ARLINGTON -- Erick Aybar homered; David Freese, Kole Calhoun and Grant Green hit clutch RBI singles; and the pitching staff pieced it together with eight relievers in pushing the Angels to a 7-3 victory on Thursday night at Globe Life Park.With the win, the Angels (91-55) swept the three-game series and became the first visiting team to win nine games in one season at the Rangers' home. The Angels have now won a season-high eight games in a row, are a season-best 36 games over .500 and lead the A's by 10 games in the American League West, their magic number down to seven after making up 14 games over a 32-day stretch. 
Thursday would have been Garrett Richards' turn in the rotation if his season hadn't ended on Aug. 20 with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. As usual, the Angels made up for it with a potpourri of relievers, as Cory Rasmus (3 1/3 innings), Vinnie Pestano (two-thirds of an inning), Yoslan Herrera (two-thirds), Michael Roth (one batter), Mike Morin (1 1/3), Fernando Salas (one), Jason Grilli (one) and Joe Smith (one) held the last-place Rangers to three runs on seven hits.The Angels are now 3-1 while playing a bullpen game in Richards' spot, and 3-0 when Rasmus starts those games.Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin hit a leadoff homer, marking the first time the Angels have trailed since the bottom of the second on Sunday -- a span of 34 innings.But Texas' lead didn't last long. Aybar laced a two-run homer in the second, his seventh of the season and first since June 29; Freese hit a two-out, two-run single in the third, giving him 12 hits in his last 27 at-bats; Calhoun lined an RBI single in the seventh; and Green hit a two-out, two-run pinch-hit single in the eighth, extending the Angels' lead to five.Mike Trout was hit in the left triceps area by Nick Martinez twice after being hit in around the same spot on Wednesday, but Trout stayed in the game, the benches didn't clear and there was no retaliation by the Angels. A warning was issued, however, after Joe Smith hit Tomas Telis in the ninth.The Angels finished the season 9-1 in Arlington, outscoring the Rangers (54-92) by 39 runs in the process.Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
Thursday would have been Garrett Richards' turn in the rotation if his season hadn't ended on Aug. 20 with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. As usual, the Angels made up for it with a potpourri of relievers, as Cory Rasmus (3 1/3 innings), Vinnie Pestano (two-thirds of an inning), Yoslan Herrera (two-thirds), Michael Roth (one batter), Mike Morin (1 1/3), Fernando Salas (one), Jason Grilli (one) and Joe Smith (one) held the last-place Rangers to three runs on seven hits.The Angels are now 3-1 while playing a bullpen game in Richards' spot, and 3-0 when Rasmus starts those games.Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin hit a leadoff homer, marking the first time the Angels have trailed since the bottom of the second on Sunday -- a span of 34 innings.But Texas' lead didn't last long. Aybar laced a two-run homer in the second, his seventh of the season and first since June 29; Freese hit a two-out, two-run single in the third, giving him 12 hits in his last 27 at-bats; Calhoun lined an RBI single in the seventh; and Green hit a two-out, two-run pinch-hit single in the eighth, extending the Angels' lead to five.Mike Trout was hit in the left triceps area by Nick Martinez twice after being hit in around the same spot on Wednesday, but Trout stayed in the game, the benches didn't clear and there was no retaliation by the Angels. A warning was issued, however, after Joe Smith hit Tomas Telis in the ninth.The Angels finished the season 9-1 in Arlington, outscoring the Rangers (54-92) by 39 runs in the process.Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
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