Robinson Cano, James Paxton propel Mariners past Angels, 5-3

ANAHEIM, Calif.  — Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and James Paxton retired the first 16 Angels he faced in the Seattle Mariners' 5-3 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday.

Paxton (6-3) continued his career-long dominance of the Angels, throwing 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in his best start since missing most of May with a forearm strain. The left-hander has a career 2.04 ERA against the Halos, the second-best among active pitchers.

Jean Segura had four hits and drove in two runs as the Mariners took two of three from their AL West rivals.

Danny Espinosa got the Angels' first hit off Paxton in the sixth, and Yunel Escobar chased him with an RBI single in the seventh inning of Los Angeles' third loss in four games.

Jesse Chavez (5-9) yielded just four hits and two runs over five innings in his fifth consecutive winless start for the Angels.

Cameron Maybin and pinch-hitter Nick Franklin drove in runs for Los Angeles in the eighth, but Seattle's bullpen avoided a repeat of its spectacular Sunday meltdown at Angel Stadium on April 9, when it blew a six-run lead in the ninth inning of a 10-9 loss.

After Mark Rzepczynski and Edwin Diaz got big outs in the eighth, Diaz pitched the ninth for his 13th save.

Segura had yet another big game against the organization that developed him and then traded him in 2012 for 13 starts from Zack Greinke, delivering a run-scoring single in the third and an RBI double in the fifth.

Cano put his 17th homer off the right-field pole against reliever Keynan Middleton in the eighth, but Los Angeles rallied in the bottom half with four consecutive singles off Nick Vincent, who allowed a run for only the second time in 30 appearances since April 11.

After Franklin's RBI on his first hit for the Angels, Maybin's line-drive sacrifice fly to deep center made it 5-3.

Rzepczynski got Kole Calhoun before Diaz induced a groundout from Albert Pujols — but only with Danny Valencia barely keeping his foot on first while catching Segura's poor throw.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: DH Nelson Cruz sat out after injuring his knee while sliding into second base Saturday. Seattle recalled Boog Powell, a native of nearby Mission Viejo, California. Powell had two hits and scored a run, delighting a loud cheering section at the Big A.

Angels: Mike Trout will participate in a private workout Monday and a full workout Tuesday with Class A Inland Empire. If the two-time AL MVP looks strong, he will begin playing rehab games with Inland Empire. He has missed 33 games after left thumb ligament surgery, but could beat the estimated recovery time for the injury if he makes progress in the upcoming week.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP Andrew Moore (1-0, 3.86 ERA) makes his second big league start when the Mariners return home to open a series with Kansas City.

Angels: RHP Alex Meyer (3-4, 3.74 ERA) looks to continue his encouraging start to the season when the Angels open a road trip against the Minnesota Twins, Meyer's former team.