Trout Perfect at the Plate in 8-6 Win

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Spring training? Mike Trout doesn’t need spring training. The 22-year-old center fielder continues to blister Cactus League pitching, going 3-3 with a triple and one RBI against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

Trout’s first inning three-bagger set Albert Pujols up for a sacrifice fly that gave the Los Angeles Angels an early 1-0 lead. He scored again the following frame when David Freese knocked a single up the middle, capping a six-run rally. Through nine games, Trout is hitting .444 with 12 hits and nine RBIs. The Angels as a whole have scored 32 runs over the last three games.

Starter Garrett Richards bounced back from last week’s drubbing to pitch 4 2/3 inning of two-run baseball. The right-hander’s inconsistency has made labeling the team’s No.3 starter difficult. He dazzled in his spring debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but gave up five runs on eight hits against them a week later.

A dark horse for the fourth outfield spot, Collin Cowgill made a case for himself with two walks and a stolen base in the Angels 8-6 victory. Cowgill, along with Brennan Boesch and Matt Long, are each hitting above .300 this month making Mike Scioscia’s decision that much harder.

The Angels head to Peoria, Ariz. tomorrow where Tyler Skaggs gets the nod against Eric Stults and the San Diego Padres. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. and the game can be seen on Fox Sports West.