Griffin a winner as Rangers beat Angels 7-3

A.J. Griffin allowed three runs in six innings Friday in his first start since 2013, and the Texas Rangers’ offense had its best game of the season in a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

The win was the Rangers’ first since Opening Day, and it snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Rangers posted season-highs in runs and hits (10), the biggest of which was a two-run homer by Rougned Odor.　

Hitting: The Rangers started fast, as their first five hitters reached and the first three scored. Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland drove in runs, but Beltre and Moreland were stranded and second and third with no outs. ... Odor collected his first homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third after Ian Desmond walked. ... Delino DeShields singled to start the fourth, his first hit of the season after an 0-for-10 start, and went to third two batters later on a wild pitch. The next pitch was also wild, allowing DeShields to score his second run of the game. ... DeShields also singled to start the eighth.　

Pitching: A.J. Griffin posted a quality start in his first outing since Sept. 24, 2013, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings. After a scoreless first, the Angels scored once in each of the next three innings. Griffin saved his best for last, retiring the final eight batters he faced on 27 pitches. He was lifted after throwing 88 pitches. ... Tom Wilhelmsen got nifty defensive plays from Ian Desmond and Rougned Odor in a scoreless seventh, and he returned to get the first two outs in the eighth before issuing a walk, a single and a walk to consecutive batters. ... Tony Barnette entered with the bases loaded to face the potential tying run in Carlos Perez, who got ahead in the count 3-1 before lining out to center on a 3-2 pitch. ... Jake Diekman worked the ninth on a night when three relievers were rested.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 12:38 AM with the headline "Griffin a winner as Rangers beat Angels 7-3."