Major League Baseball

Angels 12, White Sox 4

Published Mar. 15, 2013 1:49 a.m. ET

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Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels showed just how potent they can be.

But manager Mike Scioscia knows it's the pitching that will determine how far this ballclub goes.

Trout homered and scored three runs, Howie Kendrick and Pujols each had two hits Thursday and the Angels roughed up John Danks in a 12-4 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Angels left-hander Jason Vargas, who made his third start, allowed two hits and a run in 4 2-3 innings.

''If we pitch we're going to be fine,'' Scioscia said. ''We've got to keep building from this.''

Trout hit his first spring training homer off Chicago starter John Danks, a solo shot that came within a few feet of leaving the stadium.

The AL's Rookie of the Year went 2 for 3 and had two RBIs. Kendrick was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Pujols went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Trout, who hit 30 homers in 2012, lifted his spring average to .407.

''It's the first time we've seen him in the spring,'' Scioscia said. ''It's safe to say that he's seeing the ball well and he's playing at a high level already.''

Trout missed much of camp a year ago and was called up to the Angels in late April.

Danks is coming off left-shoulder surgery in August. He had his second consecutive rough outing. He allowed seven hits and six earned runs in 3 1-3 innings Thursday after giving up seven hits and three earned runs in 2 1-3 innings against Arizona March 9, his previous start.

White Sox's manager Robin Ventura said that he was not counting out Danks being ready for opening day.

''He's a work in progress,'' Ventura said. ''The good news is that he's not hurting. He didn't have the velocity today.''

The White Sox signed Danks to a 5-year, $65-million contract prior to the 2012 season with the intention he would anchor the rotation after ace Mark Buehrle left through free agency to Miami.

Danks made only nine starts in 2012, going 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA before being shut down.

With the emergence of Chris Sale and the return to health of Jake Peavy, Danks is now slated toward the middle of Chicago's rotation once he gets healthy.

''The results didn't show it, but this was one of my better outings,'' Danks said. ''It's a small start in the right direction. I need to see lineups like this. I'm hoping to see progress each time and I can't do that unless I'm seeing big league hitters.

''We're at the mercy of my shoulder, really,'' he said. ''I'm going to go out and keep doing what I'm doing. Hopefully we'll start to see better results starting with the next time.''

Vargas gave up his run in the third when Blake Tekotte tripled in Tyler Flowers, who reached on a walk. Scioscia lifted Vargas with two out in the fifth after Flowers hit a long double off the wall in center field.

Vargas said he mixed up his pitches more than in his previous outing, when he allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings March 9 vs. Colorado.

''To have the secondary stuff working and to see them swinging and missing is good,'' Vargas said. ''Last time I was leaving (pitches) up and getting hammered.''

Chicago's Dewayne Wise hit his second homer, off Angels' reliever Scott Downs in the sixth.

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