Rangers homer twice in sixth inning to beat Angels, 5-2

KEY MOMENT: With two outs in the top of the sixth, Prince Fielder hit a ground ball to shortstop that probably would have ended the inning if the Angels hadn’t shifted their infield slightly toward the right side. Shortstop Erick Aybar made a diving backhand stop, but Fielder beat the long throw to first for a single. Alex Rios followed with a two-run homer to give Texas a 3-2 lead.

AT THE PLATE: J.B. Shuck had a hand in both Angels runs. In the second he followed singles by David Freese and Collin Cowgill with a perfectly placed bunt single down the third-base line for a two-out RBI. In the fourth he hit a two-out single and scored on Howie Kendrick’s single.

ON THE MOUND: Kevin Jepsen replaced starter Hector Santiago with two on in the seventh and struck out J.P. Arencibia. But Shin-Soo Choo hit an RBI single, and Elvis Andrus added an RBI fielder’s choice. The Angels have now allowed 20 of 41 inherited runners to score. Mike Morin, called up from triple A on Sunday, showed an excellent changeup while striking out the side in the eighth.

REHAB REPORT: Manager Mike Scioscia said Dane De La Rosa (forearm, shoulder injuries) looked “outstanding” during a simulated inning in Arizona on Thursday and is close to a minor league rehabilitation stint. . . . Left fielder Josh Hamilton has regained the range of motion and is gaining strength in his surgically repaired left thumb and hopes to resume throwing Saturday. He expects to return ahead of the team’s six-to-eight-week timetable. . . . Right fielder Kole Calhoun (right ankle strain) has been hitting, throwing and running on a de-weighted treadmill and hopes to return by mid-to-late May.

EXTRA BASES: Freese, whose eight-for-21 streak in the last five games raised his average from .143 to .202, left the game in the fourth because of a right middle finger contusion, suffered when he was hit by a Colby Lewis pitch in the third. X-rays showed that Freese has a small non-displaced fracture in the middle finger on his right hand. He will be evaluated Saturday. . . . Choo, who missed six games in late April because of a left-ankle sprain, left in the bottom of the seventh because of soreness in the ankle. . . . Texas catcher Robinson Chirinos was scratched from the lineup because of a stomach virus.

UP NEXT: Right-hander Garrett Richards (2-0, 2.53 ERA) will oppose Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison (0-0, 3.00 ERA) at Angel Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. On the air: Fox Sports West; Radio: 830.