LA Angels 6, Texas Rangers 1

Rangers run into a brick wall in first game against division rivals.

The Texas Rangers could get nothing going Friday night at Angel Stadium, losing 6-1 to the LA Angels. The loss dropped Texas to 55-37, now just five games ahead of the Angels for first place in the AL West. Los Angeles improved to 51-43.

Photo not provided by the LA Angels, Texas Rangers

The Angels could only point and laugh at the Rangers limp and flaccid offense.

Angels starter Jered Weaver was stellar, allowing just one run on six hits over seven innings. Weaver, who walked just one while striking out four, won his seventh straight decision and sixth straight start, and now stands at 12-1 on the season with a 2.20 ERA. Weaver's major league-leading home ERA rose slightly, from 0.58 to an unsightly 0.67.

Rangers starter Derek Holland was not as fortunate, giving up six runs on nine hits over six-plus innings. Holland, in just his second start since begin activated off the disabled list, did not register a single strikeout, and fell to 6-5 on the year.

Texas opened up the scoring in the top of the first when Elvis Andrus hit just his second home run of the year, a one-out solo blast that made it 1-0.

LA struck back in the bottom of the inning, however, when leadoff hitter Mike Trout singled, advanced to second on Albert Pujols' single, then scored on Howie Kendrick's RBI double to tie it at 1-1. Pujols was thrown out at home to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kendrick drove in Pujols on a fielder's choice groundout, then scored along with Alberto Callaspo on Erick Aybar's two-run double to make it 4-1 Angels. Trout and Mark Trumbo hit solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings to cap the scoring.