Successful trip ends on strong note

DETROIT -- No pennant has been won in the last week of April, but it’s never too early to begin laying some ground work.

And what better way than to travel to Boston and Detroit and win four of six games from the defending World Series champions and the club with what most consider baseball’s most prolific lineup?

The Angels capped a successful trip through some rugged American League terrain with a 6-2 victory over the Tigers in Comerica Park on Sunday night, winning two of three in Detroit after taking two of three in Boston.

Jered Weaver, pounded for 11 runs in seven innings of two previous starts against Detroit, gave up two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, and Torii Hunter (two-run double) and Erick Aybar (two-run single) highlighted a game-breaking, four-run rally in the sixth.

“We knew this would be a tough trip . . . especially going into Boston,” said reliever Scot Shields, who threw a hitless eighth and ninth to close out the Tigers.

Shields, who has grown tired of questions about the Angels’ struggles in Fenway Park, then added, facetiously, “I don’t know if you guys know it, but our record in Boston is not very good. And coming here, against the talent these guys have . . . I know everyone is pleased with the way things went.”

Especially Weaver, who was 0-2 with a 6.48 earned-run average in his previous three starts but found his command after walking four Tigers in the first three innings.

Weaver, facing a Tigers team that fielded its projected lineup for the first time this season, struck out Carlos Guillen with two on to end the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth before giving up two runs in the seventh.

“You can’t underestimate how much work it is to get through a lineup like that,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Jered had to use every pitch he had to get as far as he did.”

The Tigers, who feature a middle-of-the-order trio of Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, scored 42 runs in four games before the Angels arrived. They scored 11 runs in three games against the Angels.

“That’s a tough lineup, man,” catcher Mike Napoli said. “They stress you out.”

The Angels can cause a few headaches for opposing pitchers, too.

They scored single runs in the fourth (on Hunter’s RBI triple) and fifth (on Aybar’s sacrifice fly) Sunday night and broke the game open off starter Justin Verlander in the sixth inning.

Gary Matthews Jr. walked and took third on Vladimir Guerrero’s single to right, and Guerrero advanced when second baseman Placido Polanco’s one-hop throw skipped away from Guillen at third for an error.

Casey Kotchman flied to center, the runners holding, but Hunter ripped a two-run double to left for a 4-0 lead. After two walks and Napoli’s pop to short, Aybar stroked an opposite-field single to left for two more runs and a 6-0 lead.

“That was a great first-to-third by Gary and a great read by Vlad,” Scioscia said. “That changed the dynamics of that inning. You need every run you can get against that club.”

Second baseman Maicer Izturis left in the seventh because of lower-back spasms, and the Angels will probably make another roster move today, recalling Matt Brown or Brandon Wood from triple-A Salt Lake to bolster their infield. But not even that minor injury could put a damper on their trip.

“We knew this would be a nice little test . . . to find out how we match up with some of the top-tier teams,” Matthews said. “To be honest, we’re going to have to beat these teams if we’re going to get where we want to go.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com