Angels hold off Blue Jays in the ninth for 5-3 victory

Angels 5, Blue Jays 3

KEY MOMENT: What looked like a comfortable victory turned into a nail-biter for the Angels. They led, 5-1, after eight innings, but the Blue Jays started the ninth with three consecutive singles, bringing the tying run to the plate with none out. Edwin Encarnacion hit what appeared to be a fourth consecutive single, but Angels third baseman John McDonald lunged to his left to snare the one-hopper, then threw from his knees to turn what would have been an RBI single into a force play at second. The Jays did score twice in the inning but, one batter later, co-closer Joe Smith got pinch-hitter Adam Lind to ground into a game-ending double play.

AT THE PLATE: C.J. Cron and Chris Iannetta each hit a home run and drove in two runs. The Angels rank second in the American League in homers. Albert Pujols pulled two balls to the warning track — barely missing a grand slam on the second one — then doubled to the opposite field.

ON THE MOUND: Tyler Skaggs took a two-hitter into the ninth inning, then gave up hits to the first two batters and departed. Skaggs became the first Angels pitcher to win three games as a 22-year-old since Brian Anderson in 1994. Smith worked the ninth for the save; he and Ernesto Frieri each have four saves this season.

TROUT SLUMP: Mike Trout finished Saturday’s game batting .275, lower than all but one of the other eight players in the lineup. He is batting .107 (three for 28) with a .515 on-base plus slugging percentage this month, after batting .321 with a 1.000 OPS last month. “I feel good at the plate,” he said. “I’m hitting some balls hard. They aren’t falling. That’s baseball.” Said Dino Ebel, the Angels’ bench coach: “Michael Trout is fine. He’s close. You can tell on his swings. … I know the expectations, and you look up there and see .277. He is going to hit. There is no doubt in my mind.”

UP NEXT: The Angels’ Jered Weaver (3-2, 3.48 earned-run average) faces the Blue Jays’ Drew Hutchison (1-2, 4.17) on Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT at Rogers Centre. TV: FS West. Radio: 830, 1330.