Mazara makes major league debut in Rangers' loss to Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Jered Weaver pitched six effective innings in his injury-delayed season debut, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 on Sunday to earn a split of the four-game series.
Mike Trout got his first two RBIs of the season and Albert Pujols singled home a run for Los Angeles, which bounced back after losing two in a row.
Weaver (1-0) allowed a run and six hits en route to his 139th career win -- passing Nolan Ryan for second on the franchise list behind Chuck Finley's 165. The veteran right-hander's outing was held up because of nerve problems in his neck and shoulder.
Weaver also improved to 11-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 18 career starts against the Rangers at Angel Stadium.
Fernando Salas and Joe Smith each pitched a scoreless inning and Huston Street worked a perfect ninth for his first save.
Texas left-hander Martin Perez (0-1) was charged with three runs, seven hits and a career-worst five walks in 6 1-3 innings. Two of the hits were on line-drive singles off his body by Andrelton Simmons in the second and Yunel Escobar in the fifth.
Nomar Mazara, 20, made his major league debut for the Rangers, singling his first two times up and hitting a first-pitch homer to center field his next time at-bat in the fifth. He batted second in the order and started in right field for Shin-Soo Choo, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained calf muscle.
Johnny Giavotella scored the game's first run in the third inning on Trout's broken-bat groundout. Pujols followed with an RBI single and continued to second as the ball skipped past left fielder Ian Desmond. But the Angels couldn't cash in on the error.
Perez hit a batter with his 102nd and final pitch, loading the bases for Trout, who hit a sacrifice fly against Tony Barnette.
The defending AL West champion Rangers put two men on base in three of the first four innings, helping run Weaver's pitch count up to 64. In the fourth, the three-time All-Star struck out Bryan Holaday with runners to second and third.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: Choo, whose injury occurred while he was running on the wet outfield grass after batting practice on Saturday, is expected to be out at least four to six weeks. ... C Robinson Chirinos was placed on the 60-day DL because of a broken right forearm, and is expected to be sidelined approximately 10 to 12 weeks.
SPIKE MARKS
Rangers: Mazara became the eighth player in Rangers history to homer in his first big league game. ... Four-time Gold Glove 3B Adrian Beltre started five double plays in the series, including one on Pujols' grounder behind the bag in the first inning when he stepped on the bag to force Craig Gentry and then threw to first. ... The bullpen has not allowed a home run in its last 25 1-3 innings, after surrendering 10 in the first 30 innings of the season. ... Hanser Alberto started at 2B for the first time this season while Rougned Odor got the day off. He fielded Simmons' single off Perez's leg in the second and threw the ball over shortstop Elvis Andrus' head trying for the force play. But Alberto was spared an error because Kole Calhoun didn't go to third.
Angels: The team selected the contract of RHP A.J. Achter from Triple-A Salt Lake. He replaced RHP Cam Bedrosian, who was optioned to Triple-A after Saturday's game. ... The Angels' vast improvement on the left side of the infield was evident again in the third inning when Escobar charged Delino DeShields' dribbler up the third base line and barehanded the ball before throwing him out with the help of a nice scoop by C.J. Cron.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis (0-0) opposes Hisashi Iwakuma on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Seattle.
Angels: RHP Nick Tropeano makes his season debut Monday night against Sonny Gray in the opener of a three-game set at Oakland. Tropeano was recalled on Thursday from Triple-A Salt Lake after LHP Andrew Heaney went on the DL with a flexor muscle strain.
