By MATT PIKE
Los Angeles Angels Walbert Ureña pitched six innings of one-run ball and the Los Angeles Angels extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium.
The Cardinals were unable to answer the five run first inning from Los Angeles as the Angels banged out five of their 10 hits in the first frame. Jorge Soler hit a two-run double, scoring Mike Trout and Nolan Schanuel, and Jo Adell added a two-run home run, driving in Vaugh Grissom after Grissom hit an RBI single to score Soler, for the Angels, who have their longest winning streak since a four-game run from June 9th to the 13th.
Ureña, who improve to 6-7 with the win, allowed up six hits, struck out five and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.78 for the season and 2.49 in 14 starts since May 1st. Making his first start since the All-Star break, the rookie right-hander threw 16 pitches of 100 mph or more, including hitting a season-high 101.5-mph sinker to Jordan Walker, in the first. He had thrown 16 pitches of 100 mph or more total in 81.1 innings of his first 17 games.
St. Louis, which has now lost 10 of its last 14 games, scored its only run on JJ Wetherholt’s RBI fielder’s-choice grounder in the fifth inning that scored Blaze Jordan. Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore, now 5-7 on the season with the loss, recovered from the rocky first inning and held the Angels to four hits over the next 4.1 innings, throwing 5.1 innings total and giving up five runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
At the plate, Alec Burleson led the way going 3-for-4. Weterholt was 0-for-4 with an RBI.
St. Louis and Los Angeles wrap up their series tomorrow. Hunter Dobbins (1-1, 4.03 ERA, 23K's) will start for the Cardinals against Reid Detmers (3-6, 4.16 ERA, 130K's) for the Angels. First pitch will be at 3:05pm, coverage begins at 2:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).
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