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Angels eye sweep of Jays up north

Sep 12, 2013 - 2:28 PM (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim aim to continue their recent mastery of the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday when they try to complete a three-game sweep of them at Rogers Centre.

Los Angeles has beaten the Blue Jays in five of six meetings this season and on Wednesday, Mark Trumbo homered for the second straight game and Kole Calhoun offered two sacrifice flies to lift the Angels to a 5-4 win.

Trumbo followed his 5-for-5 tilt on Tuesday with a second inning home run and Josh Hamilton went 3-for-3 with a run scored behind C.J. Wilson (16-6), who surrendered four runs -- three earned -- while striking out six over seven frames. Trout walked twice and scored a pair of runs as the Angels were winners for the sixth time in their last seven road games.

"Of all the things we've talked about this year that haven't worked out, C.J. is on the other side of that ledger," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's having just a terrific season, pitching deep into games. He's going to be 200- plus innings again. Every stat you look at is terrific for him."

Moises Sierra went 3-for-4 with a two doubles and a triple in the losing effort, just Toronto's third loss in its last eight contests. The Jays only managed four hits as a team.

R.A. Dickey lasted 5 1/3 innings, yielding four runs on seven hits before giving way to the Toronto bullpen.

"I thought he looked really sharp that first inning. Then it was kind of hit or miss," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Dickey.

Getting the call for the Angels on Thursday will be righty Garrett Richards, who is 6-6 with a 3.90 ERA. Richards won his second straight start on Saturday against Texas, as he allowed two runs (one earned) and six hits in seven innings.

"Everything he's done up to this point has made him the most prepared he's been for this opportunity in his life," Scioscia said. "I think that going to the bullpen helped him a little bit, helped us at times. Getting back into the rotation the second time, it seems like it's clicking for him better. I think everything happens for a reason, and I think he definitely trusts his stuff."

He is 1-2 in four games (2 starts) versus the Jays with a 5.68 ERA.

Toronto, meanwhile, will counter with lefty J.A. Happ, who is 4-5 with a 5.09 ERA. Happ snapped a three-start losing streak on Saturday, as he beat the Minnesota Twins, holding them to an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings.

"The gameplan was to come out and mix it up early and try to pound the strike zone," Happ said after his last outing, when the Blue Jays gave him a five-run lead in the first inning. "Having a lead like that definitely helps. [The lead] is something you don't think about a ton, but you're definitely more loose and more confident to throw those pitches."