TORONTO - The Angels have learned to take a punch.
After watching an early lead disappear, absorbing a questionable call on a violent play at the plate and surviving the home team's two-a-day dose of home run power the Angels did something Sunday they couldn't do early in the season. They bounced back, scored seven times in the final two innings and beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-6, to gain a split of their four-game series.
"That's the thing, we played 27 outs today," Angels first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Sometimes you struggle. But believe me, I knew what we were showing in April wasn't the team we had to come."
Sunday's comeback even showed the Angels manager something.
"These guys showed a lot of character as the game went on and some things obviously didn't go our way," Mike Scioscia said. "(Blue Jays catcher J.P.) Arencibia's home run was big to tie it for them (in the seventh inning). We just kept playing baseball.
"If your premise is (it was) a tight game at the end, were we winning those games in April? I think we're much better aligned to compete in late innings than we were in April for a number of reasons.
The offense has obviously come to life and we have some arms that can come in and make some pitches."
During those dark days when they were being shut out eight times in the first 36 games, the Angels scored as many runs in a full game as they did in the final two innings Sunday just four times. And they rallied in the late innings not at all.
"I don't know if it goes the other way but we're definitely in position to do more damage now," said Mark Trumbo when asked if Sunday's game would have been a loss in the first five weeks of the season. "It's hard to speculate. But, yeah, we're a much more complete team now."
The Angels are now a team complete with four All-Stars including two first-timers (Trumbo and rookie outfielder Mike Trout) who keyed Sunday's rally. It was Trout's leadoff home run in the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie and Trumbo's two-run home run three batters later that started the late-game breakout.
"That was obviously a momentum changer," Scioscia said of Arencibia's tying home run in the seventh, one of eight the Blue Jays hit in the series, producing 17 runs in four games.
"But Mike came right back. There's no doubt there was some momentum shifts in that game."
There was also some sloppy defense (six errors in all) and one big collision.
Angels starter C.J. Wilson was not at his best and ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth. With the Angels leading, 3-0, he loaded the bases on two walks and a single for major league home run leader Jose Bautista. Wilson got Bautista to hit a ground ball to second baseman Howie Kendrick that looked like a momentum-changing double play. But Kendrick misplayed the ball and it bounced off him into center field.
One run scored and Brett Lawrie barreled through a stop sign at third, trying to score as well. Catcher John Hester moved across the plate to the left side to handle the relay throw from shortstop Erick Aybar. Lawrie changed course to find him and threw his right forearm into Hester's jaw, stumbling across the plate as Hester tumbled over. Even though umpire James Hoye already hqad called him safe, Lawrie scrambled back to touch the plate and was called safe again.
"I don't think I've seen that before — where the catcher held onto the ball and the guy is still called safe — and I'm not sure if you'll see it again," Hester said. "I knew I was going to get hit. How and where, I can't tell you. I'm more upset about the call than him taking me out."
Scioscia was upset enough for both of them. He exploded out of the dugout to argue the call and was ejected from the game, crew chief Tom Hallion stepping between Scioscia and Hoye at one point.
"I've never seen in 35 years a catcher get bowled over at the plate, hold the ball and the runner be called safe. I've never seen it," Scioscia said. "It was clear that there was a glove on him somewhere in the collision. And it was clear he didn't touch the plate because he went back to tag the plate.
"It was a hard baseball play. I think Lawrie sensed the timing was against him. He's a competitor. He's going to try to dislodge the ball and try to be safe. John held in there. John got the tag on him and obviously we didn't get the call."
LaTroy Hawkins replaced Wilson and worked out of the jam with Torii Hunter making one of two key defensive plays, gunning down Colby Rasmus when Rasmus tried to tag up and tie the game on a fly to right. Two innings later, Hunter made a diving catch on a sinking line drive in right field.
By then, the offense was in the process of taking control of the game for the Angels.
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