Trout hits 19th homer, flirts with cycle in loss

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout launched his MLB lead-tying 19th homer of the season in the first inning against the Rangers on Saturday. He added a triple and a single and finished a double short of a cycle in the Angels' 3-2 loss.
"I got some pitches to hit and didn't miss them," Trout said. "I was seeing the ball pretty good, just putting good swings on balls."
Rangers starter Cole Hamels offered Trout exclusively four-seam fastballs during the first-inning at-bat, and after taking the first three, the two-time MVP launched a solo shot 418 feet to left field at an exit velocity of 105 mph, per Statcast™.
Trout hit a standup triple in his second at-bat in the third inning, a ball that deflected off left fielder Joey Gallo's glove and rolled along the warning track. He singled in his third at-bat in the sixth, then stole second, making a nice swim-move slide. He was awarded the steal after a review.

Trout popped out in his fourth at-bat and flied out to center in the 10th to end the game.
"It popped into my head after I got the single," said Trout on whether he was thinking about the cycle. "Other than that, I was just trying to get on base those last few at-bats."
In addition to homers, Trout leads the league in walks and on-base percentage, and is well on his way to a career high in WAR. He is also second in slugging percentage and second in OPS, while his steal in the sixth put him in a tie for fourth in stolen bases with 13.
Trout is hitting .405 (17-for-42) with five homers, six doubles, a triple and nine RBIs over his last 11 games.
"Biggest thing, for me, is if I get my foot down and recognize the pitch early," Trout said. "That sets my swing up."
His homer was his seventh in his past 15 games, and his 19 homers in the Angels' first 59 games is a club record. On the triple, he passed Bobby Grich for 8th all-time in Angels history with 1,104 hits. His 37 extra-base hits tied Troy Glaus (2000) for most in franchise history through the Angels' first 59 games.