March 03--Highlights from the Los Angeles Angels' 8-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics:
AT THE PLATE: In his spring debut, center fielder Mike Trout went three for three with a double and drove in a run, raising his career spring training batting average to .392. ... Right fielder Kole Calhoun also went three for three. ... Geovany Soto and Daniel Nava had run-scoring singles in their Angels debuts. ... C.J. Cron drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. ... Ji-Man Choi walked in a run and singled in two more.
ON THE MOUND: Right-hander Garrett Richards started the game. In his second inning, Richards issued a walk and gave up a double and a single, then fired two wild pitches. He did not strike out any of the eight batters he faced and was charged with two runs. ... Right-hander Mike Morin followed Richards and pitched a hitless inning. ... Right-hander Al Alburquerque loaded the bases in his inning but did not allow a run. ... Five other relievers pitched scoreless innings, including right-hander Cory Rasmus, who is out of options and pitching for a spot in the Angels bullpen.
EXTRA BASES: Trout sprawled out to make a catch on the first play of the game, saving a probable double on a ball hit by A's outfielder Billy Burns. "He had my back on that, and I look forward to seeing more catches like that this season," Richards said. ... Thursday marked the spring training opener at the Angels' home field, Tempe Diablo Stadium. Over the off-season, the team invested in a TrackMan Doppler radar system to gather analytics during the spring, including spin-rate data.
UP NEXT: Cubs on Friday, noon at Sloan Park. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830.
