ANAHEIM, Calif. — Bobby Abreu hit an opposite-field RBI single with two out in the ninth inning, atoning for an error that led to the tying run in the top half, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 Wednesday.
Mike Napoli led off the inning with a double to left-center against Scott Downs (1-4), who retired Maicer Izturis on a grounder to the first base as Napoli took third. After intentionally loading the bases, the Downs got Howie Kendrick to ground into a force at the plate with the infield in.
But Abreu worked the count to 2-2 and slapped the next pitch to left field. The run snapped a scoreless string of 13 2/3 innings by Downs, the longest by a Blue Jays reliever this season.
Joel Pineiro bounced back from one of the worst outings of his career with six innings of two-hit ball and left after six innings with a 5-3 lead after Hideki Matsui's tiebreaking two-run homer.
But the Angels' bad-news bullpen couldn't hold the lead.
Kevin Jepsen gave up a two-out RBI double to Edwin Encarnacion in the seventh, and closer Brian Fuentes (2-1) surrendered a one-out RBI double in the ninth by John Buck on a 2-2 pitch.
The run was unearned because of the error by Abreu, who charged Gonzales' short flyball and dropped it to open the inning.
Pineiro struck out six and walked four, three in the second inning when Toronto scored its first three runs.
The only hits against Pineiro were Buck's two-out infield single up the middle and a two-run single by Jeremy Reed that followed a bases-loaded walk to Encarnacion.
Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow allowed three runs, three hits and four walks while striking out six in five innings. He was replaced by Rommie Lewis, who faced only two batters. Switch-hitting Kendry Morales greeted the rookie left-hander with a single and Matsui drove his sixth home run far back into the right field seats to give the Angels a 5-3 lead.
The Angels cut Toronto's lead to 3-2 in the third with Kendrick's RBI double and Abreu's sacrifice fly, then tied it in the fourth with an RBI double by Michael Ryan, who started in left field because Juan Rivera got the day off after fouling a pitch off his left knee the night before.
Notes
Fuentes' blown save was his third in nine opportunities. … The Blue Jays are 4-for-35 with six walks in bases-loaded situations. … The Blue Jays did not get more than four hits against any of the Angels' starting pitchers in this three-game series, including Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana. … Reed started his second straight game in place of left fielder and leadoff hitter Fred Lewis, still plagued by a bunion on his left foot. … The Blue Jays, who lead the majors with 79 home runs, need five more during their next three games against Baltimore to break the franchise record of 48 homers in a calendar month (June 2000).