MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Woodruff pitched five solid innings, Sal Frelick hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins tied a career high with five RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.
Woodruff (7-2) gave up two hits and one run, struck out nine and threw 52 of his 69 pitches for strikes. He was pitching on 10 days rest to manage his workload after he missed last season while recovering from right shoulder surgery.
Angels starter José Soriano (10-11)
exited with one out in the second after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Jake Bauers. Soriano sustained a right forearm contusion. X-rays were negative.
Connor Brogdon came on in relief and gave up an opposite-field single to Blake Perkins that drove in a pair. Frelick's three-run homer later in the inning gave the Brewers a 5-0 lead.
Taylor Ward provided the Angels offense with homers in the fourth and sixth.
The Angels (69-83) have lost six straight, while the major league-best Brewers (93-59) have won four of five.
After Soriano departed, the switch-hitting Perkins, batting left-handed, came up next and hit a grounder between shortstop and third on a 2-2 pitch from Brogdon to get the Brewers on the board.
Mike Trout remains stuck on 399 career home runs after going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Trout has homered just twice since Aug. 6, the last coming on Sept. 11.
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-11, 4.08 ERA) starts for the Angels against Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (13-2, 3.25) in the series finale Wednesday.
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