Orange County Register

The first time the Angels faced James Shields this season they were totally baffled. The Rays right-hander has one of the best changeups in baseball and he used it to maximum effect, striking out eight Angels and walking none in a one-hit shutout at the Juice Box (Tropicana Field) on May 9.

The Angels seem to have learned something from that. They battered Shields for four runs in the first inning tonight (matching their season-high for runs in the first inning — and already topping their per-game average of the previous 19).

Garret Anderson drove in two with a home run. Howie Kendrick’s double down the third-base line drove in another and Jeff Mathis’ infield single (Rays third baseman Evan Longoria knocked it down with a dive) another. The Angels sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning and six of them got base hits.

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