched five innings and earned his first victory of the season with a boost from his bullpen,

which threw four scoreless innings of two-hit ball. Ken Giles rebounded from blowing a four-run lead in

the ninth inning Friday, pitching an uneventful ninth for his eighth save.

Yunel Escobar hit two home runs for the Angels, who have lost four of five. Two-time AL MVP Mike

Trout sat out with a tight left hamstring for the third time in four games.

LOST SHOE

Matt Shoemaker (1-2) pitched five-hit ball into the seventh, but was undone by the Astros' big inning

capped by Altuve's fifth homer of the season. The loss was his first at Angel Stadium since June 1, 2016.

Shoemaker walked three and managed only 46 strikes on 80 pitches.

Altuve went deep right after Josh Reddick's RBI single drove in Houston's first run off Shoemaker. The

Angels right-hander was chased by Gattis' solo shot on his first pitch of the seventh.

"That's the end result of not repeating your pitches and not having your command," Angels manager

Mike Scioscia said. "The times when he was dominant, he's still got that in him. He just needs to find his

release point and repeat his pitches better, and all those things will go well for him."

FIERS SIGN

Fiers (1-1) yielded four hits and struck out five, and he also walked four for the first time since

September 2015. He still did enough to get in position for his first win.

"Seems to be my downfall is balls leaving the ballpark," Fiers said. "But if they're solo homers, I can't

really complain too much."

May 8, 2017 Page 14 of 16

BIG SHOTS

Escobar doubled his homer total for the entire season in his second career multi-homer game, his first

since 2014. He connected on Fiers' first pitch for his 10th career leadoff homer and added another solo

shot in the fifth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: Utility infielder Marwin Gonzalez was out of the lineup with a sore right foot after getting hit by a

pitch Saturday. Gonzalez has been on a hot streak at the plate, going 9 for 20.

Angels: C.J. Cron's right wrist was hit by a pitch Sunday during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt

Lake. He was removed from the game, but X-rays revealed no fractures. He is day-to-day, Angels general

manager Billy Eppler said. Cron is returning from a bruised left foot after fouling off a pitch late last

month. ... Trout said he plans to play Monday at Oakland. He also missed games on Thursday and

Saturday, but extended his hitting streak to 17 games on Friday. Trout has played in at least 157 games

in four consecutive seasons, and he missed only three games in each of the past two years.

UP NEXT

Astros: After an off day, Charlie Morton (3-2, 3.97 ERA) makes the seventh start of his first season with

the Astros on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, his former team.

Angels: Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 4.68) starts against the Oakland Athletics for the third time already this

season when the Angels open a three-game set in the Bay Area.

Angels' Mike Trout scratched, day-to-day with tight left hamstring

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout was scratched from the Los Angeles Angels' lineup Saturday and is day to

day with tightness in his left hamstring.

Trout was pulled shortly before first pitch as a precaution after going through warmups for a game

against the Houston Astros.

Cameron Maybin took Trout's place in center field, and Ben Revere stepped in for Maybin in left field.

Trout extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games in the Angels' 7-6 extra-innings loss to the

Astros on Friday night.

Trout was named AL player of the month for the fourth time in his career after hitting .364 with 18

extra-base hits and 18 RBI in April.

May 8, 2017 Page 15 of 16

FROM REUTERS

Homers help Astros in 5-3 win over Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Houston Astros are well ahead of their colleagues in the American League West,

leading the Los Angeles Angels by 5 1/2 games after their 5-3 win on Sunday at Angel Stadium.

But the Astros to a man promise they will not get ahead of themselves and start thinking a 21-11 record

on May 7 guarantees their future.

They clearly have a secure hold on the division. They are 17-6 after their first run of divisional play,

winning eight of 10 series to date and all seven against AL West teams.

"More than who we're playing, it's how we're playing," said Jose Altuve, who had the key three-run

homer in the third inning that put the Astros ahead to stay. "Winning every series we play is what it's all

about.

"And we're not depending on any one player, we're a team. Every day it's a different player stepping up

with a big hit or big play."

The Astros hit two home runs. Evan Gattis added a solo shot in the seventh to make it 5-3.

Houston's stout bullpen did its job, too. James Hoyt, Will Harris (two innings) and Ken Giles threw four

scoreless innings in support of starter Mike Fiers.

"Jose was good," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of his second baseman, who didn't start Saturday as

Hinch chose to give him a day of rest. "I think the day off was good for him mentally. He gave us that big

momentum shift, from their dugout to our dugout."

Los Angeles' Yunel Escobar took Fiers deep twice, to open the first inning and again in the fifth.

Fiers (1-1) has allowed an AL-high 14 homers this season in 30-plus innings, but he worked around

Escobar's homers and four walks to leave with the lead after five innings. Fiers gave up three runs and

four hits while striking out one.

"It's been my downside this year," Fiers said of the home runs. "(Escobar) hit my first pitch and I told

myself I can't let up at any time. Each pitch is crucial. I wasn't making quality pitches in the second, but I

battled."

The Houston bullpen has nine wins and 11 saves this season.

"It's always a good thing to play well against teams in your division," Harris said. "We're not going to be

playing them again in a while, but I think they'll be better the next time we see them."

The Angels lost for the fourth time in five games. starter Matt Shoemaker (1-2) pitched six-plus innings,

his second-longest outing of the season, but two of the five hits he allowed were home runs accounting

for four runs. He yielded five runs, walked three and struck out four.

May 8, 2017 Page 16 of 16

"Right now, he's still finding himself and making some bad pitches, and he's paying the price," Angels

manager Mike Scioscia said of Shoemaker, whose 2016 season ended when he suffered a fractured skull

when hit by a line drive.

"We know what Matt is capable of, and I think he'll get to that point soon."

The Angels were thrilled with the way they started the game. Shoemaker picked off Altuve to end the

top of the first, and Escobar started the bottom of the inning with a booming home run to center off

Fiers.

The Angels pushed another run across in the second to take a 2-0 lead. Cameron Maybin walked, stole

second and went to third on Gattis' throwing error, and scored on Martin Maldonado's two-out single.

But the Astros unloaded on Shoemaker for four runs in the third. Alex Bregman doubled to left and

Shoemaker walked George Springer with two outs. Josh Reddick singled off the right field wall to score

Bregman, and Altuve hit Shoemaker's next pitch well up into the grandstand in left field for a three-run

homer and a 4-2 Astros lead.

Escobar went deep on Fiers again in the fifth, this time to right center, to cut the Astros' lead to 4-3, but

Gattis opened the seventh with a home run off Shoemaker to push it back to a two-run lead.

NOTES: Angels CF Mike Trout took a second day off with tightness in his left hamstring. He has missed

three of the last four games. Trout said he expects to play Monday when the Angels visit Oakland. ...

Houston 2B Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak at Angel Stadium to 17 games dating to June 2015. ...

Astros 3B Alex Bregman extended his hitting streak to nine games, and he has a hit in 15 of his last 16. ...

2B Danny Espinosa returned to the Angels' lineup and extended his slump to 0-for-27. He went 0-for-2

with a walk.