DETROIT (Interstat) — Grayson Rodriguez pitched five strong innings as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, winning their fifth game in six outings.

The Angels struck first in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three runs to break open a scoreless game. Jo Adell led off with a double and scored on a single by Sebastian Rivero. Donovan Walton followed with a single, and Zach Neto doubled to drive in Rivero. After an intentional walk to Mike Trout, Vaughn Grissom lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Walton. That three-run outburst gave the Angels a 3-0 lead and proved to be the decisive moment of the game.

Detroit had taken a brief lead in the bottom of the second inning when Wenceel Perez homered to right-center field, his fourth of the season, making it 1-0. But the Tigers managed only two more hits the rest of the way as Rodriguez and a quartet of relievers stifled their offense.

Rodriguez, improving to 2-1, allowed one run on two hits over five innings, striking out five and walking three. He rebounded from a rough outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 17, when he gave up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. On Thursday, he retired 10 of the last 12 batters he faced after the Perez homer.

The Angels added two runs in the eighth inning to extend the lead. Mike Trout walked, and Vaughn Grissom doubled to right-center, scoring Trout. Jorge Soler then singled to left, driving in Grissom. In the ninth, Trout delivered a two-run double to cap the scoring, driving in Donovan Walton and Zach Neto.

Trout finished 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two RBIs. Neto also had two hits, including a double and a single, and scored twice. The Angels collected 11 hits overall.

Detroit starter Jack Flaherty took the loss, falling to 0-7. He worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out nine and walking two. The Tigers managed only three hits in the game: Perez’s home run, a single by Riley Greene in the first inning and a double by Perez in the eighth.

The Angels’ bullpen was efficient. Sam Bachman pitched a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit and striking out one. Ryan Zeferjahn, Jose Fermin and Drew Pomeranz each threw a hitless inning with one strikeout. For Detroit, Drew Sommers struck out the only batter he faced, and Brenan Hanifee worked a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout.

The game was played in 2 hours, 36 minutes before an announced crowd of 29,670.

The victory gave the Angels back-to-back series wins for the first time this season. They swept Texas at home before taking two of three in Detroit. Their overall record improved to 22-35.

Detroit, which has gone 4-18 since May 4, lost its seventh consecutive series. The Tigers fell to 22-35.

The Angels will travel to Tampa Bay for a three-game series beginning Friday. Detroit heads to Chicago to face the White Sox for a three-game set starting Friday.

In other notable plays, Detroit had a scoring chance in the first inning when Colt Keith walked and Riley Greene singled, but Mike Trout’s defense in center field helped strand both runners. The Tigers put two runners on in the eighth after Perez doubled and Colt Keith walked, but Dillon Dingler walked to load the bases before Riley Greene struck out to end the inning.

The Angels broke the game open in the fifth after both starters had settled in. Flaherty had struck out four batters through four innings and allowed only two hits. But Adell’s double to lead off the fifth started the rally. Flaherty was pulled after 5 2/3 innings and 99 pitches.

The most important sequence came in that fifth inning, when the Angels strung together three hits and a sacrifice fly to take control. Rodriguez then retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth and left after the sixth with a three-run lead.

The Angels added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Trout walked and Grissom doubled to put runners at second and third. Soler’s single scored Grissom. In the ninth, Walton singled and Neto walked before Trout’s double to the gap.

The Tigers threatened in the ninth when Zach McKinstry walked and Perez walked with two outs, but Jahmai Jones popped out to end the game.

The Angels’ bullpen retired the final seven batters they faced, with Pomeranz striking out the side in the eighth.

Thursday’s game was the third between the two teams this week. The Tigers won 4-0 on Wednesday, and the Angels won 10-6 on Tuesday.

For the Angels, the series victory marked a turnaround after a difficult stretch in May. They had lost 10 of 13 games from May 11 through May 24 before sweeping Texas. Rodriguez’s bounce-back start was key after he allowed seven earned runs in each of his previous two outings.

For Detroit, Flaherty’s winless start to the season continued. He has not earned a victory in 10 appearances, and his ERA climbed after the Angels’ fifth-inning rally.

The game was played in the afternoon, though the schedule had originally listed an evening start. The change was made due to forecasted weather, but skies were clear and temperatures were in the low 70s at first pitch.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Los Angeles Angels 5, Detroit Tigers 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Detroit a 60.40 percent probability to win. The Tigers were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 8 went over the over/under line of 9.