Mike Trout Hits For Cycle As Angels Blowout Mariners

Mike Trout has added another achievement to his ever-growing resume as he hit for the first cycle of his career in the Angels 12-0 win over the Mariners on Tuesday. The 21-year-old drove in five runs on the night while starting pitcher Jerome Williams put together eight shutout innings for his third win of the year.

The Angels jumped all over the Mariners early as birthday boy Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer in the first after Albert Pujols drove in Erick Aybar with a single. Trout struck out looking in the inning, but it would go on to be his only out of the game.

He singled in the third and hit an RBI-triple in the fourth to push the Angels’ lead to seven runs. Two innings later, he cleared the bases with a three-run double as the Angels continued to pour it on against Seattle.

Mike Trout capped of his night with a solo home run to deep center in the bottom of the eighth to complete the cycle and all but seal the Angels’ blowout win. Jerome Williams would’ve returned to the mound in the ninth to get the complete game, but his pitch count was at 107 and Angels’ Manager Mike Scioscia decided to take him out.

Mark Lowe came in to finish off the Mariners in the ninth, and he did just that with three fly balls to give the Angels’ their third straight win. It’s been a rough start for the Angels’ this season, and they lost three straight just before their current streak.

At 18-27, the highly powerful Angels’ lineup hasn’t reached expectations to start the 2013 season, or come anywhere close for that matter. The club is tied with the Blue Jays for the second worst record in the American League. The Astros can’t win on their best day, which rarely comes, and have fallen to the bottom of the league as they transition to the AL, just behind the Angels at 13-33.

The Angels will finish their short two-game series with the Mariners on Wednesday night before hitting the road for a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Though they’ve played better of late, the Angels are 10 1/2 games back in the AL West and sport the worst road record in all of baseball, outside of the struggling Astros team and the Miami Marlins.

Will Mike Trout’s big night in the Angels’ blowout be the much needed spark the team needs to climb out of the cellar and into contention in the American League?

[Image via Keith Allison]