Angels storm back for wild-pitch walk-off 4-3 win over Indians

Walks, wild pitches and a clutch single all added up to a wild walk-off 4-3 win for the Angels over the Indians on Wednesday afternoon.

After another anemic offensive performance through eight innings, with just one run and three hits, the Angels pounced on Cleveland closer Cody Allen, manufacturing three runs to rally from a two-run deficit to take the series, their first series win in two weeks.

Indians relievers entered the game with an earned-run average of 3.16 for the season, good for fourth in the American League. In the bottom of the ninth, the Angels were staring at their eighth defeat in the last nine games with two outs, Albert Pujols on first and the latter part of the order coming up.

But a wild pitch allowed Pujols to advance to second. Erick Aybar drew a walk. Conor Gillaspie took three straight balls to start his at-bat, then took a strike and fouled one off to make it 3-2. He held off on the next pitch, drawing a walk that loaded the bases.

The next batter, C.J. Cron, fouled off his first pitch, then hit a line drive to center field that scored two and tied the score.

With David DeJesus pinch-hitting for Chris Iannetta, Cleveland Manager Terry Francona elected to keep Allen in the game. That confidence backfired as an Allen breaking ball in the dirt squirted away from catcher Roberto Perez.

Perez scrambled after the ball on the first-base side, but couldn’t prevent pinch-runner Taylor Featherston from scoring.

Before the ninth-inning rally, Wednesday had been a game of quick starts. The first four runs involved hitters who led off the inning. Cleveland got the first batter on to start five innings, twice slugging home runs. The Angels managed to put the leadoff man aboard just twice.

Cleveland pitcher Danny Salazar had his fifth straight quality start, not surrendering a hit through the first three innings, but needing 55 pitches to do so.

The Indians struck first when Francisco Lindor led off the fourth with a double to right field. The next two batters went down in order, but Ryan Raburn came through with a two-out run-scoring single.

Hector Santiago, who entered the matchup with above-average run support (5.15), got his only backing in the bottom half of the inning. Kole Calhoun homered to right-center field to lead off.

Mike Trout and Albert Pujols could not keep the momentum going, striking out and lining out, respectively. Trout finished the day 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and is one for 20 in August.

In the top of the sixth, Jose Ramirez turned on a curveball and sent it into the Angels’ bullpen to give the Indians back the lead.

It was Ramirez’s second home run of the season. He came into the game with a .175 batting average and seven extra-base hits in 49 games, but finished one for two with two walks.

The Angels responded in the bottom half of the inning with a hit from their own leadoff hitter, Johnny Giavotella. He singled on a ground ball up the middle, and after a strikeout and flyout by Calhoun and Trout, advanced to third when Pujols lined a single to left field.

The rally died there, however, as former Indian David Murphy went down swinging. It was the last time the Angels would put a runner in scoring position until there were two outs in the ninth.

The Indians added a little breathing room in the seventh when Raburn led off with a home run to right field. It was Raburn’s fifth home run of the year, and it gave him his first two-RBI game since June 7.