ANAHEIM, Calif. (Interstat) — Mike Trout hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Saturday at Angel Stadium. Walbert Ureña (2-4) allowed one earned run on five hits over five innings, striking out six, to earn the win. Kirby Yates recorded his first save with a perfect ninth inning. Nathan Eovaldi (5-5) took the loss despite a quality start, giving up three earned runs on five hits in seven innings with six strikeouts. He retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Oswald Peraza delivered a two-run single in the eighth inning to extend the Angels’ lead. Nolan Schanuel drove in a run with a fifth-inning double. Texas scored on a second-inning sacrifice fly by Ezequiel Duran and a seventh-inning run but could not overcome the early deficit. Both teams finished with eight hits. Attendance was 31,860, and the game lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes. The Angels improved to 19-34; the Rangers dropped to 24-27. The teams conclude their series Sunday.

ANAHEIM (Interstat) — Walbert Ureña pitched six solid innings and the Los Angeles Angels broke open a tight game with a two-run eighth inning to beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Saturday night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mike Trout hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and the Angels scored twice more in the eighth to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 19-34. The Rangers fell to 24-27. Ureña allowed two runs on six hits over six innings, walking four and striking out five. He earned his second win against four losses. Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Nathan Eovaldi took the loss for Texas, dropping to 5-5. He gave up three runs on four hits over five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. The Angels struck quickly in the first. Zach Neto walked on four pitches, then Trout crushed an 0-1 fastball to center field for his 13th homer of the season, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Texas answered in the second. Alejandro Osuna led off with a single and moved to second when Jake Burger walked. Evan Carter grounded into a forceout, putting runners at the corners. Ezequiel Duran then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Osuna to cut the deficit to 2-1. Both pitchers settled in over the next few innings. Ureña worked around a pair of singles in the third, stranding runners at second and third when he struck out Burger. Eovaldi retired seven straight after Trout’s homer before Neto doubled to left with one out in the fifth. Mike Trout flew out, but Nolan Schanuel lined a double to right-center, scoring Neto to extend the Angels’ lead to 3-1. Texas got one back in the seventh. Kyle Higashioka led off with a solo homer to center field, his third of the season, pulling the Rangers within 3-2. The Angels answered decisively in the eighth. With one out, Jorge Soler singled to center off reliever Tyler Alexander. Jo Adell followed with a single, and Jose Siri walked to load the bases. Oswald Peraza then lined a two-run single to left, scoring Soler and Adell to make it 5-2. Yates came on in the ninth and retired the side in order, striking out Brandon Nimmo to start the inning and inducing a groundout and a popout to seal the victory. Osuna went 3 for 3 for Texas, including two singles and a walk. Higashioka was 1 for 3 with a homer and a run batted in. Duran went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Joc Pederson singled once in three at-bats. For the Angels, Neto doubled and scored twice. Trout homered and drove in two. Schanuel doubled and knocked in a run. Peraza had two hits and two RBIs. Texas had eight hits, matching the Angels. Both teams struck out eight times. The game lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 31,860. It was the second game of a three-game series. The Rangers jumped out to a 9-0 lead Friday night but lost 9-6. The series finale is Sunday afternoon. Texas returns home Monday to begin a four-game set against the Houston Astros. The Angels travel to Detroit for a three-game series starting Tuesday. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas Rangers 5, Los Angeles Angels 2. Interstat’s ELO system had given Texas a 61.60 percent probability to win. Texas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1½. The total score of seven went over the over/under line of eight.

AP Sports Preview ANAHEIM, Calif. (Interstat) — The Texas Rangers visit the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, May 23, at Angel Stadium, with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound for Texas. The Rangers (24-25) send Eovaldi (5-4) to the hill after a 5-4 win at Colorado on Wednesday. Texas has won four of its last five, including a 10-0 shutout at the Rockies. The Angels (17-34) counter with right-hander Walbert Ureña (1-4) following Thursday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Athletics. Texas dropped Friday’s series opener 0-0, the first shutout of the season for both teams. Jacob Latz has been a key reliever for Texas, posting six consecutive scoreless outings since May 12. Over that span, he has allowed one hit and struck out 10 in 8 innings. In Wednesday’s win, Latz threw 2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts. For the Angels, José Soriano has shown flashes of dominance. In three of his last five starts, he allowed two earned runs or fewer. On May 10, Soriano threw 7⅔ innings of one-run ball in a win at Toronto. However, he has also been erratic, surrendering six earned runs in a loss to the Dodgers on May 16. The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-2 Texas victory. The Rangers are -1.5 favorites, with the over/under set at 8. Texas continues its road trip Sunday at the Angels before returning home to host Houston, Kansas City and St. Louis over the next week. The Angels host the Rangers again Sunday, then travel to Detroit, Tampa Bay and return home for a series against Colorado. Eovaldi has been reliable this season, while Ureña has struggled. Texas’ offense has clicked recently, scoring at least five runs in four of its last five games. The Angels, meanwhile, have lost four straight and seven of their last eight. Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. local time.