Andrew Heaney feels awfully comfortable on the mound in Anaheim – and the results reflect that.

Heaney pitched seven solid innings in another quality start M.J. Stewart Youth Jersey , leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

In his last six starts at Angel Stadium, Heaney is 4-1 with a 0.88 ERA. Since April 27, his home ERA is second-best in the majors to Jon Lester (0.56 ERA).

"I like pitching here," Heaney said. "It's a familiar place. Pitched the majority of my career here. It's a good place to pitch when you have our defense and the way the field plays, especially when you get later in the game, later at night, it's a good place to pitch."

Heaney (4-5) allowed just one run and nine hits, and struck out four with no walks. The left-hander has gone at least seven innings in three of his last four starts.

The Angels got on the scoreboard with a two-run first inning, giving Heaney all the support he would need. Justin Upton drew a two-out walk and Albert Pujols doubled him in. Luis Valbuena singled in Pujols from second to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Jays had things going in the seventh when Devon Travis hit a run-scoring double to right field to pull Toronto within a run at 2-1. But with runners on first and second, Heaney struck out Justin Smoak and got Yangervis Solarte to fly out to left field. Heaney punctuated Upton's catch in left field with a fist pump – and his night was done.

Upton also made a fantastic, leaping catch against the left-field fence to rob Russell Martin of a potential home run in the second inning, which proved to be critical in a tight game.

"I try to catch every ball," Upton said. "I just got a good jump on that. I got a pretty good read on where it was going to be so I ran to that spot, found out where the fence was and went up to catch it."

It was early in the game, but it would be a big factor in the final result.

"We threw some hits up there Authentic Andy Dalton Jersey , we just couldn't get that big one," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "That was a big play with Upton catching Russ' ball early in the game. You don't realize at that time (it's big). Marco (Estrada) did a great job. Heaney did a great job. It was one of those ballgames where a big hit could've made a difference."

Estrada (4-7) had a fine start, too. He allowed just two earned runs and three hits in seven innings and struck out seven. He got Mike Trout out all three times he faced him, including two on called strikeouts.

"To be honest with you, that first inning I had the sun right in my face, I don't know what it was," Estrada said. "There was a little opening at the top part of the stadium. I had no idea where the ball was going. It was really hard to see. Once that went away, I started making better pitches. Just elevated a lot. A lot of fastballs today up in the zone. That's a really good lineup over there. I've struggled against them. Good to give the guys some innings and keep them in the game, but just came up short."

Cam Bedrosian threw a perfect eighth in relief, and Blake Parker pitched a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save.

"It's been good to win and good to hold some leads and get a little momentum after a couple, I wouldn't say bad outings, but a couple outings where I gave up some runs," Parker said. "I just wanted to stay aggressive and continue to throw quality strikes. It was a big win. The bullpen, in particular, would like to keep coming in and shutting it down and carry that on into the road trip."

Asked about Upton's leaping catch Davante Adams Packers Jersey , Heaney said: "It's just what they do. It's not abnormal. They do that all the time. You get numb to stuff that Simba (Andrelton Simmons) does over there. Valbuena has been playing great. We've got tons of guys who can make plays like that, so it's great to have them behind me."

RARE STRIKEOUT

Simmons struck out in the fourth inning, a rarity for the Angels shortstop. It was his first strikeout since May 18, a span of 90 plate appearances. It was the fourth-longest streak in club history.

SOMETHING TO IT

The Blue Jays have lost 13 of their 14 games against left-handed starters.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Danny Barnes (knee tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. … OF Steve Pearce (left oblique strain) was activated from the 10-day disabled list. … INF Josh Donaldson (calf tightness) is rehabbing in Florida and not scheduled to return on the team's road trip, but possibly the Blue Jays' next homestand.

Angels: RHP Shohei Ohtani (elbow) stood in the batter's box in the bullpen and watched pitches to work on his timing while he's on the disabled list. He's also running to stay in shape. He's scheduled to have his elbow re-evaluated Thursday. … LHP Tyler Skaggs, who was scratched on the day of his scheduled start on Thursday with tightness in a hamstring, threw long toss and will throw a bullpen session on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: LHP Marcus Stroman (0-5, 7.71) is still looking for his first win of the season. It's his first start since May 8, when he was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder fatigue.

Angels: RHP Jaime Barria (5-3, 3.57) is tied for the AL lead for rookies with wins. In his last start, he allowed a career-high six earned runs on six hits over four innings in a loss to Arizona.

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A cathartic celebration 20 years in the making began with a poke of Evgeny Kuznetsov's stick. It built as the puck that Kuznetsov tapped away from Sidney Crosby made its way to Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Ovechkin.

It neared its crescendo as Ovechkin flipped it back to Kuznetsov, who at this point had split two Penguins and was streaking toward the Pittsburgh net. And it culminated jubilantly and unexpectedly in the corner moments later, with the puck in the net and Kuznetsov's teammates mobbing him after he ended two decades of frustration with a flick of the Russian's wrist.

The ghosts of past playoff failures, many of them at the hands of the Penguins, were gone. Dispatched over the course of six games of grit and guile Authentic Austin Corbett Jersey , the last a 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 on Monday night that gave Washington a 4-2 series victory and a spot in the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay.

"It's pretty emotional," Kuznetsov said after his seventh goal of the playoffs 5:27 into overtime pushed the Capitals into the NHL's final four for just the third time in franchise history. "I don't really have a word for it."

Maybe because there aren't many that can accurately describe the anguish Washington has felt during much of the Ovechkin Era, one filled with postseason failure after postseason failure, many of them coming with the team on the precipice of a breakthrough.

Only this time they didn't crumble. Even with Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson and Andre Burakovsky out. Even with a handful of rookies – including Australian Nate Walker – thrust into the lineup. Even on the road against a two-time defending champion with a special knack for torment.

"Again, it doesn't matter what happened (before)," Ovechkin said. "We have to stick together. We knew it was there we just had to battle and we just had to fight through it."

Alex Chiasson scored Washington's only goal of regulation, a shot from the right circle that gave the Capitals the lead in the second period. Braden Holtby, benched at the start of the playoffs, stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced and received a dash of luck when Pittsburgh's Tom Kuhnhackl hit the far post early in the extra period.

The puck flitted away harmlessly. Play continued. And a few minutes later Kuznetsov's goal joined Dale Hunter's overtime Game 7 winner vs. Philadelphia in the first round in 1988 and Joe Juneau's poke by Dominik Hasek vs. Buffalo in the Eastern Conference finals in 1998 in franchise lore.

"I'm not expecting myself to score game winner in that situation," Kuznetsov said.

Maybe because it's what the Penguins always seem to do instead. Pittsburgh won nine of its 10 previous playoff meetings with Washington, including taut second-round triumphs in 2016 and 2017 on their way to becoming the first team in nearly 20 years to win consecutive Stanley Cups.

A bid for a three-peat came to an abrupt end after another sluggish start. Kris Letang scored for the Penguins and Murray finished with 28 saves but couldn't close his legs fast enough to stop Kuznetsov's flick.

"You look at the last couple of games, it's a one-shot difference," Crosby said. "You need to get those big plays. Unfortunately couldn't do it."

Washington spent the series saying its forgettable playoff history littered with squandered leads and blown opportunities – particularly against the Penguins – is not a factor. That this time is different. That this team is different. Twice the Capitals rallied in the third period to stun Pittsburgh, including a four-goal outburst in Game 5 that brought them to the brink of their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 20 years.

That last step Carlton Davis Buccaneers Jersey , however, has always been tricky. Four times previously since 2008 the Capitals won three games in the second round only to come up short in Game 7. This time, a Game 7 wasn't even necessary.

"It's almost embarrassing that it's taken this long for us to get past it," Washington owner Ted Leonsis said. "But the Penguins are an unbelievable franchise. It's an unbelievable team."

One that came up just short for the first time since Mike Sullivan took over in December 2015. The Penguins had been 4-0 in elimination games under Sullivan but had trouble getting much going as Washington cut off shooting lanes and created havoc in the neutral zone, leading to 15 Pittsburgh turnovers, the last on Kuznetsov's poke away from a rushing Crosby that began the series-deciding sequence.

The victory wasn't just a measure of redemption for Ovechkin but for Trotz, who has won over 750 games in the regular season but never made it to a conference final. He has now. So has his team, one that knows as giddy as they felt in the middle of a quiet PPG Paints Arena, much work remains to be done.

"We beat the Pittsburgh Penguins today and they're a hell of a hockey team and we're only halfway," Trotz said. "We haven't done anything yet. It's a good feeling getting by the Penguins because there's a lot of skeletons in the closet. It's a start."

NOTES: Crosby's assist pushed his career playoff total to 185, tied with Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman for 10th most all-time. … Walker's assist was the first ever in the playoffs by an Australian when he set up Chiasson's score.

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