Angels blast Tigers

Pujols ignites 8-run 5th inning as L.A. rips Porcello

The Angels’ Mark Trumbo scores on a Josh Hamilton single as Detroit catcher Bryan Holaday can't handle the throw in the fifth inning.

DETROIT — Albert Pujols doubled, singled, scored a run and drove one in — all in an eight-run fifth inning — and the Los Angeles Angels routed the Detroit Tigers again, 14-8 on Tuesday night.

The Angels have won seven straight against Detroit, by a combined score of 48-17. C.J. Wilson (7-5) allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings for Los Angeles.

Rick Porcello (4-5) gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Angels scored nine runs off him in two-thirds of an inning in April. This start looked better at first, but Los Angeles broke through in a big way in the fifth.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the third for the Tigers, but he also made two of Detroit's six errors.

The game was tied at 2 when Pujols hit a one-out double in the fifth. Mark Trumbo followed with a single, and Howie Kendrick's single gave the Angels the lead.

They weren't done. Josh Hamilton's single brought home another run — Torii Hunter's throw might have been in time, but catcher Bryan Holaday couldn't handle it on the bounce — and with runners on second and third, Alberto Callaspo was intentionally walked.

Darin Downs relieved Porcello and promptly allowed all three inherited runners to score. He walked Hank Conger to force in a run, and Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly made it 6-2. J.B. Shuck followed with an RBI single, and a single by Mike Trout brought home another run.

Pujols' RBI single made it 9-2 and chased Downs. Evan Reed came on and immediately made a wild pickoff throw to first for an error, allowing one more run to come home.

The Angels snapped a three-game losing streak with their highest-scoring game of the season. It was also the most runs allowed by the Tigers.

Shuck had three hits and a career-high four RBIs, and Hamilton had three hits after entering the night in an 0-for-15 slump. Hamilton also scored three runs.

Cabrera beat out Trout last year for AL MVP, and each star made his presence felt in the third. Trout drove in the game's first run with a single, and Cabrera answered with an opposite-field homer, his 21st of the year.

Wilson threw seven scoreless innings in his previous start. He wasn't as sharp Tuesday, allowing three runs in the fifth immediately after his teammates had given him a 10-2 lead.

Shuck made it 11-5 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, scoring Aybar, who had walked, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Holaday.

Los Angeles tacked on three more runs in the eighth on an RBI single by Aybar and a two-run single by Shuck. Cabrera made both his errors that inning.

It was the first time all season a team has made more than four errors.

Detroit remains 3½ games ahead of second-place Cleveland in the AL Central.

It was raining for much of the second half of the game, and hardly any fans were left at the end. The game took 4 hours, 3 minutes.

Although the outcome wasn't in much doubt, the Angels still struggled to get the final few outs. Ramon Santiago, who was hitting .163 and had entered as a replacement for Cabrera, drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth to make it 14-7.

A flash of lightning was visible in the distance when Hamilton caught Don Kelly's sacrifice fly for the second out, and Victor Martinez grounded out to end it.

NOTES: Detroit agreed to terms with two of this year's draft picks, RHPs Jeff Thompson and Chad Green. The Tigers also came to terms with RHP Joe Jimenez, an undrafted free agent. ... RHP Tommy Hanson (4-2) starts for the Angels today against LHP Jose Alvarez (1-0) of the Tigers.

Harper begins rehab

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper made his first rehabilitation assignment Tuesday night for Single-A Potomac, going 1 -for 1 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.

Last year's National League Rookie of the Year batted second in the lineup and played three innings in left field before being pulled.

Harper hadn't played since May 26 and was put on the disabled list June 2 with bursitis in his left knee. Entering Monday, Harper had missed 25 straight games and 31 of the first 75 this season for Washington.

After having the best record in the majors last season at 98-64, the Nationals have struggled without Harper and are 37-38.

Harper wore a knee brace during warm-ups, but it wasn't visible during the game.

In Harper's first at-bat he hit a pop-up into shallow left field that was dropped by Myrtle Beach shortstop Edwin Garcia. Harper showed no signs of the knee ailment as he raced around first base and into second for a stand-up double.

Moments later Harper was picked off by Pelicans pitcher Blake Schwartz after taking a large lead and failing to slide back in time to beat the throw.

In the third inning, Harper got a late start on Rougned Odor's shot into left field. The left fielder recovered to make up ground but the ball bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.

Harper's second at-bat ended after seven pitches with a walk.