Trout, Cron homer twice each in Angels’ 7-3 win over Mariners

KEY MOMENT: Johnny Giavotella hit a one-out double in the third, Kole Calhoun was hit by a pitch, and Mike Trout crushed a three-run homer to center to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead. The Angels won for the 10th time in 12 games and now trail Houston by a half-game in the American League West.

AT THE PLATE: Trout added a solo shot to right in the seventh for his 26th homer of the season, tying him with Albert Pujols for the AL lead. Trout has five homers in four games and six career multi-homer games, three this season. C.J. Cron hit a solo homer to left in the fourth and a two-run shot to right-center in the sixth, his second career multi-homer game. In seven games since his recall from triple A, Cron is batting .448 (13 for 29) with four homers and 12 runs batted in. Giavotella had three hits, including two doubles.

ON THE MOUND: Hector Santiago positioned himself as a prime All-Star replacement candidate by giving up one run and eight hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none, to improve to 6-4 with a 2.33 earned-run average, third-best in the AL. Santiago threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of 28 batters. Seattle left-hander Mike Montgomery, who gave up one run in 232/3 innings of his previous three starts, was rocked for five runs and eight hits in five innings.

DYNAMIC DUO: Trout and Pujols are the fourth pair of AL teammates with at least 26 homers each before the All-Star break. The others were Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez (1998), Boston’s Mo Vaughn and Jose Canseco (1996) and the New York Yankees’ Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle (1961). Trout is the fourth player with four 25-homer seasons by his age-23 season. The others are Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Eddie Mathews and Mel Ott.

REHAB REPORT: Jered Weaver (left-hip inflammation) threw 20 fastballs off a mound Friday, a workout in which the right-hander “threw the ball really well and repeated his delivery,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “It was a big step forward.” Weaver will throw simulated games Saturday and Thursday, and he thinks he’ll be able to return to the rotation after the All-Star break.

EXTRA BASES: Reliever Vinnie Pestano, who had a 4.22 ERA in 17 games when he was demoted in late May, was recalled from triple A and gave up a two-run homer to Mark Trumbo in the ninth. Pestano had a 4.41 ERA in 15 games at Salt Lake but did not give up a run in his last 81/3 innings. “I’ve always tried to get better, and if you do that, you find yourself tinkering a lot,” Pestano said. “I tinkered myself out of the big leagues and tinkered myself back in.” … Right-hander Cory Rasmus, who was out three months after undergoing abdominal surgery in March, is now sidelined because of elbow stiffness.

UP NEXT: Left-hander C.J. Wilson (7-6, 3.82 ERA) will oppose Seattle right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (0-1, 7.17) at Safeco Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. TV: FS West; Radio: 830.