José Soriano continued his remarkable start to the season Friday night as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the San Diego Padres 8-0 at Angel Stadium, ending San Diego’s eight-game winning streak in convincing fashion.
Soriano delivered another overpowering performance on the mound while the Angels lineup broke out offensively against Padres starter Matt Waldron. Yoán Moncada and Josh Lowe both homered, Jo Adell added a two-run double and Los Angeles backed its ace with one of its strongest all-around performances of the year.
The victory gave the Angels an important start to their six-game homestand and halted one of baseball’s hottest teams. San Diego entered the series after winning 11 of its previous 12 games.
Soriano Continues Historic Start
José Soriano has quickly become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball during the opening weeks of the season.
The right-hander improved to 5-0 after allowing only two hits into the sixth inning against a Padres lineup that entered the game among the league’s most productive offenses.
Soriano struck out eight batters and lowered his earned run average to an extraordinary 0.28. Across his first 32 2/3 innings this season, he has surrendered only one earned run.
Even while battling occasional control problems, Soriano consistently escaped trouble with strikeouts and weak contact.
The Padres created one of their few serious scoring opportunities during the third inning after loading the bases. Soriano responded calmly and induced a groundout from Jackson Merrill to preserve the shutout.
The Angels ace also continued climbing the major league strikeout leaderboard. His 39 strikeouts now rank among the highest totals in baseball, and his five victories place him alongside Milwaukee’s Aaron Ashby for the major league lead.
Soriano’s combination of velocity, movement, and composure has transformed him into one of the season’s biggest early stories.
Angels Offense Breaks Open Game Early
Los Angeles wasted little time supporting its starter.
Yoán Moncada opened the scoring with a home run during a three-run second inning that immediately shifted momentum toward the Angels.
The lineup continued applying pressure throughout the middle innings against Matt Waldron, who struggled during his season debut.
Adam Frazier added an RBI triple before Jo Adell delivered a two-run double that stretched the lead further. Josh Lowe later contributed another home run as the Angels steadily widened the gap.
Nolan Schanuel also drove in a run with an RBI single during the fourth inning.
The balanced offensive attack marked an encouraging sign for a team that has struggled at times to generate consistent production. Multiple hitters contributed throughout the lineup, and the Angels consistently capitalized with runners on base.
By the middle innings, the game had already shifted firmly into Los Angeles’ control.
Padres Struggle Against Combined Staff
San Diego entered the night carrying one of baseball’s longest active winning streaks, but the Padres never found rhythm offensively against the Angels pitching staff.
Soriano controlled the game early before three relievers combined to complete a three-hit shutout.
The Padres struck out repeatedly and failed to generate sustained pressure outside of a few scattered opportunities. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts each reached base late against Soriano, but Chase Silseth entered and quickly escaped the inning by retiring Gavin Sheets on a deep fly ball.
The shutout marked San Diego’s first of the season.
The Padres had built recent success around disciplined offense and timely hitting, but Friday’s game exposed how difficult it becomes to generate momentum against dominant starting pitching.
Waldron Struggles In Season Debut
Matt Waldron endured a difficult return to the mound in his first appearance of the season.
The Padres right-hander allowed six runs and eight hits while struggling to contain the Angels lineup. Waldron entered the season late after recovering from a February medical procedure and looked out of rhythm throughout much of the outing.
His knuckleball lacked consistent movement, and Los Angeles hitters remained aggressive early in counts.
The Angels repeatedly forced him into difficult situations and rarely allowed him to settle into the game.
San Diego eventually turned to its bullpen after Nolan Schanuel’s RBI single chased Waldron during the fourth inning.
The rough debut came after a strong stretch for the Padres overall, who had dominated opponents during a recent homestand before arriving in Anaheim.
Emotional Night For Angels Organization
Friday’s game also carried emotional weight for the Angels organization.
Before first pitch, Angel Stadium held a moment of silence and aired a tribute video honoring former outfielder Garret Anderson, whose death at age 53 was announced earlier in the day.
Players wore patches featuring Anderson’s initials on their uniforms throughout the game.
Anderson remains one of the most accomplished players in franchise history and continues to hold the Angels’ all-time hits record.
The ceremony created an emotional atmosphere before the game, and the Angels responded with one of their strongest performances of the season.
Angels Gain Momentum At Home
The victory provided an important boost for Los Angeles at the start of a long homestand.
Strong pitching and improved offensive production combined to produce a complete performance against one of the National League’s hottest teams.
The Angels also received quality contributions throughout the roster rather than relying entirely on a few star players.
Most importantly, Soriano again looked like one of baseball’s most dependable starters.
His dominance has become central to the Angels’ early-season success.
Padres Look To Regroup
Despite the loss, San Diego remains one of the league’s strongest teams through the opening weeks of the season.
The Padres entered Friday with victories in 11 of their previous 12 games and had consistently received strong production from both the rotation and lineup.
One loss does little to erase that momentum, but the Padres will need cleaner pitching and more offensive consistency to avoid dropping the series.
Up Next
The series continues Saturday night at Angel Stadium. San Diego is expected to start Germán Márquez against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
The Padres will try to bounce back after their first shutout loss of the season, while the Angels look to build further momentum behind another strong home performance.