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Angels aim to keep bats going, conclude set with Royals

May 15, 2013 - 2:54 PM (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finally got the combined effort from Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton on Tuesday that they envisioned when they added Hamilton as a free agent this past offseason.

The high-priced duo will look to slug the Angels to a series victory on Wednesday night in the finale of a three-game series versus the Kansas City Royals.

Hamilton and Pujols homered in the same game for the first time this season, highlighting a four-homer surge in Tuesday's 6-2 win. Howie Kendrick and Mike Trout also connected on solo shots to give Los Angeles its fourth victory in six games.

Hamilton, signed to a five-year, $125 million deal this past offseason, hit his fifth home run of the season, but is batting just .214. Pujols, meanwhile, has a .242 average and six home runs in the second season of a 10-year, $240 million inked with the Angels.

"I went back and looked at tape from 2010, and looked to see the adjustments I made. I thought I was seeing the ball better today," Hamilton said.

Jason Vargas gave up just two runs on five hits while striking out seven over seven-plus innings to secure the win.

Billy Butler, coming off a five-hit, five-RBI opener, went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI for the Royals, losers in seven of their last nine.

Kansas City's Jeremy Guthrie saw his club-record 18-start unbeaten streak come to an end. He had won 10 games in a row during the stretch, but was tagged for five runs on 11 hits over seven innings on Tuesday to end a run that began with a victory on Aug. 8 of last year.

"They have some guys that have tremendous pop. It was just their night," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Vargas commands his pitches well, especially his change-up. He kept us off balance."

Kansas City's Wade Davis tries to avoid a fourth straight losing decision when he toes the rubber on Wednesday.

Davis has not won since moving to 2-0 on April 17. He dropped back-to-back starts before a solid outing versus the White Sox on May 5, when he logged six innings of one-run ball. The right-hander, however, was then shelled by the New York Yankees on Friday, charged with seven runs on seven hits and two walks in five-plus innings of work.

He was hurt by a pair of two-run homers allowed in the second.

"The walks didn't help," said Davis, who is 2-3 with a 5.86 earned run average in his seven starts this year. "I left a couple pitches up to some big hitters and they hit it out of the ballpark. That's what they're supposed to do."

The 27-year-old has a career record of 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in six career meetings with the Angels, two of those starts.

With Tommy Hanson still on the restricted list while dealing with the aftermath of the death of his step-brother, Barry Enright will make his second straight start.

The 27-year-old righty replaced Hanson on Friday at the Chicago White Sox and lasted just 3 1/3 innings, charged with five runs on four hits and a pair of walks in a no-decision. He fell to 0-1 with an 11.37 ERA in three outings this season, including the one start.

Enright will face the Royals for the first time in his career in his first home appearance of 2013.

The Angels won five of nine versus the Royals a season ago, splitting six contests in Anaheim.