Trout went 1-for-2 with a grand slam and two walks in a 5-1 victory over the Rangers on Saturday. It took Trout until the seventh game of the season to hit his first home run, but since then, he's gone deep in three straight games, hitting two Friday and then the grand slam Saturday. Through nine games, he's slashing an incredible .385/.553/.923 with four homers, 10 RBI, five runs and a stolen base in 26 at-bats.<doc-sep>It was after 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon and Mike Trout had just turned away from his locker at Angel Stadium to face the cameras. The Angels star had stood in the same spot after three straight games. Each time, reporters thrust microphones toward Trout’s face. Each time, they asked Trout to describe how he used his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame to muscle a baseball over an outfield fence. And each time, Trout indulged the questions. He couldn’t escape them. Not after clobbering four home runs in his first three home games. Not after hitting a grand slam off Texas Rangers starter Drew Smyly to change a scoreless game and key the Angels’ 5-1 win. “I was just trying to get the runs in,” said the 27-year-old, two-time recipient of the American League most valuable player award. “… I got a pitch to hit and hit it out.” Advertisement There was no score in the fourth inning and the Angels had loaded the bases with one out. Trout usually would have been pitched around but there was nowhere for him to go. All Smyly could do was hope he could sneak some pitches by him. Smyly tried. Trout fouled off a high fastball on the first pitch. Then the last pitch came in at 91 mph, riding in at the top of the zone right over the middle of the plate. Trout timed it better, clipped it with his barrel and sent it soaring. The ball hurtled through the air at 109 mph and towered, traveling 458 feet and reaching a height of 128 feet before carrying over the Angels’ bullpen and dropping into the left-field seats for Trout’s first grand slam since Sept. 17, 2015, and fifth of his career. GRAND SALAMI pic.twitter.com/Dv9nKf1CJv — Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 6, 2019 Trout reached base four times for the 91st time since 2012: He drew a walk from Smyly in the first, was hit by a pitch in the third and walked intentionally in the sixth. “Maybe I made him mad when I hit him and he ends up hitting a grand slam,” said Smyly, who exited the game following the slam. “You don’t want to make him mad. He’s the best hitter on the planet. There’s no denying it.” The Angels coaxed little from Smyly before Trout’s blast. They stranded six runners through the first three innings. With the bases loaded in the first, Albert Pujols lost the grip on his bat as he lunged after a down-and-away slider and struck out. Then Jonathan Lucroy popped out to the infield. Kole Calhoun swung through a high fastball, couldn’t get wood on it and struck out for the first of three times. In the third, with runners on first and second, Lucroy flew out to left for the second out. Andrelton Simmons, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with back tightness, reached on a fielder’s choice and stolen second base, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. But he was abandoned by Calhoun, who struck out to end that threat. Advertisement Manager Brad Ausmus was disappointed the bottom of the lineup didn’t do much damage. He also conceded that some days, all they need is Trout to be on his game. “Especially the way we kind of struggled offensively, Trouty’s been the bulk of our offense these last couple games where we’ve won,” Ausmus said. “I’d like to see more contribution up and down the lineup. But there are times when Mike Trout is going to be the bulk of our offense.” The Angels (3-6) weren’t done scoring after Trout launched the third-longest home run of his career. Pujols hit the first pitch of the seventh into the Angels bullpen, dumping a 405-foot homer into the outstretched cap of reliever Noe Ramirez. With his first homer of the season, Pujols matched Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd on the all-time hits list with 3,089. Advertisement Angels starter Tyler Skaggs reaped the rewards. He mowed down the Rangers’ lineup for 6-1/3 innings, frustrating batters with a curveball that drew five misses and received nine called strikes. He gave up only one run. Skaggs had left his first start frustrated that he couldn’t get through five innings efficiently. He navigated trouble well, but allowed two runs in 4-2/3 innings and took a loss last Sunday at Oakland. He didn’t struggle Saturday. When he ran into a jam in the third, which started with Ronald Guzman’s leadoff double, he escaped unscathed, stranding runners on the corners to keep the game scoreless. Skaggs scattered five hits, issued one walk and struck out five. He threw 70 of 101 pitches for strikes and became the first Angels starter to earn a victory this season. Advertisement “He battled out there,” Trout said. “He was throwing all the pitches for strikes. It’s fun to play behind a guy like that who pumps it in the strike zone.” Sign up for our daily sports newsletter » maria.torres@latimes.com @maria_torres3<doc-sep>The Angels’ Mike Trout rounds first base after hitting a grand slam home run in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Angels’ Mike Trout takes off to round the bases after hitting a grand slam home run against the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Angels’ Mike Trout watches his grand slam home run sail over the left field wall against the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Angels’ Mike Trout, left, rounds third after hitting a grand slam home run in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Angels’ Mike Trout swings to connect for a grand slam home run against the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) The Angels’ Albert Pujols loses his bat as he strikes out swinging in the first inning against the Texas Rangers in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons, left, turns a double play as Texas Rangers’ Hunter Pence is out at second in the fourth inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Texas Rangers relief pitcher Drew Smyly delivers a pitch against the Angels in the first inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs delivers a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning in Anaheim on Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mike Trout continues to prove he is worth every penny of the 12-year, $426.5-million deal the former MVP signed to remain with the Los Angeles Angels in March. In the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers, Trout hit a grand slam off a pitch from Drew Smyly at Angels Stadium. Trout hit two home runs Friday against the Rangers. GRAND SALAMI pic.twitter.com/Dv9nKf1CJv — Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 6, 2019<doc-sep>ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Any pitcher who wants a prayer of retiring Mike Trout should throw high fastballs, at least according to the old conventional wisdom on the star slugger. That's exactly what Drew Smyly threw, and that's exactly what Trout hit 458 feet for the grandest homer yet in his latest power binge. Trout hit a grand slam for his fourth homer in three days, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 on Saturday for their first back-to-back victories of the season. Trout's fourth-inning drive off Smyly (0-1) cleared the bullpens beyond the left field fence at Angel Stadium. He absolutely clobbered a fastball at the top of the strike zone, taking an eraser to yet another item on the diminishing list of effective strategies to deal with the two-time AL MVP. ''Obviously it's just adjustments,'' Trout said of his increasing acumen at hitting high pitches after occasionally struggling with them earlier in his career. ''I couldn't tell you one thing that I'm doing to hit those pitches. Just getting a good pitch to hit and trying to put a barrel to it, not trying to do too much. If you try to do too much with a pitch up (high), you're not going to hit it. You're going to pop up. So especially with guys on base, you're just looking for something around the zone.'' After homering in the Halos' home opener Thursday and adding two more Friday, Trout connected for his first grand slam since 2015 and No. 5 for his career. He has homered in three straight games for the seventh consecutive time in his career; he homered in four straight during May 2017. ''(Smyly) actually represents a pretty good matchup for Trout because of the high fastballs, (but) there's really no great matchup against Trout, especially when there's nowhere to put him,'' Texas manager Chris Woodward said. ''I'm going to have nightmares about that guy.'' Story continues Trout is off to a dynamite start after cementing his future in Anaheim with a 12-year, $426.5 million contract before the season. He has reached base in all nine games this season, including four times Saturday while boosting his on-base percentage to .553 and his OPS to a whopping 1.476. Albert Pujols added his 634th career homer in the seventh for Los Angeles. Pujols' first homer of his 19th big league season was his 3,089th career hit, tying Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd place in major league history. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had an RBI single in the fifth for the Rangers, who couldn't match the Angels' big hits. Tyler Skaggs (1-1) pitched 6 1/3 innings of five-hit ball in a strong outing for the Angels, earning his first victory since July 25. The left-hander won his third consecutive start against Texas, giving up just two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings. ''Last year didn't end the way I wanted, but I know the caliber of pitcher I am,'' Skaggs said. ''Hopefully this is the first of many (wins) this year.'' Smyly stranded six Angels runners in the first three innings, but Trout's slam chased him. Smyly gave up six hits and three walks in his second start for his new team after two years of recovery following Tommy John surgery. ALBERT AGAIN Pujols connected on the first pitch of the seventh inning by Adrian Sampson. The three-time NL MVP got his 1,984th career RBI, eight behind Babe Ruth for fifth place in baseball history. LEADING OFF David Fletcher had three hits, reached base four times and stole a base in his first game of the season as Los Angeles' leadoff hitter. The spot has been troublesome in recent years for the Angels, but Fletcher is likely to get more chances to claim the role. ''It's tough not to like the things Fletch does,'' manager Brad Ausmus said. TRAINER'S ROOM Rangers: 1B Ronald Guzman left with tightness in his right hamstring after running out his double to the right field wall in the third inning. He will have an MRI exam before Texas decides whether to recall a player from the minors for Sunday's game. ''Hopefully it's just tightness,'' Woodward said. ''But it didn't look very good.'' Angels: Kole Calhoun ran into the right field wall while attempting to catch Guzman's double, but he stayed in the game after a long consultation with LA's training staff. Calhoun then left in the seventh after striking out three times. UP NEXT Late-spring acquisition Chris Stratton (0-1, 8.31 ERA) makes his Angel Stadium debut after getting raked by Seattle in his first appearance for the Halos. Shelby Miller (0-0, 4.91 ERA) will make his second start for the Rangers in the finale of the four-game series. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>
ANAHEIM, Calif. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Mike Trout hit a grand slam for his fourth homer in three days, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 on Saturday for their first back-to-back victories of the season. Trout’s 458-foot blast in the fourth inning off Drew Smyly (0-1) cleared the bullpens beyond the left field fence at Angel Stadium. After homering in the Halos’ home opener Thursday and adding two more Friday, Trout delivered the biggest blow yet with his fifth career grand slam, his first since 2015. Albert Pujols added his 634th career homer in the seventh for Los Angeles. Pujols’ first homer of his 19th big league season was his 3,089th career hit, tying Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd place in major league history. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had an RBI single in the fifth for the Rangers, who couldn’t match the Angels’ big hits. Trout is off to a dynamite start after cementing his future in Anaheim with a 12-year, $426.5 million contract before the season. He has reached base in all nine games this season, including four times Saturday while boosting his average to .385. Tyler Skaggs (1-1) pitched 6 1/3 innings of five-hit ball in a strong outing for the Angels. The left-hander won his third consecutive start against Texas, giving up just two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings. Smyly stranded six Angels runners in the first three innings, but Trout cleared the bases in the fourth on a high fastball after Peter Bourjos beat out an infield single to start the rally. Trout has homered in three straight games for the seventh consecutive time in his career. He homered in four straight during May 2017. Trout’s slam chased Smyly, who gave up six hits and three walks in his second start for his new team after two years of recovery following Tommy John surgery. Pujols connected on the first pitch of the seventh inning by Adrian Sampson. He got his 1,984th career RBI, eight behind Babe Ruth for fifth place in baseball history. David Fletcher had three hits, reached base four times and stole a base in his first game of the season as the Angels’ leadoff hitter. (© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)