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Angels power past Rangers, 5-2

Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun watches his two-run home run clear the fence during the fourth inning of the team's 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Rookie Matt Shoemaker won his fifth straight decision in a starting role, C.J. Cron and Kole Calhoun homered in the second inning against Yu Darvish, and the Angels completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 5-2 victory on Sunday night.

Cron went deep for the third straight game, helping the Angels pull within five games of AL West-leading Oakland. Calhoun was credited with the first run of the game on a replay reversal in the first inning that led to the ejection of Texas manager Ron Washington by plate umpire Bill Miller.

Shoemaker (5-1) allowed a run and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. The only run against the 27-year-old right-hander came in the sixth, when his attempted pickoff throw to first hit Elvis Andrus and rolled away from Cron, allowing Leonys Martin to score.

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Joe Smith allowed Brad Snyder’s two-out homer in the ninth before Chris Gimenez grounded out to end the game. Snyder entered in the fourth after first baseman Donnie Murphy left because of soreness in his left knee.

Darvish (7-4) allowed five runs and five hits through six innings, striking out nine and issuing four walks — three of them to No. 7 hitter Hank Conger.

This was the fourth time in 75 major league starts that Darvish allowed two homers in one inning — and the third time against the Angels. He came in 7-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 starts against the Halos, including six straight victories.

The injury-decimated Rangers remain a season-worst 11 1/2 games behind Oakland after losing for the fifth straight time and 10th time in their last 14.

The play that resulted in Washington’s second ejection of the season began when Martin charged Albert Pujols’ hit-and-run single to center field, and then missed the cutoff man as the ball sailed into foul territory between third base and home.

Darvish alertly backed up the play and threw to Gimenez for the tag on Calhoun, who tried to score all the way from first. But Gimenez took the throw while standing in front of the dish, leaving Calhoun no clear path. And according to the new rules instituted this season by Major League Baseball to cut down on collisions, that was a violation.

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So when Angels manager Mike Scioscia came out to challenge Miller’s original ruling, the replay was checked and Calhoun was declared safe. Gimenez was charged with an error.

Washington, who lost Alex Rios and Michael Choice to ejections in Saturday night’s extra-inning loss for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Vic Carapazza, came out of the dugout yelling at Miller — who motioned to him that he wasn’t allowed to argue a replay reversal. But the argument continued, and Washington was thrown out.

The Angels increased the margin to 5-0 in the fourth on Cron’s sixth homer, an RBI double by David Freese and a two-run shot by Calhoun off the right-field pole.

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