Ohtani hits 1 of 5 Angels homers in win vs. Tribe

ANAHEIM -- The Angels put an end to their woes against the Indians in decisive fashion Tuesday night, as Shohei Ohtani's first career home run highlighted an offensive eruption that fueled a 13-2 win at Angel Stadium.
One day after being shut out for the first time this year, the Angels' lineup used five home runs to snap a 12-game losing streak against the Indians, setting up a rubber match in Wednesday's series finale.
Ohtani stole the show, crushing a three-run home run off Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin in his first at-bat at Angel Stadium to cap a six-run first inning and send the 35,007 fans into a frenzy. Ohtani, who finished 3-for-4 in his second start as the Angels' designated hitter, is the first player to earn a win in one game, then homer as a non-pitcher in his next game since Babe Ruth in 1921.

"When I hit it, I thought it was going to be off the wall, so I was running hard," Ohtani said through an interpreter. "But I'm glad it cleared the fence."
Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Luis Valbuena also homered off Tomlin, who was chased after allowing eight runs over three innings.
"I think we can score in a lot of different ways," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think we're hitting well with guys in scoring position. I think we set the table well. We're going to drive the ball, maybe not to the extent we did tonight, which was exceptional. It was a great offensive night for us all the way from one-through-nine tonight, and it's a good win."

Angels right-hander Garrett Richards gave up a two-run homer to José Ramírez in a shaky first inning, but rebounded nicely after his offense gave him a 6-2 lead. He and the Angels' bullpen did not allow another hit, as Richards notched his first win of the season and collected nine strikeouts.
"I have to buckle down and stop the bleeding right there," Richards said. "That's what I tried to do, and allow the guys to get comfortable in the box and put up some runs."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First "new home run" at Angel Stadium: The Angels were the beneficiaries of the new lowered right-field-wall boundaries in the first, as Trout launched a 1-1 sinker from Tomlin off the scoreboard for his second home run of the season, which cut the Indians' lead to 2-1. With the home-run boundary lowered by 10 feet, balls no longer have to clear the wall to be considered home runs, though Bradley Zimmer still played Trout's shot off the wall.
"It was sick," Trout said. "I knew it had a chance. When I was running around first, I couldn't really tell where it hit, but the umpire signaled pretty quick."

Richards settles in: Richards recovered nicely after a shaky first inning, blanking the Indians for the rest of his 5 2/3 innings. After Ramirez's home run, the Indians were 0-for-17 against the 29-year-old right-hander.
"Obviously, the first [inning] was a little bit difference pace," Richards said. "Toward the second inning, I started speeding up my pace in between pitches and just started to attack guys. I'm still wanting to throw more strikes, still trying to limit the walks, but it was a great team win tonight."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Angels matched a franchise record with five different players hitting home runs. The last time the club accomplished the feat was Aug. 18, 2017.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
René Rivera also took advantage of the truncated home-run boundary in the eighth, when he capped the Angels' big offensive night with a two-run homer off Indians reliever Zach McAllister. The hit was initially ruled a double, but Rivera was credited with a home run after a crew-chief review determined that the ball hit above the yellow line on the right-field wall.

WHAT'S NEXT
Tyler Skaggs will make his second start of the season Wednesday, as the Angels close out their series against the Indians at 1:07 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium. Skaggs looked dominant in his season debut against the A's on Friday, pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the Angels to their first win of the season. He is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts against the Indians.
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