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Angels’ Johnny Giavotella delivers walk-off double against Mariners

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is doused with liquid after hitting a walk-off, game-winning RBI double to beat the Mariners, 4-3.

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is doused with liquid after hitting a walk-off, game-winning RBI double to beat the Mariners, 4-3.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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KEY MOMENT: Erick Aybar took off from first on a hit-and-run play in the bottom of the ninth and scored on Johnny Giavotella’s double down the right-field line off Carson Smith, giving the Angels their second straight walk-off victory. It was Giavotella’s first career walk-off hit and fifth game-winning hit this season. “You try to treat them like any other situation,” Giavotella said. “You stay within yourself, have confidence in your approach and don’t try to do too much. Relax, stick to what you do best, hit line drives, and good things happen.”

AT THE PLATE: Collin Cowgill, who entered with a .175 average, tripled to center with one out in the third and scored on Kole Calhoun’s double to left-center. Mike Trout followed with a prodigious two-run homer to center, the ball traveling an estimated 441 feet, for a 3-0 lead. Giavotella’s game-winner gave the Angels back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since May 29-30, 2010, also against the Mariners.

ON THE MOUND: Huston Street suffered his first blown save in 10 opportunities, giving up a leadoff double to Kyle Seager in the ninth, a bloop single to Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly. C.J. Wilson allowed two earned runs and seven hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking none to lower his earned-run average to 2.70. It was the first time he threw at least seven innings without a walk since Aug. 4, 2013, against Toronto. Seager’s two-run homer to right in the fourth was only the 17th homer Wilson has allowed to a left-handed hitter in his career. Wilson has allowed 106 total homers.

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IN THE FIELD: Trout raced into the gap in right-center to make a diving catch of Chris Taylor’s drive to the warning track to end the seventh. Third baseman David Freese made a nice diving catch to his left of Justin Ruggiano’s line drive in the seventh. The two position players the Angels can least afford to lose to injury, Trout and Aybar, avoided a nasty collision when they converged on Zunino’s popup to shallow center in the sixth. Aybar made the catch to end the inning, with the hard-charging Trout side-stepping the infielder at the last second.

UP NEXT: Left-hander Hector Santiago (2-2, 3.14 earned-run average) will oppose Houston right-hander Collin McHugh (4-0, 3.41) at Angel Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830.

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