Trumbo hits pair of three-run homers to lead Angels to 10-8 win over Rockies

Mark Trumbo hit a pair of three-run home runs and Torii Hunter had three hits, including a two-run homer and a run-scoring single, to lead the Angels to a 10-8 interleague victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday.

Despite another shaky start from Ervin Santana, who gave up seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, the Angels won for the 14th time in 18 games, extended their road winning streak to nine games and improved their interleague record since 2007 to 66-30, best in the major leagues.

The first three batters in the Angels’ lineup -- Mike Trout, Hunter and Albert Pujols -- combined to go 23 for 42 (.548) with 20 runs in the three-game sweep of the Rockies. Relievers LaTroy Hawkins, Jason Isringhausen, Ernesto Frieri and Scott Downs combined to give up one run in 3 1/3 innings.

The Angels benefitted from a controversial -- but what appeared to be correct -- call in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Tyler Colvin led off with a bloop double and scored on Marco Scutaro’s single to cut the Angels’ lead to 10-8, Carlos Gonzalez hit a wicked liner twardo the mound that Downs stabbed at and appeared to catch.

But the ball squirted out of his glove and home plate umpire Greg Gibson quickly signaled no catch. Downs alertly threw to second base for an out, but Gonzalez did not run to first base. Shortstop Erick Aybar threw to first to complete a double play, and Colorado Manager Jim Tracy was ejected arguing the call.

The Angels opened the game with five consecutive hits -- Trout’s double, Hunter’s RBI single, Pujols’ single, Trumbo’s three-run homer that sailed deep into the left-field seats and Howie Kendrick’s single. Aybar doubled later in the four-run inning, giving the Angels a season-high six hits in the frame.

The Rockies countered with a run on back-to-back doubles by Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer in the bottom of the first inning. Trout’s walk and Hunter’s two-run homer to left, the right fielder’s fourth homer in four games, gave the Angels a 6-1 lead in the top of the second.

But Colorado erased the deficit with a five-run second inning, Santana’s walk of Friedrich, the Rockies pitcher, putting two on for Colvin, who hit a three-run home run to center, where Trout almost made a spectacular leaping catch, the ball squirting out of his glove as he slammed into the wall.

Scutaro doubled to left and Gonzalez crushed a two-run homer to center that Trout had no chance of catching as Colorado tied the score, 6-6.

Hunter opened the fourth with a single to left, Pujols reached on third baseman Jordan Pacheco’s error, and Trumbo hit a high fly ball to left that caught just enough of a breeze to clear the wall for a three-run homer, his 14th of the season, and a 9-6 Angels lead.

Scutaro’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth inning made it 9-7, but Santana did not allow another run before being pulled for Hawkins, who walked Colvin to put two on in the sixth but got Scutaro to ground out to third with the dangerous Gonzalez on deck to end the sixth.

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