Walbert Ureña delivered another standout performance on the mound, and Wade Meckler supplied the key offensive blow as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Ureña scattered three hits over six scoreless innings, while Meckler launched a two-run homer against Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski in the opening inning. The Angels snapped a five-game losing streak with a complete team effort built on strong pitching, timely hitting and late bullpen execution.
The victory came in a matchup featuring two of baseball’s hardest-throwing young starters, and both pitchers showcased overpowering fastballs from the outset.
Meckler Strikes Early
The Angels wasted little time creating the game’s decisive offense.
Vaughn Grissom opened the bottom of the first with a single to center field, bringing Meckler to the plate against Misiorowski. Meckler connected on a 95 mph cutter and drove it 388 feet into the right-field seats for his third home run of the season, giving Los Angeles a quick 2-0 lead.
Those two runs proved enough for Ureña, although the Angels added another later in the game for extra breathing room.
Misiorowski quickly settled into a rhythm after the home run. He retired 16 consecutive batters before issuing a two-out walk to Jo Adell in the seventh inning.
Ureña Continues Impressive Rookie Season
While Misiorowski recovered from the early damage, Ureña remained in control throughout his six innings.
The rookie right-hander allowed only three hits while striking out seven and walking three. He improved to 7-7 and lowered his season ERA to 2.54.
Since joining the rotation full-time in early May, Ureña has established himself as one of the Angels’ most consistent starters. He owns a 2.25 ERA during that stretch and has surrendered one earned run or fewer in 12 of his last 16 starts.
His command and velocity were on display again Sunday as he matched Milwaukee’s ace pitch for pitch through six innings.
Power Arms Set The Tone
The afternoon featured an impressive display of velocity from both starting pitchers.
Ureña and Misiorowski each struck out the side on just 10 pitches in the first inning after Meckler’s home run. Together, the two flamethrowers combined to throw 10 pitches that reached at least 100 mph.
Misiorowski, despite taking the loss, turned in another dominant outing. He gave up only two hits over seven innings while striking out 10 and walking one.
The performance marked his 10th game this season with at least 10 strikeouts, extending his franchise record. He threw 66 of his 83 pitches for strikes and kept the Angels off balance after the opening inning.
Angels Add Insurance
Los Angeles finally added another run in the eighth against Brewers reliever DL Hall.
Denzer Guzman drew a walk and advanced to second on a groundout before moving to third on a wild pitch. Zach Neto then beat out an infield single with two outs, allowing Guzman to score and extend the Angels’ advantage to 3-0.
The extra run proved valuable as Milwaukee threatened later in the inning.
Bullpen Finishes The Job
The Angels’ bullpen preserved the shutout after Ureña’s departure.
Ryan Zeferjahn entered in the eighth after Sam Bachman left with an injury, inheriting a runner on second with one out. The right-hander responded by striking out Brice Turang before allowing an infield single to Jackson Chourio.
With runners at first and third, Zeferjahn struck out Garrett Mitchell to escape the jam and keep Milwaukee off the scoreboard.
He returned for the ninth and struck out two more batters while recording his fourth save of the season, completing the Angels’ shutout.
The relief effort capped another strong pitching performance for Los Angeles, which held the Brewers scoreless despite facing one of the National League’s top offenses.
Up Next
The Angels begin a road series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Los Angeles has not announced its starting pitcher, and Baltimore had also not named a starter at the time of the game’s conclusion.
