Collin Cowgill, David Freese lead Angels to 6-3 win over Texas

Angels 6, Texas 3

KEY MOMENT: With the Angels trailing, 3-1, in the fifth inning, Collin Cowgill tore into a 1-and-2 pitch from Ross Detwiler and drove a two-run homer to center field for a 3-3 tie. Mike Trout walked, and David Freese hit a two-out, two-run homer to right — his third homer of the season — for a 5-3 lead. The Angels third baseman didn’t hit his third homer of 2014 until July 2.

AT THE PLATE: Trout, playing in his 500th career game, singled twice and scored two runs, and C.J. Cron snapped a 0-for-14 season-opening skid with two singles to lead a 12-hit attack. Matt Joyce hit a run-scoring double in the fourth, and Johnny Giavotella had two hits. Right fielder Kole Calhoun (right-calf tightness) did not start for the second straight game, but he delivered a pinch-hit, RBI single in the ninth and hopes to play Tuesday night.

ON THE MOUND: Left-hander Cesar Ramos replaced starter Matt Shoemaker with one on and one out in the seventh and retired the left-handed-hitting Rougned Odor (strikeout) and Leonys Martin (fly out) to preserve a 5-3 lead. Joe Smith gave up one hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth, and Huston Street retired the side in order and struck out two in the ninth for his third save.

REHAB REPORT: Garrett Richards will take his biggest — and, he hopes, last — step in his return from left-knee surgery Tuesday when he starts for triple-A Salt Lake in Fresno. Barring setback, Richards, who was dominant in the controlled environments of two intrasquad games and two minor league games in Arizona, could return by Sunday, Monday or next Tuesday. “It’s the first time he’s in real baseball — the safety net is off,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s an important test for Garrett. … There are a lot of checkpoints.” How Richards maintains his stuff, fields his position and recovers from the game will determine his next step. “We’re definitely going to err on the side of caution,” Scioscia said, “but we also don’t want a guy down there wasting pitches.”

CHECKING IN: Scioscia hopes to meet “face to face” with Josh Hamilton, whose substance-abuse relapse has triggered an ugly dispute between the organization and the outfielder, while the team is in Houston later this week. An arbitrator determined Hamilton did not violate baseball’s drug policy and can’t be suspended, but owner Arte Moreno has taken a hard-line stance toward Hamilton, claiming the team included language in his contract that forbade him from drinking or using drugs. The Angels did not issue Hamilton a locker in the Angel Stadium clubhouse, and they pulled merchandise bearing his name from team stores. “It’s frustrating,” Scioscia said. “As we try to get more clarity, it seems like [the situation] is getting foggier and foggier.”

UP NEXT: Right-hander Drew Rucinski (0-0, 0.00) will oppose Rangers right-hander Nick Martinez (1-0, 0.00) at Globe Life Park on Tuesday at 5 p.m. PDT. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 830.

— Mike DiGiovanna