Matt Harvey beats the Mariners in return for the IL

ANAHEIM – Even through his hardships this season, Matt Harvey has always had someone he could rely on to keep his spirit positive. Tyler Skaggs was his biggest cheerleader, reminding him that he was a Mets ace before injuries came to make him lose his career.
So when Harvey took the

ANAHEIM – Even through its difficulties this season, Matt Harvey always had someone he could rely on to keep his spirit positive. His lockermate Tyler Skaggs was his biggest cheerleader, reminding him that he was an ace with the Mets before injuries derailed his career.

So when Harvey took the mound which would have been Skaggs' 28th birthday on Saturday, he kept the memory of Skaggs alive and inspired him for a solid victory in the 9-2 win over the Mariners at the Angel Stadium. Harvey, who makes his first start since May 23 after missing nearly two months due to a high back injury, scored 5 2/3 inning, allowing a point on four hits and three goals. on balls with three strikeouts that would have excited the late Skaggs. , died on July 1st.

• The score of the box

"You go over there and you remember something that he always said -" Remember that you're still the Dark Knight, "said Harvey." Although I'm not really like the Dark Knight, as before, he kept telling me. When I was having difficult games and getting down, he was always there to get up. I went there with me today. When I started to do it my way, I said: "Remember who you are and just try to get it out and run each party. & ### 39; He helped me through that. "

Harvey worked to improve his velocity during his rehab assignment and was slightly better against Seattle, as his fastball averaged 92.3 mph and reached a maximum of 93.7 mph. At his last start with the Angels, his fastball averaged 91.9 mph and was over 93.1 mph.

"I think it's in there," Harvey said. "It's just, at the first start, you're not going to necessarily let it go as much as you want or not, but I'm very optimistic it's there."

Harvey was helped by the homers of both Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout, while Calhoun was connecting for his 20th circuit in the second while Trout hit his 30th shot in the third. Calhoun has reached 20 swats for the first time since 2015 with his eighth left-hander blast and has only become the third straight-field Angels player to record multiple seasons of 20 homers, joining Tim Salmon and the Hall of Fame member Vladimir Guerrero.

"He was exceptional," Ausmus said of Calhoun. "He hit a lot of circuits against left-handers, and from a power point of view, slugging, he had a great season."

Trout joined an even more exclusive company with his circuit, since it took him only 93 team games to reach the 30-circuit board, beating his previous record of 98 games in 2015. Trout was on fire, scoring eight homers in his last seven games. games with 18 RBI. His 30 explosions lead the American League and he is followed only by Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers and Christian Yelich Brewers, who each have 31 circuits.

"I think the way he plays the game speaks for itself," Ausmus said. "He has had weight on his shoulders these past two weeks, he has done it admirably."

Harvey, who clocked a time of 7.50 in 10 starts, had five scoreless innings on 81 shots and moved back to sixth place with six points over the Angels. He gave up a starting triple to Mallex Smith, who scored on a sacrificial volley, and was retired after conceding a single with two outings to Daniel Vogelbach on his 93rd throw. But that remains a strong performance by Harvey, who had not played more than five innings since April 28, when he allowed a point in seven innings against the Royals.

Harvey recorded eight swings and misses with his new mechanics, three with his slider and three with his curveball. The Mariners had an average speed of 86 mph against him, which was a clear improvement. The opposing strikers had an average speed of 90.8 mph against him, which was among the bottom six percent of the league. In his previous start, the Twins hit him for four homers and an average exit speed of 96.8 mph.

"Most of all, he did a good job using all his grounds," said Ausmus. "Sometimes I think he's spilled the brittle balls. He will install a little more as he deepens the game. He mixed it very well. "

The angels received assurances in the seventh with Albert Pujols crushing a three point blast, he left for his 14th circuit of the year and his first since June 22 in St. Louis. This helped the Angels beat the Mariners by a margin of 22-2 in the first two games of the all-star break.

"It's a good start for us in the second half," said Harvey. "We just want to continue and keep that energy and do it for our buddy here [Skaggs]try to finish the second half as hard as possible. "