With a lineup that includes elite power hitters Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton (five homers, .216 batting average and 12 runs batted in), Mike Trout (eight homers, 29 RBIs and a .278 average) and Mark Trumbo, the team has floundered primarily because their starting pitching and bullpen have been mostly ineffective, and they’re missing their ace, Jered Weaver (0-1 with a 4.91 earned-run average) who broke his left elbow in April.

C.J. Wilson (3-3 with a 3.72 ERA) and Jason Vargas (3-3 and a 3.55 ERA), who tossed seven shutout innings in Sunday’s 6-2 victory, have been solid, but the Halos let Ervin Santana sign with the Kansas City Royals, and Dan Haren ink a deal with the Washington Nationals.

Now rumors have been swirling about Manager Mike Scioscia’s future, but owner Arte Moreno recently said the skipper’s job is safe.

If the Angels fail to make the playoffs it will be the fourth consecutive season, and having a $128 million payroll makes matters even worse.

Scioscia has been at his job in Anaheim for 14 years, the longest currently in the big leagues, and has led the Angels to a World Series title in 2002.

The Angels scored a pair of runs in the third inning on Erick Aybar’s double on Sunday, led 4-0 in the fourth after Chris Iannetta and Aybar each walked with the bases filled, and Howie Kendrick’s two-run double in the eighth closed the deal.

In Saturday’s 12-9 slugfest, the Angels rallied after being down 4-0 with Trumbo belting his team-leading 10th homer in the fourth, J.B. Shuck walking with the bases jammed, and Aybar getting a sacrifice fly.

The Angels forged a 5-4 lead in the fifth when Trumbo, who has 29 RBIs with a .271 batting average, added a run-scoring double, and Alberto Callaspo lifting a scoring fly.

Callaspo’s three-run homer and Shuck’s two-run double in the seventh made it 10-4, but the White Sox came within one run after Paul Konerko’s run-scoring hit, Dayan Viciedo’s run-scoring single, and Hector Gimenez’s three-run shot to right in the eighth.

It became a three-run cushion on Kendrick’s run-producing double and Callaspo’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Chris Sale (5-2) dominated the Angels in Friday’s 3-0 whitewash as the left-hander struck out 12, walked three and allowed three hits in seven and two-third innings.

Alex Rios cracked a solo homer (10th) in the first inning, Conor Gillaspie had an RBI single in the seventh, and Adam Dunn a solo blast in the ninth.

The Angels dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker on Thursday as Rios hit a solo home run, Dunn, who doubled and singled added an RBI with a run, and Jeff Keppinger drove in two runs.

Four Chicago hurlers limited the Angels to seven hits including Pujols, who has 25 RBIs with a .241 batting average, ripping his seventh homer, a two-run drive in the fourth.

Jerome Williams pitched well enough, toiling six innings, giving up five hits with two runs (earned) and three strikeouts with no walks.

Kendrick’s two-run double in the sixth inning gave the Halos a 4-2 lead, but it wasn’t enough.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

In Sunday’s 5-2 drubbing, the Dodgers managed three hits, and Kenley Jansen (1-3) took the loss, retiring one batter during the Tribe’s four-run, eighth inning.

The Dodgers led 1-0 in the first inning on Adrian Gonzalez’s infield hit, and his sacrifice fly in the third inning made it 2-0.

Another eighth-inning rally gave the Braves a 3-1 victory on Saturday as pinch-hitter Evan Gattis deposited Jansen’s fastball for a two-run homer, and Andrelton Simmons followed with a solo shot.

The Boys in Blue moved in front 1-0 in the fourth on Skip Schumaker’s double to left.

Chris Capuano’s seven and one-third innings with five hits, one run (earned), five strikeouts and no walks were wasted.

Justin Upton drove in five runs, but it was his homer (14th) in the sixth inning with the bases loaded that catapulted the Braves to an 8-5 triumph on Friday as Hyun-Jin Ryu lasted five innings and gave up two runs (earned) with five hits.

Scott Van Slyke (two hits) homered and had two runs batted in with two runs, Nick Punto added two hits, while Dee Gordon, Ryu and Carl Crawford each had an RBI.

Zack Greinke (2-0) returned from the disabled list and scattered five hits with one run (earned) in five and one-third frames as the Dodgers stymied Washington, 3-1, at the Stadium on Wednesday.

Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier all had two hits, Gonzalez an RBI, while Kemp scored two runs and Ethier one.

Clayton Kershaw (4-2) held the Nationals to five hits, no runs with 11 strikeouts and one walk across eight and two-third innings as the Dodgers sailed to a 2-0 verdict on Tuesday.

The Dodgers pulled ahead 2-0 on Ethier’s third-inning single off Dan Haren (4-4), who went seven innings.

Jordan Zimmerman (7-1) was masterful over seven and two-third innings on Monday as the Nationals walked away with a 6-2 decision.

Zimmerman allowed nine hits and two runs (earned), fanning five and walking none, while Ryan Zimmerman had three RBIs and Adam LaRoche two RBIs.

Crawford and Gonzalez each finished with two hits, while Kemp and Schumaker each drove in a run.

Bryce Harper has been written and talked about for nearly four years, which is astounding since he’s only 20-years-old, and hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface of his extraordinary talent.

For every Joe Charboneau, who won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1980 after swatting 23 homers with 87 runs batted in for the Cleveland Indians, but was washed up after three seasons and closed out his career with 29 homers and 114 RBIs.

Then there’s Bob Horner, who captured the National League Rookie of the Year trophy in 1978 with the Atlanta Braves after belting 23 homers with 63 RBI, but played 10 seasons and finished with 218 home runs and 685 RBIs.

Who knows how Harper’s career will end, but it doesn’t seem fair to compare him to someone like the New York Yankees’ all-time great Mickey Mantle.

A switch-hitter, Mantle also entered the big leagues at 19, and had the same ability to launch majestic home runs deep into the upper deck.

So it wasn’t too surprising that Harper, an outfielder with amazing foot speed, became the youngest position player to participate in an All-Star Game, and at the pace he’s on should make a second appearance when the New York Mets’ Citi Field hosts the event in July.

Even before Harper signed a big-league contract with the Washington Nationals, the club that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2010, he was well known.

While only 16, and playing for Las Vegas High, Sports Illustrated’s national baseball writer Tom Verducci profiled the left-handed hitting Harper with the splashy headline: “Baseball’s Chosen One.”

Verducci’s lengthy article raved about Harper crushing a baseball 570 feet, and throwing a fastball at 96 miles per hour.

It was other worldly, but these things actually happened, and once they became public every big-league scout was in Harper’s backyard.

Harper spent only 130 games in the minor leagues, socking 18 home runs with 61 RBIs before making his major league debut on April 28, 2012. In time, he became the NL Rookie of the Year after batting .270 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs and 98 runs scored.

So far, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Harper is off to another splendid season. Though he sat out two of three games this past weekend against the visiting Chicago Cubs, Harper’s second in the Senior Circuit with 10 home runs, third in slugging percentage at .619, has driven in 21 runs, scored 22 runs, and is batting .297.

Beside Harper, the Nationals’ lineup is dotted with young stars like third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg, along with veteran talent such as outfielder Jayson Werth and pitcher Dan Haren.

The Nationals are 20-17 for second place in the NL East and one game behind the Braves, but were favored by many to claim the division.

In 2012, the Nationals made the playoffs, but were taken out in the Divisional Series by the St. Louis Cardinals in five games. With that you can bet Harper and crew want to exact some revenge.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

Mired in an eight-game losing skid, the Blue Crew captured the final two games from Miami including last Sunday’s 5-3 thriller at the Stadium as Scott Van Slyke walloped a solo homer in the second inning, and added a run-scoring hit in the seventh.

The Dodgers, who are in the cellar of the National League West, have been a colossal disappointment given the club’s record-breaking $230 million payroll.

Chris Capuano (1-2) allowed one run (earned), five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in six and one-third innings.

Carl Crawford had two singles, including a run batted in during the seventh, while Andre Ethier delivered a sacrifice fly. Matt Kemp rapped out two singles and now has 1,000 hits.

On Saturday, Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-2) proved his value as he throttled the Marlins over six and two-third frames, yielding five hits and one run (earned) as the Dodgers won, 7-1.

Skip Schumaker had run-scoring hits in the second and fifth inning, a run-producing fielder’s choice in the third, and he scored on a passed ball in the seventh.

Dee Gordon’s solo homer in the third inning gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, Juan Uribe had a scoring fly in the fifth, and added an infield hit in the seventh. Ethier contributed four hits with three runs tallied.

The Marlins edged the Dodgers, 5-4, on Friday as hard-throwing Jose Fernandez (2-2) fanned seven, walked two, gave up eight hits and three runs (earned) over six innings.

Adrian Gonzalez cracked a three-run blast in the first, but Derek Dietrich’s three-run drive in the fourth tied it. One-time Dodger Juan Pierre (two hits) had an RBI in the seventh.

Paul Goldschmidt’s solo smash in the eighth inning was the game-winner as visiting Arizona prevailed, 3-2, on Wednesday.

In the sixth, Goldschmidt’s two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw knotted it at 2-2, erasing run-scoring doubles by Gonzalez and Nick Punto in the fourth inning.

The Diamondbacks clipped the Dodgers, 5-3, on Tuesday behind Goldschmidt’s three RBIs, while Punto (two hits and a run) drove in two, and Kemp (two hits) scored a run.

Goldschmidt (four hits) had three RBIs with a run in Monday’s 9-2 pasting of the Dodgers, and Trevor Cahill (2-3) held the Boys of Summer to six hits and two runs (earned) in seven innings.

In a virtuoso performance, Mayweather, the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world exhibited no rust after being out of the ring for a year as he retained his World Boxing Council welterweight belt and added the vacant Ring Magazine title with a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero.

What the 15,880 fans in attendance saw was Mayweather landing right hand leads throughout, and Guerrero scoring in the first and second rounds, but after that was hard-pressed to muster much of an offensive assault.

By the end of the third round, Mayweather had taken over in terms of tempo and solving Guerrero, eventually opening up an ugly cut above the challenger’s eye in the eighth round.

Mayweather’s trademark hand and foot speed were on display, and even when he was backed up against the ropes, quickly evaded trouble.

The final punch stat numbers all favored the 36-year-old Mayweather, who signed a six-fight, $200 million deal with Showtime/CBS.

“Guerrero’s a warrior,’’ said Mayweather, a five-division world champion with eight world titles and is 44-0 with 26 knockouts. “He’s a true champion.”

Afterward Mayweather was asked if he was going for the kayo. “I hurt my right hand midway through the fight,’’ he said. “I’m a little disappointed. I was looking for the knockout, but I couldn’t because I hurt my hand.”

Much of the bout was contested in the middle of the ring with Mayweather getting off clean punches with ease and escaping the majority of Guerrero’s attack.

Mayweather’s domination was apparent whether tossing jabs, power punches or total shots and they swayed Judges Duane Ford, Julie Lederman and Jerry Roth, as all three scored the fight, 117-111.

Guerrero (31-2-1 with 18 KO’s) was game, but couldn’t solve the riddle that is Mayweather, who landed 60 percent of his power punches.

“Floyd’s a great fighter and that’s why he’s undefeated,’’ said Guerrero, who connected on 28 percent of his power tosses. “I hurt him a few times, but he’s so slippery. He’s better than I thought.”

By the eighth round, Mayweather’s accuracy bloodied Guerrero’s face and it looked at one point the champ was on the verge of decking the 30-year-old, landing 23 of 30 power shots.

The next four rounds were more of the same as Mayweather came in and had his way with the over-matched Guerrero.

Over the first two rounds, the pair stood toe-to-toe, and each had their moments, but the tide turned in the third round as Mayweather, who located 41 percent of his total punches to 19 percent for Guerrero, caught his stride and began to pepper him at will.

The instances when Guerrero shined were brief, and he became frustrated as the fight continued because Mayweather stood right in front and dared him to find the target, which he couldn’t.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

In Sunday’s 4-3 loss, Matt Cain (1-2) held the Blue Crew to five hits in seven and one-third innings, allowing one run (earned) with four strikeouts and three walks.

Hunter Pence drove in four with a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the first inning, a run-scoring double in the third inning, and a two-run double in the fifth.

The Dodgers rallied for three runs in the eighth inning when Adrian Gonzalez drove in two with a single, and Dee Gordon added a run-scoring infield hit.

In a frustrating setback on Saturday, the Dodgers battled back from a 5-0 deficit only to see the Giants prevail, 10-9, on a 10th inning homer by Guillermo Quiroz.

The Giants tallied three runs in the first inning on Buster Posey’s two-run double and Gregor Blanco’s run-scoring single, and it became 5-0 in the second inning after Marco Scutaro scored on a wild pitch and Blanco’s sacrifice fly.

A.J. Ellis’ homer in the fourth reduced the margin to 5-1, and Blanco’s force out in the bottom of the inning made it 6-1.

Matt Kemp’s two-run single, Skip Schumaker’s run-scoring hit, Juan Uribe’s single for a run batted in, Gordon’s two-run triple and Nick Punto’s RBI double in the fifth gave the Dodgers an 8-6 lead, but Andres Torres got the Giants within one run with a solo blast in the home half of the frame.

Posey tied it at 8-8 in the sixth on a wild pitch, Carl Crawford’s RBI grounder in the seventh gave the Dodgers a 9-8 edge, but Pablo Sandoval’s scoring fly knotted it in the seventh.

Posey’s ninth-inning solo shot pushed San Francisco to a 2-1 victory on Friday, after he drove in the Giants’ initial run with a double in the sixth, while Punto (two hits) had an RBI for the Dodgers’ only run in the fifth inning.

Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer all had two hits with two RBIs and a run scored as Colorado drilled the host Dodgers 7-2 on Wednesday.

Jerry Hairston Jr. (three hits) tallied two runs and drove in a run for the Dodgers, who ripped the Rockies 6-2 on Tuesday.

Colorado had 19 hits, including three from Wilin Rosario (three runs and three RBIs), led 10-0 after four innings, and cruised to a 12-2 pasting on Monday.

Long regarded as one of the best at his trade, if the 68-year-old Tigers’ head man is able to coax his club to the ultimate prize, it will make an incredible story for a man whose 22-year career has included being named Manager of the Year three times.

And though it’s still early, this past weekend at Comerica Park the Tigers (13-10) looked like World Series contenders, taking three inter-league matches from the Atlanta Braves (15-9).

That the Tigers dominated this short series, outscoring the Braves, 25-7, emphasized that pitching ace Justin Verlander (2-2 with a 1.95 earned-run average) didn’t take the mound.

Detroit smacked three homers in its 8-3 triumph on Sunday, with the key blow Miguel Cabrera’s three-run shot in the seventh. In that same frame, Omar Infante hit a solo homer.

Austin Jackson’s three-run dinger in the third inning set the rout in motion, but not before the Braves countered with a three-run, fourth inning as Chris Johnson had a run batted in double, Evan Gattis an RBI single, and Dan Uggla a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

In the sixth, Detroit pulled ahead on a scoring fly from Victor Martinez, and the Braves had no answer for Doug Fister (4-0), who limited the Braves to six hits and three runs (earned) in seven innings, striking out eight and walking none.

In the middle game on Saturday, a 7-4 win, Detroit’s Rick Porcello (1-2), who was pushed around by the Angels for nine runs and nine hits in two-thirds of an inning a week earlier, bounced back with a stellar showing.

Porcello set down the Braves in order during the first, second, fifth and sixth innings, and worked six and one-third frames with five hits, three runs (earned), walking two and fanning five.

Porcello allowed a bases-loaded walk to Uggla in the third, gave up a run-scoring fielder’s choice to Justin Upton, and a run-scoring single to Freddie Freeman that gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead, which nullified Jhonny Peralta’s two-run dinger in the second.

The Tigers tied it at 3-3 with a run in the third as Cabrera’s infield hit drove in Jackson, who singled with one out.

Detroit tallied two runs in the fourth inning when Alex Avila worked an eight-pitch walk, and Infante drove him in with a homer.

When Don Kelly led off the eighth with a double, he scored on Infante’s one-out double, and Cabrera’s two-out single plated another run.

Upton’s major-league leading 12th homer, a two-out solo drive in the eighth cut the Tigers’ advantage to one run.

The opener on Friday belonged to pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who set a Tigers’ record with 17 strikeouts as Detroit romped to a 10-0 victory.

Sanchez (3-1), a hard-throwing right-hander, used 121 pitches over eight innngs and yielded five hits with one walk, and was backed by a 15-hit attack that included a grand slam from Matt Tuiasosopo during a six-run, fourth inning.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

Crawford, who is batting .307, hit solo shots in the first and fifth inning, while Clayton Kershaw (3-2) tossed a shutout for eight innings, striking out 12 with no walks and four hits for the Blue Crew (12-12).

Matt Magill’s big-league debut was impressive, but the bullpen faltered as Carlos Gomez swatted a two-run homer in the seventh inning as the Brewers held on for a 6-4 decision on Saturday.

Magill went six and two-third innings, fanning seven and walking two, allowing four hits and two runs (earned).

Andre Ethier hit a solo shot in the eighth inning, while A.J. Ellis and Luis Cruz each drove in a run.

In Friday’s 7-5 win by the Dodgers, Adrian Gonzalez (two hits) cracked a two-run double in the seventh.

The Dodgers led 1-0 in the first inning on Ethier’s single, and it became 2-0 after Crawford homered in the third.

Ryan Braun belted a solo smash for Milwaukee in the fourth, and Yuniesky Betancourt added a two-run blast in the fifth inning to make it 3-2.

Gonzalez’s run-scoring double in the fifth inning plated Crawford and tied it at 3-3.

The Dodgers took two of three games from the New York Mets at Citi Field including Thursday’s 3-2 gem by Hyun-Jin Ryu, who gave up three hits in seven innings, with three walks, eight strikeouts and one run (earned).

Matt Kemp (two hits), Ethier and Juan Uribe all delivered a run batted in for the Dodgers, who managed six hits off four New York pitchers.

Kemp (three RBIs) had a two-run homer in the sixth inning, but the Mets rallied for a 7-3 win on Wednesday as Jordany Valdespin launched a grand slam to right field in the 10th.

Mark Ellis (four hits) clubbed two homers, scored twice and had four RBIs in the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory on Tuesday against the Mets.

Kemp (two hits), Ethier (one run) and A.J. Ellis (two RBIs) all doubled, while Justin Sellers (three hits) had an RBI and a run scored.

Kershaw lasted five innings, striking out five with four walks, surrendering three hits and two runs (earned).

But in the blink of an eye, the Angels’ bats awoke and the pitching came around as they swept the Tigers, who some have touted will represent the American League in the World Series.

Mark Trumbo’s leadoff homer to begin the 13th inning gave the Angels (7-10) a 4-3 victory on Sunday and moved them within four and a half games of the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Detroit’s Austin Jackson hit into a fielder’s choice in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.

Albert Pujols doubled in two runs in the third inning, and the Halos added another run to make it 3-1.

Prince Fielder’s two-run homer to right field in the fifth tied it at 3-3 before Trumbo’s late-inning heroics.

A 33-minute, nine-run, first inning on Saturday set the table for a 10-0 shellacking by the Angels of the Tigers.

In that frame, 13 batters came up and 10 reached base via a hit, and the biggest was Mike Trout’s booming grand slam to center field, which was the first of his career.

The beneficiary was Garrett Richards, who went seven innings, allowing two hits with no walks, and he retired the side in order in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings.

“We wanted him to pitch like it was a tie game,’’ said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. “Sometimes that’s hard to do because you know you have a big lead. Go out there and get each hitter. Get into a rhythm and throw strikes.”

Richards (1-0) surrendered a single by Fielder to open the second inning, but was left stranded.

Fielder struck out in the fourth, but reached base on a wild pitch. When Richards fanned Victor Martinez, the inning was over.

Detroit’s other threat came in the seventh when Miguel Cabrera opened with a double off the right field wall, but Richards struck out Martinez, which tied his career best in that category with eight.

The Angels capped the rout with a run in the eighth inning on a scoring fly by Peter Bourjos.

In the series opener on Friday, Bourjos tripled and singled twice, drove in three runs and scored a run as the Angels romped to an 8-1 triumph.

Trout and Pujols (three hits) each drove in a pair of runs for the Angels, who led 2-0 after four innings, and then poured it on with a five-run eighth.

Torii Hunter, an Angel outfielder for five seasons, doubled, singled and scored Detroit’s only run in the ninth when Cabrera (three hits) singled.

As a sign of gratitude, Hunter, who was always popular with the fans and media, signed numerous autographs before the game, was given a sustained standing ovation before his first at-bat and was greeted by a sign that read “Thank U Torii’’ when he took his place in right field.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

The Blue Crew’s 7-4 win on Sunday was aided by a four-run, fifth inning as Mark Ellis collected a two-run single, Adrian Gonzalez (two hits) a run-scoring double, and Matt Kemp (three hits) a run-producing single that erased the Orioles’ 4-1 lead.

Nick Markakis had a run batted in single and J.J. Hardy a two-run hit in the first inning that negated a sacrifice fly from Ellis in the third, but Baltimore’s Adam Jones countered with a solo homer in the bottom of the third.

A.J. Ellis had an RBI hit in the seventh, and Jerry Hairston Jr. a scoring fly in the ninth.

Josh Beckett (0-3) started the second game on Saturday, which the Dodgers lost, 6-1, and worked five and two-third innings, allowing eight hits with six runs (earned).

Nick Punto and Hairston Jr. each had two hits for the Dodgers, who scored their run in the first inning on Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly.

Manny Machado (three hits and two runs) had four RBIs that included a run-scoring double in the fifth and a three-run smash in the sixth.

Baltimore captured the first game, 7-5, behind a 10-hit blitz that featured a two-run homer from Hardy in the second, and a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Andre Ethier’s three-run shot in the first inning had the Dodgers pointed in the right direction, and Kemp (three hits) scored a run.

Hyun-Jin Ryu didn’t take the loss and went six innings, yielding eight hits with five runs (earned).

Nolan Reimold belted a solo homer in the fourth and smacked a two-run double in the eighth, while Chris Davis (three hits) tallied three runs.

Clayton Kershaw (2-2) didn’t have his best stuff and gave up seven hits and five runs (three earned) over five and one-third frames with five strikeouts and four walks in a 7-2 setback to the Padres on Wednesday.

Gonzalez (three hits) drove in a run, while A.J. Ellis and Mark Ellis each had two hits.

Alexi Amarista had three hits with four RBIs and Yonder Alonso three hits with two RBIs as the Padres routed the Dodgers, 9-2, on Tuesday.

San Diego’s three-run, second inning helped Eric Stults (2-1), who drove in three runs with a homer, claim a 6-3 win on Monday as he gave up three runs (earned) in six innings.