April 17, 2017 Page 1 of 14

Clips

(April 17, 2017)

April 17, 2017 Page 2 of 14

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels lose fifth straight despite solid effort by starter Tyler Skaggs

Albert Pujols isn't worried about Angels' sputtering offense

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)

Angels offense continues to struggle as losing streak reaches five games

Angels Notes: Tyler Skaggs dominates at Kansas City again

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 9)

Halos blanked, spoil Skagg’s strong start

Skaggs shows turnaround, strikes out 9

Simmons sits as Scioscia wants players fresh

Chavez opens 4-game set vs. Astros

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 13)

Escobar single in 9th, Royals top Angels 1-0, 5th win in row

April 17, 2017 Page 3 of 14

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels lose fifth straight despite solid effort by starter Tyler Skaggs

By Pedro Moura

For the bottom of the ninth inning in Sunday’s scoreless tie at Kauffman Stadium, Mike Scioscia had two

relievers ready to pitch: journeyman Blake Parker and Cam Bedrosian, who he’d later refer to as his best

reliever.

He opted for the journeyman. Parker did not record an out, and the Angels lost, 1-0, to Kansas City, on a

walk-off single. It was a well-pitched game that turned on one too many balls in the dirt, as Kansas City

pinch-runner Raul Mondesi stole second base off Parker and took third on a wild pitch.

At that point, Scioscia called in Bedrosian, who induced a foul pop-out, then fell behind to Alcides

Escobar. He delivered the winning single through a two-man outfield to hand the Angels their fifth

consecutive loss.

“I just tried to make the perfect pitch,” said Parker, who took the loss.

Angels starter Tyler Skaggs lacked command early, twice escaping self-imposed peril. In the first inning,

he gave up two two-out singles, then buried a curveball to strike out Cheslor Cuthbert swinging. With

one out in the second, Escobar chopped a single into right. Home-plate umpire Chris Conroy squeezed

Skaggs on a three-and-one fastball that appeared inside the strike zone, so Christian Colon walked.

Learning from similar struggles this month, Skaggs stepped off the mound, collected himself, and struck

out Drew Butera and Alex Gordon.

“The first two innings, I was feeling for it,” Skaggs said. “But you need to keep attacking hitters. Today, I

attacked the hitters, and I kept them off balance.”

He struck out the side in the third after issuing Lorenzo Cain a leadoff walk. Then at 60 pitches, Skaggs

required only eight pitches to finish the fourth, and 21 between the fifth and sixth. He soon became the

first Angel starter to throw a pitch in the seventh, when his steep curveballs started to fade.

But the young left-hander completed the task. In seven innings, he threw 103 pitches, the second-most

of his career, and struck out nine Royals, tying his career-high.

“His curveball was basically unhittable,” Royals Manager Ned Yost said. “He spotted the fastball and

dadgum, I don’t know how anybody hits that curveball.”

In Skaggs’ final innings, Yost tried to change his team’s luck by sitting in the batting cages, “trying to see

if we could get something going.” He soon saw that they could not.

"How does anybody hit that?” Yost asked himself.

April 17, 2017 Page 4 of 14

Last July, Skaggs, made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery at this same stadium. He

threw seven scoreless innings that day, too, and the visiting clubhouse’s blue carpet and blue

decorations everywhere made him feel comfortable.

“I love this place,” Skaggs said. “It takes me back to a good place in time for me.”

The Angels were quiet all afternoon against Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy. C.J. Cron supplied the

limited exceptions, first walloping a ball deep to center in the second inning. But Lorenzo Cain leapt to

catch it at the center-field wall. Cron finally broke up Kennedy’s no-hit bid with two outs in the fifth

inning, doubling to left-center for the Angels’ first extra-base hit of the series, 23 innings into it.

Over eight innings, Kennedy struck out 10 Angels and walked two.

“He did pretty much what Tyler was doing for us,” Scioscia said.

Angels left-hander Jose Alvarez entered for the eighth inning and retired the side in order, securing

redemption after yielding the winning homer Saturday. Then, Scioscia picked Parker.

Given the time since his last appearance Tuesday, Bedrosian had developed a plan with pitching coach

Charles Nagy to appear Sunday no matter what transpired.

He did, but too late. The manager decided he wanted to preserve his best reliever for a potential save

situation.

“We didn’t really want him throwing 35 pitches today,” Scioscia said. “He might be able to do it now, but

I think it’s different making 35 pitches saving a game and making 35 pitches to keep a game tied. Also,

35 pitches would be a lot for Cam, a lot at any time.”

Asked what he meant by the difference between throwing the same amount of pitches in a save

situation or tie, Scioscia said he might have felt differently if he had a full bullpen. But JC Ramirez has

moved to the rotation, Andrew Bailey’s on the disabled list, and another unnamed reliever was unable

to pitch.

So, the Angels took the loss. Winners of six of eight games to start the season, they are now 6-7 and

headed to Houston for a four-game series with the division-favorite Astros. In postgame interviews,

players repeatedly stressed the length of the season.

“There will be stretches where everything goes well,” Skaggs said. “I’m looking forward to that stretch."

Albert Pujols isn't worried about Angels' sputtering offense

By Pedro Moura

In their last 37 innings, dating to Wednesday at home against Texas, the Angels have produced two

extra-base hits. And one of those was a meaningless ninth-inning home run that merely made an eight-

run defeat a five-run defeat.

April 17, 2017 Page 5 of 14

Losers of five straight, including a sweep in Kansas City, the Angels are 10th in the American League with

50 runs. But designated hitter and designated team leader Albert Pujols said he was unworried by the

team’s lack of production.

“I’ll be concerned in September,” Pujols said. “You guys are concerned, because you guys write about it.

That’s what you guys concentrate on, writing negative stuff. I’ll leave that to you.”

Asked about what positive signs he was seeing, Pujols said he and his teammates were getting unlucky

on line drives.

“Well, we hit the ball hard, man, the whole series, same thing against Texas,” he said. “We just need a

couple breaks here and there going our way, and we’ll be all right.”

Pujols played first base Saturday for the first time in eight months, and he said his body had recovered

well. He’s hitting .200 with two extra-base hits through 13 games, one of the chief reasons for the

offensive standstill.

“We know our offense can do what we saw in the first six or seven games,” manager Mike Scioscia said.

“We didn’t swing the bats well during this rough streak. We stayed in some games, but we never got

ourselves where we needed to be.”

Short hops

After Mike Trout started as the designated hitter Saturday, Scioscia rested two more regulars Sunday.

Left fielder Cameron Maybin and shortstop Andrelton Simmons sat, replaced by Ben Revere and Cliff

Pennington. …The Angels traveled to Houston on Sunday night for a four-game series. The Astros’

Sunday series finale in Oakland was postponed because of rain, changing their rotation schedule. The

Angels will face sinker-balling veteran Charlie Morton on Monday, likely in lieu of hard-throwing young

right-hander Lance McCullers later in the week. Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is expected back in the

lineup Monday after suffering a bruised hand on a hit-by-pitch Saturday.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Angels offense continues to struggle as losing streak reaches five games

By Jeff Fletcher

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a week in which the dual-personality Angels couldn’t seem to buy a run, a

reporter asked Albert Pujols if he’s concerned about the sluggish offense.

“I’ll be concerned in September,” Pujols said following a 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. “You

guys are concerned because you guys write about it. That’s all you guys concentrate on, writing negative

stuff. I’ll leave that up to you guys.”

April 17, 2017 Page 6 of 14

Alcides Escobar’s fly ball into a two-man outfield in the bottom of the ninth sent the Angels into a quiet

clubhouse to ponder their quiet bats.

The Angels have lost five games in a row, with a .146 average in the streak. On Sunday afternoon, they

managed just two hits, which wasted a brilliant seven-inning outing from Tyler Skaggs and put Manager

Mike Scioscia in a tough spot with his bullpen.

A night after they lost 3-2, again failing to capitalize on good starting pitching, the Angels have an entirely

different look than a week ago.

You’ll recall, last Sunday the Angels authored a stunning, seven-run ninth-inning comeback to beat the

Seattle Mariners. It was their third of a four-game winning streak fueled almost entirely by a robust

offense and a bullpen that picked up for poor performances by the starters.

Now, it’s the opposite.

“There will be stretches when the pitching is doing well,” Skaggs said, “and there will be stretches, like you

saw earlier, when it’s not doing well. And there will be stretches when everything goes well. I’m looking

forward to that stretch.”

In the meantime, the Angels are about to begin a four-game series in Houston against the Astros — the

consensus best team in the division — with their bats in a slumber.

Part of the explanation for Sunday’s lack of production was quality stuff from Ian Kennedy, who matched

Tyler Skaggs in keeping the hitters off balance and stringing zeroes into the late innings.

Tied going to the eighth, Scioscia first turned to lefty Jose Alvarez to face the top of the Kansas City order,

which included two lefties. Even though Alvarez had allowed a homer to lose Saturday’s game in a similar

spot, this still seemed like the obvious choice. Alvarez rewarded his manager’s faith with a perfect inning.

In the ninth, though, after the Angels had come up empty against Royals closer Kelvin Herrera, Scioscia had

a choice.

Cam Bedrosian, the Angels’ best reliever, had been loosening in case the Angels scored. When they didn’t,

Scioscia instead went with Blake Parker. Holding back the closer for a save situation is standard regular-

season managing procedure, on the road.

One factor could have led him in another direction. Bedrosian hadn’t pitched since Tuesday, so if ever a

closer could be used for two innings, this would be the time.

However, there were other factors. The Angels bullpen is currently without injured Andrew Bailey and

Huston Street, and J.C. Ramirez is in the rotation. If Bedrosian worked two innings and, say, 35 pitches, the

Angels could be left sorely lacking for late-inning options for a game or two.

April 17, 2017 Page 7 of 14

“If we had more depth down there, it might be a little different,” Scioscia said. “You need someone to

close out that game for you. If you’re going to use your best reliever to maintain a tie, where are you going

from there? Plus, if he throws 35 pitches maintaining a tie, and we don’t score, now he’s down for two

more days.”

That was Scioscia’s logic in instead starting the inning with Parker. Parker gave up a bloop single to

Salvador Perez to lead off the inning. Pinch runner Raul Mondesi Jr. then stole second and went to third on

a wild pitch on ball four to pinch hitter Mike Moustakas. With runners at the corners and no outs, Scioscia

then was forced to bring in Bedrosian to try to escape the jam.

He also brought Kole Calhoun in from right to play between first and second in a five-man infield.

Bedrosian got Paulo Orlando on a foul pop for the first out, but then Escobar hit a fly ball into the two-man

outfield. It dropped in center field, for a game-ending hit.

Although the end begged questions of bullpen management, it’s hard to justify the blame going far beyond

the zero the Angels put up in the runs column.

They are hopeful that trend will be ending soon.

“We hit the ball hard, man, the whole series,” Pujols said. “Same thing against Texas (in the previous

series). We just need a couple breaks here and there going our way and we’ll be alright.”

Angels Notes: Tyler Skaggs dominates at Kansas City again

By Jeff Fletcher

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s now official: Tyler Skaggs loves Kauffman Stadium.

Before the Angels’ lefty pitched against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, he said he had good feelings

about this ballpark because it’s where he pitched a gem in his return from Tommy John surgery last July.

After tossing another seven scoreless innings here, including a career-high-equaling nine strikeouts, it’s

now a trend.

“I love this place,” Skaggs said. “I always have a good feeling here. Just good vibes when I take the mound.

It takes me back to a good place in time for me.”

Skaggs said that his 2016 game in Kansas City was the highlight of his Angels career. After missing nearly

two years because of surgery and subsequent shoulder trouble, he returned to blank the Royals last

summer, with his friends and family on hand. This time, he came out when the Angels desperately needed

a quality start and delivered their best outing of the young season.

Skaggs worked around four baserunners in the first two innings, thanks to three of his strikeouts. In the

third, he gave up a leadoff walk to Lorenzo Cain and then struck out three straight hitters through the

heart of the order.

April 17, 2017 Page 8 of 14

Those were the first of 13 straight hitters Skaggs retired, on his way to becoming the first Angels starter to

throw a pitch in the seventh this season.

“He definitely made some adjustments,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “If he can carry that rhythm over,

you are going to see a guy who can do what he did today on a consistent basis. That was a terrific outing.”

Skaggs needed a bounceback performance after he had allowed five runs apiece in each of his first two

starts.

“It feels great,” he said. “It’s what you want to do every day. You go out every five days and want to put it

all together. When you have a bad outing, you have four days to think about how good the next one can

be.”

LINEUP STUFF

Ben Revere hit second for the second day in a row, with Kole Calhoun in the No. 5 spot. When Scioscia

used that lineup on Saturday, it seemed it was primarily because he needed someone with some pop to hit

behind Albert Pujols when neither C.J. Cron nor Jefry Marte was in the lineup, but on Sunday he still had

Calhoun behind Pujols, with Cron behind Calhoun.

Scioscia said Revere can get on base well enough to still set the table for Mike Trout and Pujols, and that

allows him to also take advantage of Calhoun’s ability to hit behind them.

“I think Ben can be a wild card between (Yunel Escobar and Trout), especially against right-handed

pitching,” Scioscia said. “One of the reasons to have Trout third is obviously to stoke RBI opportunities

when he’s hitting with guys on base. Escobar is terrific at that. Kole is terrific at that. But we have a guy like

Ben who think can bring that piece, and have Kole hopefully taking advantage of some of the things that

Mike and Albert are doing.”

ALSO

Andrelton Simmons got his first day off of the season, with Cliff Pennington starting in his place at

shortstop. The Angels could have moved Danny Espinosa to short and played Pennington at second, but

Scioscia said Espinosa is doing well at second so they want to keep him there. …

The Angels hadn’t lost a 1-0 game since 2011, the longest active streak in the majors. …

The Angels hadn’t been swept in Kansas City since 2001.

April 17, 2017 Page 9 of 14

FROM ANGELS.COM

Halos blanked, spoil Skagg’s strong start

By Jeff Flanagan and Maria Guardado / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Alcides Escobar singled in speedy pinch-runner Raul Mondesi with one out in the ninth

off right-hander Cam Bedrosian as the Royals walked off against the Angels, 1-0, on Sunday at Kauffman

Stadium.

The Royals won their fourth straight as they swept the three-game set from the Angels.

Salvador Perez led off the ninth with a single to left off right-hander Blake Parker. Mondesi pinch-ran,

then stole second. Mondesi went to third on on a wild pitch as Mike Moustakas walked.

"We pulled Esky over before the at-bat and made sure he knew the signs for the squeeze and safety

squeeze," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

But Escobar had other ideas.

"I told them, 'Let me hit. I'll drive him in,'" Escobar said.

Asked why he decided to have Parker start the ninth instead of Bedrosian -- the Angels' best reliever

who had not pitched since Tuesday -- manager Mike Scioscia said, "Blake's throwing the ball really well

for us, and we're trying to save Cam for a limited role, hoping that we can get maybe a couple outs or

get him through that inning. And then we have [Yusmeiro] Petit and Cam to see what happens in the

10th. But unfortunately, [Parker] set the table for those guys."

With the Angels employing a five-man infield, Bedrosian got Paulo Orlando to foul out. But Escobar

floated a fly ball to medium-center that was unguarded, as the Angels had just two outfielders playing

the corners.

Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy threw eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. He walked two

and fanned 10, the 13th time in his career he has reached double digits in strikeouts.

Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs, as he was last August while throwing seven scoreless frames in Kansas

City, was dominant from the second inning on, allowing just two baserunners until leaving after the

seventh. He gave up four hits altogether, walked two and struck out nine to match a career high set on

May 27, 2013, against the Rangers.

"I don't know how anyone ever hits that curveball," Yost said.

The Angels have now lost five straight games and dropped to 6-7 this season. They are batting just .160

(25-for-156) over that stretch, mustering only one extra-base hit over their three-game series with the

Royals.

April 17, 2017 Page 10 of 14

"We hit the ball hard the whole series," Halos slugger Albert Pujols said. "We just need a couple of

breaks here and there to go our way and we'll be all right."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

End of threat: Kennedy's no-hitter vanished with two outs in the fifth when C.J. Cron ripped a line-drive

double just past shortstop Escobar. But Kennedy came right back to end the scoring threat by striking

out Danny Espinosa. Kennedy fell behind 2-1 in the count but got Espinosa to chase two straight

curveballs.

"It all starts with his fastball command," Yost said. "He's got that late life on his fastball that makes a 92-

93 [mph] fastball look 96-97."

Have a seat:.The Royals had some chances early on against Skaggs. In the second inning, Escobar singled

and Christian Colon walked with one out. But Skaggs got Drew Butera to chase a high fastball to strike

out after an eight-pitch at-bat. Skaggs then fanned Alex Gordon to keep the game scoreless.

QUOTABLE

"I sat in the batting cage for a hitter or two in the seventh just to change our luck. It didn't work," -- Yost,

on the dominance of Skaggs

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

After Kennedy's eight scoreless innings, the Royals' rotation lowered its ERA to 2.31 -- best in the

Majors.

WHAT'S NEXT

Angels: The Angels will head to Houston for a four-game series against the Astros on Monday. Right-

hander Jesse Chavez, who has logged a 5.40 ERA over his first two outings of the regular season, will

start the opener. First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. PT at Minute Maid Park.

Royals: After an off-day Monday, the Royals return to action with a two-game set with the Giants

starting at 7:15 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Right-hander Jason Hammel (0-1, 6.52 ERA) will make his third start

this season.

Skaggs shows turnaround, strikes out 9

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Left-hander Tyler Skaggs delivered the best start of the season for the Angels on Sunday,

but it wasn't enough to end a skid in a 1-0 loss to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Alcides Escobar's game-winning hit off Cam Bedrosian in the ninth spoiled an outstanding effort from

Skaggs, who tossed seven scoreless innings and matched his career high with nine strikeouts. He held

the Royals to just four hits and two walks on 103 pitches.

It was a significant turnaround for Skaggs, who had recorded an 8.71 ERA over his first two starts.

April 17, 2017 Page 11 of 14

"It feels great," Skaggs said. "That's what you want to do every day. You go out there every five days and

you want to put it all together. You have four days to kind of think about -- especially if you have a bad

outing -- how good the next one can be. I'm happy with myself, but at the same time, we still got the

loss today. It's a work in progress."

Skaggs had to grind through the first two innings, giving up three singles and one walk while stranding a

pair of runners in each frame. He led off the third by issuing a walk to Lorenzo Cain, but he struck out

the next three batters looking to end the inning. After that, he retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced,

allowing only a one-out single to Escobar in the seventh.

"He was really good mixing his pitches," Escobar said. "Good curveball, good fastball, good changeup. He

was tough."

Skaggs said he has a special affinity for Kansas City, where he made his first start in the Majors after

returning from Tommy John surgery last July. The 25-year-old also shut out the Royals over seven

innings in that outing.

"I love this place," Skaggs said. "I always have a good feeling here. Good vibes when I take the mound.

Just kind of takes me back to a good place in time for me. I enjoy pitching here."

While the Angels' rotation has been effective over the last two contests, their offense has suddenly gone

cold, batting just .160 (25-for-156) over their five-game losing skid. On Sunday, Royals starter Ian

Kennedy -- Skaggs' former D-backs teammate -- struck out 10 over eight innings.

"He's actually my old teammate and an old mentor of mine with the Diamondbacks, so of course I'm

watching him," Skaggs said. "I actually texted him right after I came in. I said, 'That was a hell of a battle.'

Hopefully I'll pitch against him next time at home and come out with a W."

Simmons sits as Scioscia wants players fresh

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- With the Angels in the midst of a 20-game stretch without an off-day, manager Mike

Scioscia has been proactive in using his bench to rest his regulars this weekend. The next day off is May

1.

One day after using Mike Trout as the designated hitter, Scioscia decided to have shortstop Andrelton

Simmons, outfielder Cameron Maybin and catcher Martin Maldonado sit out Sunday afternoon's series

finale with the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Simmons had started the Angels' first 12 games of the season, but Cliff Pennington replaced him on

Sunday.

"I think Andrelton has been playing a lot, and we're just starting a 20-game stretch," Scioscia said. "We

definitely have to monitor these guys, and it's a good day for it."

April 17, 2017 Page 12 of 14

While the Angels also have the option of deploying the strong-armed Danny Espinosa at shortstop, the

position he primarily played for the Nationals last year, Scioscia said he prefers to keep Espinosa at

second base and use Pennington to back up Simmons.

"I think Danny has the ability to go over there in extreme situations, but we definitely want him settled

at second base," Scioscia said. "He's looking good there. When Penny's available, he'll play short when

Andrelton is not going to go."

Ben Revere made his second consecutive start in left field on Sunday, with Carlos Perez behind the plate

following Saturday's night game.

Worth noting

• Right-hander Andrew Bailey, who landed on the 10-day disabled list last week with right shoulder

inflammation, remains shut down from throwing, though Scioscia said his condition is improving.

"He's feeling better, but this is going to be a process with Andrew," Scioscia said. "Right now, it's just

trying to calm everything down."

Chavez opens 4-game set vs. Astros

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

The American League West rival Angels and Astros will meet for the first time this season on Monday,

beginning a four-game series at Minute Maid Park. Houston right-hander Charlie Morton will oppose

Halos righty Jesse Chavez.

Morton was originally slated to pitch against the A's on Sunday, but his start was pushed back one day

following a rainout in Oakland. Morton has posted a 4.09 ERA over his first two outings, allowing five

runs over 11 innings. He is 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA in two career starts against the Angels.

Chavez has logged a 5.40 ERA over two starts this season and was charged with a loss on Wednesday

after giving up five runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Rangers. In 21 career games (five starts) against

the Astros, Chavez is 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA.

Houston claimed the season series against the Angels in 2016 by a 13-6 margin, but the Halos have won

five of their last seven meetings with the Astros.

"They definitely have some big left-handed bats they acquired to balance the big right-handed bats they

have, so they have a balanced lineup," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's a more experienced

team right now with some of the veterans that came over. They can put up a lot of runs when you're

missing your spots. Hopefully, we're going to pitch well and let our offense do what it can do."

Three things to know about this game

April 17, 2017 Page 13 of 14

• Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who sustained a right hand contusion on Saturday after being hit by a

pitch, is expected to return to the lineup on Monday.

• Angels slugger Albert Pujols' 53 home runs are the most all time against the Astros. Pujols has 592

career homers, leaving him eight shy of becoming the ninth player with 600 long balls.

• The Halos are 17-11 in their last 28 home games against the Astros, but they have struggled at Minute

Maid Park, going 8-18 over their last 26 contests in Houston.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Escobar single in 9th, Royals top Angels 1-0, 5th win in row

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ian Kennedy threw 111 pitches over eight scoreless innings and got a no-

decision. Kelvin Herrera threw eight pitches in one inning and picked up the win.

Alcides Escobar hit an RBI single in the ninth over a five-man infield and the Kansas City Royals edged

the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 Sunday for their fourth straight win.

Kennedy pitched two-hit ball and struck out 10 over eight innings as Kansas City sent the Angels to their

fifth loss in a row.

"My fastball command was down," Kennedy said. "It was up when I needed it to. All my misses were

down. When I needed to go up, it was there."

Kennedy didn't allow a hit until C.J. Cron's double with two outs in the fifth. Cliff Pennington singled with

two outs in the eighth for the Angels' other hit.

"That's a tough lineup to navigate through," Kennedy said. "They have two of the best three-and-four

hitters you'll face in a year with (Mike) Trout and (Albert) Pujols."

Kennedy struck out 10, his 13th double-figure strikeout game, and walked two. He entered the game

with an 0-4 record and 6.55 ERA in five career appearances against the Angels.

"He threw the ball well, he kept the ball down, and obviously he kept us off-balance," Pujols said. "That's

pretty much it. Both sides threw the ball well."

Salvador Perez led off the ninth with a single against Blake Parker (0-1), and pinch runner Raul

Mondesi stole second and went to third on a wild pitch.

After pinch hitter Mike Moustakas walked, Cam Bedrosian relieved and Paulo Orlando fouled out.

Escobar followed with his game-winner.

With the Angels using a five-man infield and two outfielders playing shallow, Escobar lofted a single to

right-center over Trout's head.

April 17, 2017 Page 14 of 14

"I was trying to elevate the ball," Escobar said. "I'm trying to get a fly ball in that situation. I'm looking for

one pitch and I hit the ball good."

Herrera (1-0) threw a flawless ninth.

Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who had an 8.71 ERA in his first two starts, threw seven shutout innings,

giving up four hits and striking out nine. He allowed three hits and walked one in the first two innings.

"I don't know if impressive is the right word, but he definitely made some adjustments," Angels manager

Mike Scioscia said. "I think that if he can carry that rhythm over, you're going to see a guy that can do

what he did today on a consistent basis. Getting his pitches in the zone; his process was great. He

changed speeds. So, that was a terrific outing."

In the past four games, Royals starting pitchers Jason Vargas, Danny Duffy, Nathan Karns and Kennedy

have a combined 0.63 ERA, allowing two runs on 13 hits over 28 2/3 innings.

PERFECT ON CHALLENGES

The Royals, under the guidance of replay specialist Bill Duplissea, are 5 for 5 in challenges this year.

Duplissea won 27 of 39 challenges last year, a 69.2 percent success rate that topped the majors.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: RHP Huston Street (right lat strain) is playing catch, but is likely three weeks to a month away

from returning. Street was injured in his first spring training outing.

Royals: OF Jorge Soler (left oblique strain) had a setback in his rehab, feeling tightness after batting

practice Saturday. He has been backed off a couple of days from activity.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Jesse Chavez will start Monday at Houston as they continue this trip. He is 3-1 with a 2.90

ERA in 23 career games against the Astros.

Royals: Off Monday before hosting San Francisco to open a two-game series Tuesday. Royals RHP Jason

Hammel will start the first game.