The Los Angeles Angels nightmarish losing streak finally came to an end on Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants. But that wasn’t before perhaps the most disappointing loss of the seven-game skid in the series opener on Monday night.
An up-and-down three-gamer in Anaheim resulted in the Angels returning back to .500 after taking the final two against San Francisco.
The series included a bounce-back performance on the mound from Lucas Giolito in his Angels home debut, Mike Moustakas hitting a clutch go-ahead three-run homer in the finale and Shohei Ohtani continuing to cement himself as the American League MVP despite dealing with ongoing fatigue.
At 58-58, the Angels still sit seven games back of the third spot in the AL wild card chase and still have the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners to surpass. But the series win can hopefully propel them back on a winning path.
Game 1: Giants def. Angels 8-3
Coming off the heels of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners, the Angels hoped that a change in opponent could turn their fortunes around. And as was a theme throughout most of the losing streak, the Angels found themselves in control for a majority of the game.
The Angels led 3-2 after eight frames with the help of RBI singles from C.J. Cron, Mickey Moniak and Luis Rengifo. Then, Carlos Estévez entered for the save situation after blowing his first save of the season on Thursday of last week.
He once again struggled. Estévez recorded one out while allowing five earned runs on three hits and two walks, and Aaron Loup had to finish the inning for him. The Angels gave up six runs total in the inning and lost 8-3.
Game 2: Angels def. Giants 7-5
Giolito disappointed in his first two starts as a member of the Halos, but was excited for the opportunity to get the ball at Angel Stadium. He delivered with a quality start that saw him ppost three earned runs on three hits over six innings with seven strikeouts.
All three of his earned runs came in the third inning. He had five clean frames otherwise en route to the victory. He also got the benefit of four Angels runs in the first inning.
Ohtani got things started with an RBI single, followed by a Moustakas RBI single and a two-run double from Hunter Renfroe.
And while the Giants made things interesting by cutting the deficit to one run with a Wilmer Flores two-run homer in the eighth, the Angels pulled away and got a two-inning save from Dominic Leone to secure their first win in eight tries.
Game 3: Angels def. Giants 4-1
There is a reason that Ohtani is the runaway favorite for AL MVP and a reason the Angels are 14-8 (.636) when he takes the mound this season and 44-50 (.468) when he doesn’t. Because even when he is openly dealing with fatigue, he manages to post a near gem.
Ohtani pitched six innings on Wednesday night, allowing no earned runs (one unearned) on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts. By Ohtani’s standards, it’s nowhere near one of his best starts. But he managed to give the Angels everything they needed to secure a second straight victory.
And at the plate, a four-run sixth inning did all the necessary damage. Rengifo kicked things off with a ground-rule double, followed by Ohtani being granted an intentional walk. Brandon Drury made the Giants pay for the decision, getting Rengifo home with a single.
But Moustakas delivered the knockout punch. He took an 0-2 breaking ball sky high for a 419-foot, go-ahead three-run homer. The 4-1 score stood the rest of the way.
What’s Next
The Angels get an off day on Thursday before heading out on the road for a massive six-game AL West road trip. Three games against the Houston Astros and three against the Texas Rangers could legitimately decide the season for the Halos.
L.A. has not fared well against the Astros this season (3-7) but are 4-3 against the Rangers. This road trip more than ever, the Angels must find a way to collect victories and stay afloat in the wild card chase.
