#ShoTime crushes another home run; Angels fall to Rangers, 4-2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus each hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to put the Texas Rangers ahead to stay in a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Andrus hit the first pitch of the fourth against Andrew Heaney (8-9) to tie the game at 1. Two batters later, Beltre went deep for the ninth time this season and 471st time in his career. He has 3,147 career hits, the most among active players, after that homer and a single in the eighth.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 16th homer for the Angels, a leadoff shot in the sixth that chased Texas starter Mike Minor (11-7). It was Ohtani’s first major league homer off a left-handed pitcher.
Minor struck out seven with one walk and one hit batter while allowing two runs and three hits.
Jose Leclerc struck out two in a perfect ninth for his ninth save — all since Aug. 4, after the Rangers traded closer Keone Kela to Pittsburgh. Leclerc has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings.
Heaney gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Nomar Mazara had a two-run double for the Rangers in the fifth.
Andrelton Simmons, the Angels shortstop playing on his 29th birthday, had an RBI groundout in the first.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Ohtani, the two-way rookie who was in the lineup as the DH, will throw a light bullpen Wednesday. He is then scheduled to throw another one Friday that will determine if he will make his next scheduled pitching start Sunday at the Chicago White Sox. ... CF Mike Trout was hit by a pitch on the right knee when batting in the first inning. He stayed in the game.
Rangers: Bartolo Colon, the 45-year-old right-hander, will make his first start since Aug. 20. He was on the disabled list from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1 because of a lower back strain.
UP NEXT
The Angels and Rangers wrap up their second series in Arlington in less than three weeks Wednesday. The two teams at the bottom of the AL West standings still play two more series this season, both in California — next Monday through Wednesday, and then Sept. 24-26 during the last week of the regular season.
