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Angels put on a power display in 4-2 win over Royals that completes a three-game sweep

Angels outfielder Mike Trout is congratulated upon his return to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Angels outfielder Mike Trout is congratulated upon his return to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

(Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
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Amid a shaky start in which their offense has looked far from formidable, the Angels produced a three-game snapshot suitable for framing this week.

A team that ranked last in the major leagues in runs and second-to-last in home runs and slugging percentage clubbed seven homers and scored 19 runs in a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Mike Trout hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning Wednesday night, Yunel Escobar hit a tie-breaking solo shot in the sixth, and Andrelton Simmons added a solo shot in the seventh in a 4-2 victory over the Royals in Angel Stadium.

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“The quality of our at-bats has really jumped up in this series,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

“Guys are starting to drive the ball, we’re hitting with runners in scoring position, we pressured Kansas City good, and that has to continue.”

The Angels, though, couldn’t fully enjoy the victory.

Closer Huston Street revealed afterward that he suffered a left oblique strain playing catch in the outfield before the game — an injury that was confirmed by an MRI test — and will most likely go on the disabled list. Oblique strains usually sideline pitchers for a month or so.

“It was probably one of my lightest throws of the day,” said Street, who is 1-0 with a 1.17 earned-run average and five saves in nine games. “It was just one of those things where it just kind of happened.

“We’re going to take these next 72 hours to evaluate where we are.”

Left-hander Jose Alvarez helped ease the loss of Street by throwing a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, and setup man Joe Smith, who will move into the closing role, threw a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Starter Nick Tropeano allowed two runs and eight hits in 51/3 innings, striking out six and walking two, to give the Angels a chance.

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He had no answer for Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, who crushed a 442-foot, two-run homer to center in the first, one-hopped the wall in center for a double in the third and lined a single to right in the fifth.

But the right-hander deftly weaved his way through traffic after the first and did not allow another run before departing with one out in the sixth.

The Angels tied the score, 2-2, in the fourth when Rafael Ortega, who is batting .450 (nine for 20) in the last five games, singled to left and Trout drove a two-run homer that traveled 437 feet to center off Royals starter Chris Young.

Trout is batting .429 (12 for 28) with three homers and nine runs batted in over the past eight games.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna

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