Choo, Rangers edge Angels to complete sweep
Shin-Soo Choo had two hits, including a two-run triple in the decisive fifth inning to lead the Texas Rangers to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas.
Choo, who raised his batting average to .345, was instrumental in Texas sweeping the three-game series between division rivals.
Rangers starter Lance Lynn (2-1) worked out of trouble early and minimized damage before exiting with two outs in the sixth inning. Lynn threw 102 pitches, but allowed just two runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two.
Rangers closer Jose Leclerc notched his fifth save, although he made it adventurous. Entering with a 5-3 lead, he loaded the bases with no outs on a David Fletcher double, a walk to Kole Calhoun and then he hit Mike Trout. Leclerc dodged disaster, allowing only a fielder's choice RBI to Andrelton Simmons between striking out Justin Bour looking and Brian Goodwin swinging.
Angels starter Matt Harvey (0-2) struggled again, failing to make it out of a fifth inning in which he surrendered four runs and a 2-1 lead. He departed having given up five runs, four earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out three.
The Rangers' Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled home the first run of the fifth inning, then Choo legged out a one-out, two-run triple down the right-field line that ended Harvey's night. The final run charged to Harvey came on an RBI double by Danny Santana off reliever Ty Buttrey.
The Angels scored single runs in the second and third innings off Lynn for a 2-0 lead, but their inability to produce bigger innings came back to bite them.
Los Angeles opened the second with three consecutive singles, but stranded runners at first and third after Jonathan Lucroy's RBI single. In the third, Simmons doubled in a run, which was followed by consecutive walks that loaded the bases for Tommy La Stella, who flied out to right to end the threat.
La Stella's two-out error in the fourth inning allowed Choo, who walked to open the inning, to score and cut L.A.'s lead in half, 2-1. La Stella homered in the eighth to cut the Texas lead to 5-3.
--Field Level Media
