Albert Pujols added one more home run to his 500 Club membership card as the Los Angeles Angels crush the New York Yankees 13-1 at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.
Angels starter C.J. Wilson (3-2, 3.69) smothered the Yankees lineup as he held them scoreless until the sixth inning. With one out, Derek Jeter singled and Carlos Beltran doubled (9) to set-up a Alfonso Soriano run scoring sacrifice fly to center, scoring Jeter. Wilson ended his night pitching six innings, giving up one run on four hits, striking out five and walking three. Tonight was Wilson's seventh outing in the last eight against the Yankees that he has held them to two or fewer runs.
Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda (2-2, 5.28) had the shortest outing of the season so far as he was roughed up all night by the Angels' hitters. Kuroda lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, striking out two and walking none. Yankees pitchers gave up four home runs to the major league's top home run hitting team.
The Angels got after Kuroda in the second when Hank Conger doubled (2) to right, scoring Ian Stewart from third. With Erick Aybar at third, Collin Cowgil hit a sacrifice bunt towards first that scored Aybar and advanced Conger to third. J.B. Schuck followed with a RBI inducing groundout to short that scored Conger and gave the Angels a 3-0 lead.
Stewart hit a two run homer (2) in the third to increase the Angels lead to 5-0. In the fifth inning Pujols hit home run #501 and Howie Kendrick scored when Beltran dropped a flyball hit by Aybar. Yankees manager Joe Girardi then replaed Kuroda with Bruce Billings, just called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wikes-Barre on Thursday, who gave up the second double of the night to Conger (3), scoring Aybar and making it 8-0, Angels.
Billings retired the Angels in order in the sixth before giving up a three un shot to right center by Aybar (1) and a solo homer to left by Cowgill in the seventh inning to make it a 12-1 Angels lead. Billings became the 18th different pitcher used this season for the Yankees which leads the majors.
With Shawn Kelley on the mound and two outs in the ninth, Aybar doubled (3) to left followed by a Conger RBI infield single, scoring Aybar to give the Angels their 13-1 lead.
Post Game Brief:
The Angels 12 run victory was the team's largest margin of victory at Yankees Stadium and the second time the club has scored 13 or more runs there.
Kuroda failed to complete the fifth inning of a game for the first time since May, 2013. He gave up eight runs in a game for the first time in 184 career starts.
Cowgill's home run in the sixth gave the Angels 35 for the season which sets a club record for the most home runs in March/April.
Jeter's single in the sixth inning gives him a 14 game hitting streak against the Angels.
Pujols tied Brian Downing (1986) for the most April home runs in franchise history.
Coming Up:
Game two of the series will begin Saturday, April 26, at 1:05 PM EDT as it will be LHP Hector Santiago (0-3.3.68) vs LHP Vidal Nuno (0-0, 6.75).