Solo homers from Contreras power Cubs win 5-1 against Angels

Willson Contreras had three hits, including two solo home runs, and the Chicago Cubs won the opener of the three-game series 5-1 against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Friday afternoon. Cole Hamels (2-0) allowed one run and four hits over eight innings, striking out six without walking a batter. Hamels improved to 5-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.63 in his career against the Angels.

Anthony Rizzo and David Bote also homered for the Cubs, who have won two straight for the first time this season. The Angels had a six-game winning streak halted.

Los Angeles played its second straight game without center fielder Mike Trout, who strained his groin against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. Trout was seen by a specialist in Southern California on Friday and the swelling has reduced, but the two-time American League Most Valuable Player won't play the rest of the weekend. Angels starter Tyler Skaggs went four innings, allowing four runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Skaggs (1-2) gave up three of those runs in the first inning. Kris Bryant singled to center with one out and Rizzo hit the next pitch for a 472-foot homer to right and a 2-0 lead.

After getting a strikeout, Skaggs gave up a 460-foot homer to Contreras to make it 3-0. Hamels gave up a leadoff single to Jonathan Lucroy in the second inning, but he was stranded at second base. David Fletcher doubled with two outs in the third, but was also left there when Andrelton Simmons grounded back to Hamels.

Pujols led off the fourth with a deep homer to left off a low and in curveball to make it 3-1, but Bote went deep in the bottom half of the inning, and Contreras hit his second homer in the sixth to stretch the lead back 5-1. Before the game, the Cubs placed catcher Victor Caratini on 10-day injured list with fractured left hamate bone. Caratini was off to an 8-for-14 start with three doubles and five RBIs.

The Cubs recalled catcher Taylor Davis from Triple-A Iowa.