EditorsNote: rewords next-to-last graf
Albert Pujols drove in three runs, and left-hander Dillon Peters pitched six solid innings to help the Los Angeles Angels post a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Pujols went 2-for-4 to raise his career hit total to 3,168 and surpass fellow Dominican Republic native Adrian Beltre (3,166) for most among players born outside the United States.
Pujols had a two-run single in the eighth to give the Angels a 6-3 lead as they avoided a three-game sweep and won for just the fifth time in the past 19 contests.
Peters (3-1) gave up two runs and four hits during a 94-pitch effort. He struck out six and walked one.
Pirates right-hander Chris Archer (3-9) struck out 10 in five innings but saw his winless stretch reach 12 starts. Archer gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks.
Pittsburgh is 6-25 since the All-Star break.
Pujols' first hit -- which snapped the tie with Beltre -- was a run-scoring single during a four-run, fourth-inning uprising. Luis Rengifo delivered a run-scoring double later in the frame and scooted all the way around the bases due to a misplay by Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds.
Peters didn't start off well, as he walked Kevin Newman and hit both Reynolds and Starling Marte to load the bases. Newman scored as Josh Bell grounded into a double play, and Melky Cabrera singled to right to make it 2-0.
Mike Trout walked to start the Angels' fourth, and he stole second with two outs. Pujols followed with the historic single through the right side of the infield to score Trout.
Pujols moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on David Fletcher's double to deep left-center. Rengifo added his hit to left to score Fletcher, and the charging Reynolds failed to field the ball. It rolled to the fence as Rengifo circled the bases.
Pittsburgh had runners on first and third with no outs in the seventh, but right-hander Ty Buttrey induced Erik Gonzalez to hit into a double play. Elias Diaz scored on the play to pull the Pirates within 4-3.
Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani and Kole Calhoun opened the eighth with singles off right-hander Geoff Hartlieb, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
With the infield playing in, Pujols squirted a grounder past the dive of shortstop Newman and into center field to drive in two. Rengifo added a run-scoring single later in the inning to make it 7-3.
Diaz had an RBI single in the ninth for the Pirates.
--Field Level Media
