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C.J. Cron powers Angels past Rays, 13-5

Angels first baseman C.J. Cron is greeted by third base coach Ron Roenicke after hitting the first of two home runs against Tampa Bay.
(Brian Blanco / Getty Images)
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Tim Lincecum’s debut as an Angel yielded positive results. His subsequent starts have not. For the third consecutive outing, Lincecum could not finish five innings Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

The Angels amassed a bevy of baserunners and secured a 13-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, but Lincecum was discouraged by his progress.

“I’m not really where I want to be,” he said. “I didn’t see this happening, or see myself here. I thought I would have ironed out some things by now, but this is part of the game. I gotta find a way out of it.”

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The Angels’ defenders did not aid the 32-year-old right-hander’s chances. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons made an errant throw in the first inning to allow a run in, and, in the third inning, Kole Calhoun and Shane Robinson let an outfield fly land in between them for a triple. Another run soon scored because of their mishap.

Lincecum felt his elaborate mechanics were right about 65% of the time. He was particularly annoyed with his inability to place his fastball within the strike zone and especially encouraged by the handful of great pitches he threw to elicit strikeouts.

Lincecum struck out six and walked one. He yielded a solo home run to Logan Morrison and allowed the Rays to rally with two outs in the fifth inning. He hit Brandon Guyer with a pitch, permitted a double to Corey Dickerson, and then allowed a two-run single to Nick Franklin that ended his night.

He threw 105 pitches, more than a dozen a direct result of the Angels’ poor defensive play. In relief, right-hander Deolis Guerra continued his unexpected run of elite pitching, recording four outs without permitting a baserunner. He has faced 91 major league hitters this season and walked none of them, striking out 18 and recording a 2.22 earned-run average.

Joe Smith handled the seventh and Cam Bedrosian the eighth, signaling a switch in their roles. At least temporarily, Bedrosian seems to have usurped Smith’s setup spot. Recently activated from the disabled list, Smith has not yet felt right on the mound, unable to recapture his exact release point.

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The Angels piled on the offense. They scored four runs in the second inning, three in the sixth and sixth in the ninth for extra measure. Six men reached base at least twice. C.J. Cron, continuing a hot streak he believes started during early batting practice Friday in Boston, belted two home runs. Simmons, similarly scorching, finished a homer short of a cycle.

Robinson exited in the ninth after he was hit by a pitch, spraining his ankle as he led off from first base. Mike Trout replaced him and promptly scored. The Angels are likely to recall an additional outfielder for Wednesday’s game, because they lost left fielder Daniel Nava to injury, too. He was replaced by Jefry Marte after working a walk in the sixth inning, the patellar tendinitis that cost him three weeks earlier this season flaring up on Tropicana Field’s artificial grass.

“This turf is just like truth serum,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s going to tell you whatever aches and pains you have.”

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura

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