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Weaver, Angels survive another bullpen collapse in 5-3 win

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Jered Weaver gave up a run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings and rookie Jordan Walden nailed down his first save of the season Tuesday, lifting the Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Weaver (2-0) struck out six and retired the side in order three times, running his career record against the Rays to 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in six starts. And the quality start was the 29th in 36 tries dating to the start of last season -- only reigning Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez has more over that span.

The only run he gave up came in the third inning, when former Angel Sean Rodriguez drove a hanging slider into the left-center-field bleachers. But Weaver gave up just one more hit after that before turning the game over to the Angels’ troubled bullpen, which nearly gave the game away.

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Hisanori Takahashi replaced Weaver and walked the first batter he faced, then gave up a disputed infield single to the second, loading the bases. When the left-hander walked another man leading off the eighth, he was pulled in favor of Michael Kohn, who gave up a two-run homer to B.J. Upton.

Kohn eventually escaped the inning without further damage and Walden, handed the closer’s role earlier in the day, pitched a perfect ninth to end the Angels’ three-game losing streak.

The Angels jumped on Rays’ starter Jeff Niemann early, scoring three first-inning runs on four singles and two stolen bases. They made it 4-0 in the second on a leadoff home run by Hank Conger, his first in the majors.

Then, after Rodriguez homered to get the Rays on the scoreboard, Howie Kendrick started the fifth with a triple and came home on Torii Hunter’s second run-scoring single of the game.

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-- Kevin Baxter in St. Petersburg, Fla.

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