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Angels edge Rays, take series

May 1, 2011 - 10:50 PM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Torii Hunter scored the eventual game- winning run in the eighth and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim topped the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Hank Conger had a solo home run for the Angels, who have won four of their last six games. Rich Thompson (1-1) got the win with three strikeouts and surrendering one hit in the seventh inning.

Jered Weaver was supposed to be on the bump for the Halos, but was scratched from the lineup with a stomach virus. Instead, rookie right-hander Tyler Chatwood got the call and was roughed up for five runs on nine hits in four innings.

Matt Joyce went 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Rays, who came into the series with a five-game winning streak. Joel Peralta (1-1) got the loss, allowing the one run on a hit in the eighth.

"Matt (Joyce) is looking good," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He's hitting the ball extremely well and has a lot of confidence up there."

Hunter doubled to lead off the eighth and moved to third on a wild pitch by Peralta. After a Vernon Wells walk, Conger grounded to second baseman Ben Zobrist, who threw it to first for the out. Wells was then caught in a run down long enough to let Hunter dash home for the go-ahead run. Reid Brignac finally tagged Wells to end the inning, but not before the damage was done.

Anaheim's closer Jordan Walden got a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to preserve the comeback win.

Tampa Bay got after Chatwood early to pour on five runs in the first. Sam Fuld led off with a double, and after a Johnny Damon fly out, B.J. Upton hit a single to bring home Fuld. Upton stole third base before crossing home on Joyce's single for a 2-0 lead.

Zobrist doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Then three-straight RBI singles from Casey Kotchman, Felipe Lopez and John Jaso finished off the five-run rally.

"Those guys had a great game offensively in the first," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "They were patient and they got balls to hit."

Conger's one-out solo shot during the top of the second put the Angels on the board and they tacked on another run on Bobby Abreu's RBI single in the fifth. That chased rookie Alex Cobb away early during his first Major League career start where he lasted 4 1/3 innings.

That began the Rays' four-run rally to tie the game. Hunter had a sacrifice fly and Bobby Abreu scored on a throwing error by Jaso, who was trying to pick off Howard Kendrick's steal of second base. Kendrick then scored on Albert Callaspo's liner to right.

Game Notes

Cobb allowed four runs on four hits and four walks...The Angels swept a two- game set from the Rays earlier in the year and have won seven of the last eight meetings...Tampa Bay out hit the Halos 11-7.