Kole Calhoun has come a long way since getting a needed break on the disabled list last month [url=http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/blake-martinez-jersey]Blake Martinez Jersey Youth[/url] , and Garrett Richards looked pretty sharp after his own DL stint.

Calhoun hit a two-run homer, Richards pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Mariners 7-4 on Wednesday to snap Seattle’s eight-game winning streak.

Batting in the leadoff spot for only the fourth time this season, Calhoun had three hits and drove in three runs to help lift Richards (5-4) in his return.

Calhoun’s towering homer in the sixth gave the Angels a 6-2 lead. He also had a single in the fourth inning for his first RBI. Calhoun is batting .306 with four homers and eight RBIs since coming off the DL on June 18. He was hitting .145 before that break.

”Kole did his job today,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ”That’s what we need from the guys at the top of the order. It gave us a lot of opportunities today.”

Richards, who went on the DL on June 15 with a left hamstring strain, allowed three runs, including back-to-back homers to Kyle Seager and Ryon Healy, over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out eight.

”I just overthrew a couple of heaters there,” Richards said of the home runs. ”But I felt good. The hamstring felt good. I knew I would be on a leash (80 pitches), so I just tried to execute pitches.”

Richards retired 10 of the next 11 hitters he faced after the home runs.

”Garrett just exhaled (after the homers) and made some really good pitches [url=http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/ezekiel-elliott-jersey]Ezekiel Elliott Jersey Womens[/url] ,” Scioscia said. ”He gave us a chance to win the game.”

Blake Parker pitched out of trouble in the ninth for his 10th save. Mike Zunino singled and Denard Span doubled to put runners at second and third, but Dee Gordon flied out to center and Zunino was thrown out at the plate on Jean Segura’s grounder to Albert Pujols at first. Mitch Haniger ended it with a groundout to third.

Parker failed to cover first on the grounder to Pujols, so Pujols had no choice but to throw home.

”Pujols getting that guy at the plate was a huge out,” Scioscia said. ”The pitcher didn’t cover there, so Albert made a great decision and threw a strike to the plate.”

The Mariners had their chances, including a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the seventh inning when trailing 6-3. After Gordon and Span struck out, Segura hit a broken-bat flare that looked like it might drop behind second base and score two runs, but Angels second baseman David Fletcher made a leaping catch to end the inning.

”I got a pretty good read off the bat,” Fletcher said. ”I kind of felt I had a bead on it all the way. It was a nice feeling to save those runs from scoring.”

The Mariners struck out 15 times and left eight men on base.

Mike Leake (8-5) allowed four runs and nine hits before leaving with no one out in the fifth. He had allowed two runs or less in seven of his previous eight starts.

”They were battling me [url=http://www.vikingscheapstore.com/brian-o_neill-jersey-cheap]Cheap Brian O'Neill Jersey[/url] , fouling balls off today,” Leake said. ”Trying to get them to go down, but they found some holes and that’s about it.”

Luis Valbuena drove in two runs for the Angels and Shohei Ohtani and two hits and scored two runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: OF Chris Young was placed on the 10-day DL a day after straining his hamstring. LHP Tyler Skaggs was also placed on the DL with a thigh strain. Skaggs said hopes to miss only one start. OF Jabari Blash and RHP Deck McGuire were recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, with INF Kaleb Cowart also optioned to Triple-A. … LHP John Lamb will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow early next week. He’ll become the fourth Angels pitcher to have the procedure this season.

Mariners: Manager Scott Servais said RHP Erasmo Ramirez could begin a rehab assignment soon. Ramirez has been on the DL since May 1 because of a right teres major muscle strain in his pitching shoulder. Ramirez said is willing to pitch in relief if that’s where he’s needed.

UP NEXT

Angels RHP Jaime Barria (5-4, 3.40) will start Thursday’s series finale in place of Skaggs. Barria is making his 12th start of the season and has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. LHP Marco Gonzales (8-5, 3.77) will make his 18th start for Seattle. Gonzales pitched the first complete game of his career in his last start, a 4-1 victory over Kansas City when he allowed six hits and didn’t walk a batter.

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Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn, who have led the team to the playoffs the last two seasons, have signed three-year contract extensions.

The deals were announced Wednesday, a day before players report for training camp. Financial terms were not disclosed for the contracts [url=http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jaire-alexander-jersey]Jaire Alexander Jersey Elite[/url] , which will run through the 2022 season.

The new deals for Dimitroff and Quinn will leave the focus for the start of training camp on wide receiver Julio Jones, who is entering the third year of his five-year, $71.5 million contract. Jones has asked to have his deal renegotiated, but the team has said it won’t offer Jones a more lucrative deal this year.

Jones is not expected to report on Thursday for Friday’s opening day of camp. He would be Atlanta’s first training camp holdout since 2009, when receiver Roddy White’s weeklong absence ended with a new $50 million deal.

Dimitroff, hired in 2008, is entering his 11th season. Quinn is 32-21 in his first three seasons.

Owner Arthur Blank said the leadership team of Dimitroff and Quinn ”has proven to be as successful as we envisioned back in 2015.”

”I believe continuity in leadership is vital to achieving the highest levels of success in any organization and, with these extensions, we ensure these two leaders will be at the helm of our franchise for years to come,” Blank said in a statement released by the team. ”Their shared vision and long view plan has already delivered on a variety of levels and has positioned our team for success into the future.”

The Falcons lost to New England in the Super Bowl following the 2016 regular season before losing to Philadelphia in the divisional round last season.

Dimitroff faces a new challenge with Jones after already reaching an agreement this offseason with quarterback Matt Ryan on a five-year contract extension that could be worth as much as $150 million.

With Ryan and Jones [url=http://www.billscheapstore.com/tremaine-edmunds-jersey-cheap]Tremaine Edmunds Bills Jersey[/url] , the Falcons are expected to contend for a third straight playoff appearance.

”I am appreciative of the support and confidence that Arthur continues to show us as we strive to bring a championship to this city and our fans,” Dimitroff said in the statement. ”I am excited about where our team is currently as well as the outlook we have for the foreseeable future.”

Jones, 29, caught 88 passes last season for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns. He earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection.

A holdout by Jones could threaten the team-first atmosphere stressed by Quinn as a key to his shared leadership with Dimitroff.

”The partnership we have formed over the last four years has continued to get stronger and our view for how we structure this team has become even more clear,” Quinn said. ”We are looking forward to the challenge in front of us, but I could not be more excited about continuing this journey with Thomas and the brotherhood.”

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