Angels bullpen lifts Hendricks to 100th career win

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels bullpen did what it couldn't do during the last game of its road trip in Boston – protect the lead.

The trio of Ryan Zeferjahn, Reid Detmers and Kenley Jansen pitched three shutout innings in the Angels' 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners Friday at Angel Stadium.

Just two days ago, the Angels bullpen surrendered a walk-off home run to the Boston Red Sox in a loss, but Zeferjahn, Detmers and Jansen were not available to pitch in that game.

Zeferjahn pitched a perfect seventh inning, Detmers struck out two in the eighth and Jansen picked up his 13th save of the season.

The bullpen's performance gave starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks his 100th career win despite a rocky outing on the mound. Hendricks got through six innings for the Angels but wasn't fooling any of the Mariners' hitters. Hendricks allowed four earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts, two walks and just four whiffs.

"It's one of those things that when you're done playing and look back, it will mean a lot," Hendricks said. "In the heat of the moment, it was a huge team win. Great team win tonight...that's the focus."

Angels manager Ron Washington gathered the team after the game to celebrate the milestone win for Hendricks and Jansen gave him the ball from the final out of the game.

"It's hard to do what he did, get 100 wins," Washington said. "With all the injuries going on and the fact that the industry itself isn't leaving the pitchers out there to go deep in games, and to be the class act that he is. Well-deserved and he's got more in the tank."

Hendricks tied former Angel Clyde Wright on the all-time wins list. Wright was a pitching coach for Hendricks in Orange County when he was 12 years old.

“He came down to the clubhouse, which was super cool, and gave me a hug,” Hendricks said. “I told him, it only took 23 years after our first lesson.”

Hendricks praised the bullpen for its performance in preserving the lead. Detmers in particular has been fantastic as of late allowing one run in his last 12 innings with 17 strikeouts.

"Bullpen was unreal. They've been so frickin' good lately, just locking down games," Hendricks said. "Those guys in the back end are just coming in, getting ahead, putting guys away. It's been really fun to watch."

Zach Neto tied the game in the third inning with a RBI single to score Chris Taylor. 

After a pair of runs by Seattle in the fourth inning, Travis d'Arnaud tied the game with a two-run home run. The home run was his second of the season and would have been a home run in all 30 major league ballparks this season.

d'Arnaud has been heating up at the plate and has been Hendricks' personal catcher this season. 

"Travis has been so good with me," Hendricks said. "Going back the last five (starts), we're really catching a groove. It's making things so much easier for me so I can't thank him enough."

The Angels took the lead for good in the fifth inning with a RBI double by Taylor and a run-scoring single by Nolan Schanuel. 

Friday was Taylor's best game of his brief Angels tenure. Taylor went 2 for 3 with a double, a RBI, a stolen base and nearly hit a two-run home run but was robbed by Julio Rodriguez. 

"He's a guy that wasn't getting any at bats and he came over and he has to get his game together quick," Washington said. "Sometimes when you're put in that situation and you're a veteran you find out if you have it or you don't have it. Each game that he's gotten an opportunity to play, his swing got better, his contact got better and now his mind is stimulated. We hope he can keep it going in that direction."

The Angels (29-33) are now in third place in the AL West standings and are 4.5 games back of the final wild cart spot.