HOUSTON _ About an hour before the Angels' game on Friday night, the team announced that Cameron Maybin would be activated immediately, rather than Saturday, as the plan was earlier the day.
Good decision.
In his first game after 10 days on the disabled list because of a strained oblique, Maybin produced a leadoff hitter's dream game: he stole four bases and scored four runs in the Angels' 9-4 victory over the Houston Astros.
Maybin started the game by hitting a cue shot off the end of his bat, and it spun away from first baseman Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez couldn't recover in time and Maybin had an infield hit.
And with that, he was off and running _ literally _ to one of the best nights of his career.
He ended up with three hits and a walk, to go with the four steals and four runs.
Maybin became the 11th player since 1913 _ as far back as such records are searchable _ to reach base by hit or walk at least four times, along with at least four steals and runs. The last was Carl Crawford in 2006.
Maybin was only the fourth Angels player to have four steals in a game, and the first since Chad Curtis in 1993. Maybin leads the American League with 17 stolen bases.
In the sixth inning, Maybin produced a run almost all by himself. He walked, stole second, went to third on a grounder and scored on a fly ball.
Otherwise, Maybin had plenty of help in the Angels' second consecutive robust offensive performance, something of a surprise while the team is without Mike Trout.
They pounded out 13 hits, and have now scored 20 runs in the last two games.
Kole Calhoun had two more hits, including a two-run single in the second inning. Calhoun is hitting .429 (15 for 35) in his last 10 games, emerging from a slump that engulfed much of his first two months of the season.
Martin Maldonado hit a two-run homer and reached base safely three times, including getting hit by a pitch.
It provided a nice cushion for Matt Shoemaker, who dominated through the middle of his seven-inning performance. Shoemaker gave up four runs, two in the second and two in the seventh. In between, he retired 13 straight hitters.
It was the seventh time in Shoemaker's last eight starts that he's pitched six or more innings. The Angels have won six of those games.
