Blue Jays hammer Angels pitchers for 17 hits in 10-6 victory

On a day the offense stirred, the Angels pitching staff was shaken, giving up more runs in a 10-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday than it did in the previous six games combined (nine).

The Angels, who rank at or near the bottom of the major leagues in several offensive categories, banged out 12 hits in the opener of a four-game series in the Rogers Centre, including home runs by Albert Pujols, David Freese and Chris Iannetta.

But starter C.J. Wilson, who entered with a 2-2 record and 2.63 earned-run average, was rocked for four runs and six hits in the second inning, and relievers Mike Morin, Vinnie Pestano and Cesar Ramos combined to give up six runs and seven hits in two innings to a team that had lost seven of its previous eight games.

The Angels came back from a 4-0 deficit with three runs in the fourth, a rally highlighted by Pujols’ leadoff homer deep into the second deck in left field — his seventh of the season and 527^th of his career — and Iannetta’s run-scoring double to right-center, which pulled the Angels to within 4-3.

The Angels took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth, a rally that started with Freese’s leadoff homer to right, his seventh of the season. Iannetta, who entered with a .123 average, doubled to left, and Johnny Giavotella hit a two-out RBI single to center, his eighth go-ahead RBI of the season.

Wilson recovered from his rocky second inning to blank the Blue Jays on two hits from the third through fifth innings. He was pulled with a pitch count of 98 to start the sixth.

But an Angels bullpen that allowed only one earned run over the last 18 1/3 innings of seven games collapsed in the bottom of the sixth. No. 9 hitter Ryan Goins reached on a one-out single off Morin, and after Josh Donaldson struck out, Morin walked Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases.

Morin looked displeased with some of home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez’s strike zone, and at one point during the Bautista at-bat, Gonzalez strolled toward the Angels dugout and went jaw to jaw with Manager Mike Scioscia, though there was no ejection.

Scioscia pulled Morin in favor of Pestano, who had limited right-handed hitters to three hits in 19 at-bats this season but hadn’t pitched since May 9.

Russell Martin worked a full count before lining a two-run single to center for a 6-5 Toronto lead, and Danny Valencia followed with a two-run double to right-center to make it 8-5.

Bautista crushed a two-run homer into the third deck in left field, his seventh of the season, off Ramos in the seventh, giving the Blue Jays a 10-5 lead. Toronto finished with 17 hits.