Angels rally to beat Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3

Angels 4, Toronto 3

AT THE PLATE: Mike Trout was in a five-for-30 skid after his first-inning strikeout, but the Angels center fielder singled sharply to center to open the fourth and later scored on Matt Joyce’s bases-loaded walk, he homered to center in the fifth and walked and scored the winning run in the seventh. “The biggest thing for me is getting my [front] foot down,” Trout said. “I’ve been a little late on everything, just not recognizing pitches. That involves getting my foot down. I’ve been working on it in batting practice.” Joyce, who is batting .155, doubled to left-center in the second.

ON THE MOUND: Jered Weaver, who walked six batters in 50 2/3 innings of his first eight starts, walked the first two batters in the fourth. It appeared he would minimize damage when he got Russell Martin to ground into a double-play, but Chris Colabello hit an RBI double to left, Ezequiel Carrera hit an RBI single to center, and Danny Valencia hit an RBI double to left for a 3-1 Blue Jays lead. Weaver did not allow a hit over the next three innings, earning his third straight win with a seven-inning, three-run, four-hit, four-strikeout, three-walk effort. “I mixed in the off-speed and was able to keep them off-balance,” Weaver said. “Obviously, a couple of walks here and there, but for the most part, location was good. I just had that one hiccup and kept us in the game from there.” Joe Smith retired the side in order in the eighth, and Huston Street allowed one hit and struck out one in the ninth for his 14th save.

IN THE FIELD: Third baseman David Freese charged Steve Tolleson’s slow roller, made a bare-hand grab and off-balance throw to first to end the seventh inning, but he was still pulled for defensive purposes in the eighth. Catcher Carlos Perez pounced on Jose Bautista’s dribbler in front of the plate, did a quick, 360-degree spin and fired a bullet to first for the second out of the eighth.

CLOSE CALLS: Of the Angels’ 40 games, 27 have been decided by one or two runs. They are 7-7 in one-run games. “We’re playing an incredible amount of one- and two-run games and holding our own,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It points to the job starting pitchers have done, keeping us in games while pitching with their backs to the wall, and what Joe Smith and Huston Street have done. They’ve been really good.”

UP NEXT: Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (3-3, 5.63 ERA) will oppose Toronto right-hander R. A. Dickey (1-5, 5.76 ERA) at Rogers Centre on Thursday at 4 p.m. PDT. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830.