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Pujols, Angels rout Rangers

Sep 11, 2014 - 5:54 AM Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Albert Pujols finished a homer shy of the cycle, helping the red-hot Los Angeles Angels to an 8-1 rout of the Texas Rangers.

The Angels won their seventh straight game on Wednesday, extending their major-league leading record to 90-55. All seven wins have come on the road.

Pujols, Mike Trout and Howie Kendrick all scored twice and Kole Calhoun homered for a third straight game for Los Angeles, winners in 13 of its last 15 games overall.

"We're just trying to go out there every night and play well," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "When we start tomorrow's game, it doesn't matter what we did last week."

Matt Shoemaker (15-4) set the Angels franchise rookie record for wins after tossing 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Shoemaker is 6-0 over his last seven outings.

Trout got plunked with a Nick Tepesch fastball with one out in the top of the first and raced around to score on Pujols' triple to right. Kendrick plated Pujols with a single to right-center to make it 2-0. David Freese and Erick Aybar then laced back-to-back singles up the middle, but Kendrick was tagged out at the plate and Chris Iannetta flied to center to strand a pair of baserunners.

Trout drew a leadoff walk in the fifth inning and moved to third on a Pujols single. Kendrick then grounded into a double-play, but Trout scored to make it 3-0.

Tepesch (4-10) lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits.

"I pretty much had guys on base every inning," Tepesch said. "Tough in those situations, but I felt like I was making better pitches as the game went on."

The Halos added their fourth run on a fielder's choice in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one away, Brennan Boesch grounded sharply to second. Rougned Odor flipped to second for one out, but Boesch beat the relay to first.

Ryan Rua drove in a run in the home seventh to put Texas on the board, but Los Angeles came right back in the top of the eighth and pushed three more runs across. Efren Navarro came on as a pinch-hitter and tripled in Pujols and Kendrick, and Gordon Beckham scored on a wild pitch.

Calhoun hit his 16th home run of the season in the ninth to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Pujols' triple was his first since July 10, 2010 ... The Angels are 12-3 against the Rangers this season ... Shoemaker broke a tie with Frank Tanana (1974), Marcelino Lopez (1965) and Dean Chance (1962) for the franchise record for rookie wins ... Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton missed his sixth straight game with a sore right shoulder.