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Angels beat winless Rays

Apr 6, 2011 - 5:08 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Torii Hunter and Alberto Callaspo both drove in a pair of runs, as the Angels held on for a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a brief two-game set at Tropicana Field.

Hank Conger added a solo homer for the Angels, who snapped a three-game slide.

"We can sleep good tonight. We just have to come back tomorrow ready to go," said Hunter. "We gotta have amnesia because those guys will be hungry. They don't want that sweep. Nobody does."

Jered Weaver (2-0) worked 6 2/3 effective innings, giving up only one run on three hits and three walks, while striking out six, to earn the win. In the Angels' season opener on Thursday, the right-hander threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and a pair of walks while striking out six in a 4-2 win at Kansas City.

B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer, while Sean Rodriguez had a solo shot for Tampa Bay, which was swept in a three-game series by Baltimore to begin the season.

"I love the effort of the group. We're still not getting our hits in bunches but we've started to battle back," said Rays manager Joe Maddon.

Jeff Niemann (0-1) was tagged for five runs on nine hits with one walk in six- plus innings. The right-hander, who struck out four, went 12-8 with a 4.39 earned run average in 30 games -- 29 starts -- last season.

The Angels jumped on Niemann for three runs in the first. With runners on the corners and one out, Hunter plated one with single to right and stole second later in the inning with two away. Callaspo brought in two more with a single to center.

Conger led off the second with a homer to right to make it 4-0, and Rodriguez got the Rays on the board with a shot to left to begin the third.

Howie Kendrick started the fifth with a triple and scored on Hunter's single through the left side to put LA up 5-1.

Tampa Bay stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and Upton's two-run blast over the left-field wall in the eighth made it 5-3.

Jordan Walden closed out the game with a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Game Notes

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who was placed on the disabled list Sunday after suffering a left oblique injury, is expected to miss at least three weeks of playing time...Tampa Bay was 5-4 against the Angels last season.