Pujols' blast picks up Bedrosian, Angels' win

ANAHEIM – Cam Bedrosian is now officially a closer.

The Angels unhittable phenom, who gradually worked his way from the sixth to the ninth innings on a two-month string of strikeouts and scoreless innings, endured a closer’s rite of passage.

He failed.

Bedrosian’s streak of 25 straight scoreless outings came to an end in a nightmarish ninth inning on Wednesday, although it was easier to swallow because the Angels came back and beat the Oakland A’s 8-6 on Albert Pujols’ homer in the bottom of the inning.

Bedrosian, who became the Angels closer when Huston Street went on the disabled list on Tuesday, inherited a 6-5 lead against the top of the Oakland order.

It was clear quickly that he wasn’t at his best. Although he also didn’t get a couple borderline calls, Bedrosian didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced. The only out was when Max Muncy got thrown out on the bases after Stephen Vogt’s single drove in the tying run. Two straight walks followed the hit and Bedrosian was done, leaving a bases-loaded mess for Mike Morin.

Morin needed just one pitch to Jake Smolinski, who hit a comebacker that Morin parlayed into an inning-ending double play.

The Angels then won it. Trout led off by reaching on an error, thanks to his head first slide into first avoiding a tag after a high throw by third baseman Ryon Healey.

Pujols then blasted a two-run homer, his 21st of the season. It was his 12th career walk-off homer.

The Angels bullpen is clearly in a state of flux in the wake of Street’s injury and Joe Smith’s trade to the Chicago Cubs.

Besides Bedrosian, whose 0.90 ERA coming into the game was evidence of his dominance, the Angels have a cast of middle relievers looking to fill late-inning jobs.

J.C. Ramirez got a crack at the eighth on Tuesday, and he gave up a two-run homer. Feando Salas pitched the eighth on Wednesday, and worked into a bases-loaded jam before he was pulled.

Deolis Guerra, who pitched the seventh on Wednesday, worked a tidy inning. After he gave up a leadoff double, he retired three in a row, including two straight strikeouts to end it.

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Before the late bullpen drama, Jered Weaver was in line for a victory on a night that he managed his third quality start in the past five outings. Weaver gave up four runs in six innings, but only three were eaed.

In the third, he gave up an uneaed run when the Angels failed to covert outs on two balls that hit gloves in the infield. Weaver himself couldn’t handle a comebacker that was ruled an infield hit by Muncy. Then Yunel Escobar flat-out booted a grounder by Vogt, a two-out error that allowed an uneaed run.

In the fourth, Mike Trout raced into the gap to try to grab Healey’s two-out drive. He got a glove on it, but it ticked off for a two-run double.

Weaver bounced back to add two scoreless innings, though, and he was in line for the victory thanks to an Angels offense that had a good day against Kendall Graveman.

The Angels scored single runs in second and third innings, each time answering the A’s runs in the top of the innings.

In the fourth, Jefry Marte and Pennington hit solo homers to tie the game at 4.

Trout led off the fifth with a broken bat single, and then he scored on Albert Pujols’ double into right field. Pujols came around on two grounders to give the Angels a 6-4 lead.

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