ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) C.J. Cron, Albert Pujols and rookie Andrew Heaney helped the Los Angeles Angels stop a slide that had put them out of a playoff spot for the first time since July 2.
Cron hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, Pujols also homered and Heaney pitched six effective innings in the Angels' 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
The victory was only the second in eight games for the defending AL West champion Angels, who still trail Houston by 3 1/2 games in the division race and Toronto by a half-game for the second wild-card spot.
Cron drove an 0-1 pitch into the right-field seats for his ninth homer with one out against rookie Carlos Rodon (5-5), who allowed just four hits over eight innings and struck out five in the longest of his 17 big league starts.
Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Joe Smith got three outs in the eighth and Huston Street set down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth for his 28th save in 32 attempts, after blowing a save opportunity in Sunday's 10-inning loss to Kansas City.
Heaney allowed a run and five hits and escaped a bases-loaded jam with his 100th and final pitch. The rookie left-hander lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 10 starts this season, but remained winless in four starts after winning five of his first six.
Heaney, who hit Jose Abreu on the left foot in the third inning, plunked Tyler Saladino with another low pitch in the sixth to load the bases after two-out singles by Trayce Thompson and Alexei Ramirez. But Tyler Flowers was called out on strikes by umpire Ed Hickox on a 3-2 pitch.
Pujols opened the scoring with his 32nd home run and 552nd of his career. It made Rodon the 355th pitcher to allow a homer to the three-time NL MVP.
Adam Eaton scored the tying run in the third on an error by second baseman Johnny Giavotella, who airmailed his throw to first base on what appeared to be a perfect inning-ending, double-play grounder to shortstop by Melky Cabrera with runners at first and second.
Abreu was hit again in the seventh, this time by Salas with two outs, but the right-hander fanned Cabrera.
Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson, whose season is over due to bone spurs and bone chips in his elbow, is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He expects to be ready for Spring Training, following a recovery period lasting 2-3 months.
White Sox: LHP John Danks (6-9) has given up five earned runs in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 4.97 to 4.58.
Angels: RHP Garrett Richards (11-9) already has equaled last season's total of hits allowed (124) in 26 2-3 fewer innings, and has given up at least one home run in 11 of his last 16 starts. Last season he yielded just five homers in 26 starts, spanning 168 2-3 innings.