Angels 5, Rangers 4: Kole Calhoun homered among three hits in support of Garrett Richards as Los Angeles kicked off a 10-game road trip by holding off Texas.

Richards (13-4) allowed two runs on seven hits without walking a batter and struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings for the Angels, who pulled within one game of the Oakland Athletics atop the American League West. Chris Iannetta went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and David Freese added two hits and two runs scored as Los Angeles grabbed its third straight win.

Adrian Beltre recorded four hits and two RBIs as the Rangers fell for the sixth time in their last eight games. Nick Martinez (2-9) was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six in as many innings for Texas, which had an eighth-inning rally fall short.

Beltre singled in Shin-Soo Choo in the first to give Texas a quick advantage before Richards settled in. Mike Trout’s sacrifice fly to right to knotted it up in the third and Freese and Iannetta led off the fifth with back-to-back singles in front of Calhoun, who sent a 1-0 fastball into the second deck in right for his 13th home run and a 4-1 lead.

It was a 5-1 gap in the eighth when Richards was pulled with a runner on and one out, and Kevin Jepsen allowed three straight singles to plate two runs and had another score on a fielder’s choice to cut it to 5-4. Jepsen intentionally walked the bases loaded before Joe Smith came on and escaped the jam, and Huston Street worked a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Rangers optioned LHP Robbie Ross Jr. to Triple-A Round Rock and recalled RHP Jon Edwards. … Texas RF Alex Rios (ankle) returned to the field for the first time since Sunday after serving as DH during the week. … Calhoun has recorded multiple hits in five of his last six games, including a pair of home runs.