Vaughn Grissom delivered a game-tying double in the ninth inning, and Jo Adell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded one batter later as the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
The Angels erased a two-run deficit in their final at-bat against All-Star closer Riley O’Brien, handing the Cardinals reliever his fifth blown save of the season. José Soriano turned in his strongest outing in more than two months, while José Fermin closed the door with a scoreless ninth to earn the win.
The comeback gave Los Angeles its second straight victory and rewarded a pitching staff that kept the Angels within striking distance throughout the night.
Cardinals Take Early Control
St. Louis scored both of its runs in the second inning.
Jordan Walker opened the frame with a double over Josh Lowe’s head in left field before advancing to third on Lars Nootbaar’s single. Nathan Church followed with an RBI single to put the Cardinals in front.
The next batter, Blaze Jordan, hit a potential inning-ending ground ball to third, but Denzer Guzman bobbled it. The only play was at first base, allowing Nootbaar to score and extend the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0.
Kyle Leahy made the early advantage stand for most of the evening.
The right-hander allowed only one run on three hits over six innings while striking out four without issuing a walk, keeping the Angels’ offense quiet through the middle innings.
Soriano Keeps Angels Close
Despite the early deficit, Soriano delivered one of his best performances of the season.
The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits across seven innings while striking out seven and walking just one. He retired the side in order five different times and consistently worked out of trouble after the second inning.
The outing marked Soriano’s strongest start since early May and made him the first Angels starter to record an out in the seventh inning since June 16.
His effort gave Los Angeles the opportunity to mount a late comeback.
Adell Starts The Rally Early
The Angels trimmed the deficit in the third inning thanks to Adell.
After entering the game mired in a 0-for-24 slump that had dropped his batting average to .237, Adell led off the inning by hitting his 14th home run of the season.
The solo shot cut the Cardinals’ lead to 2-1, but Leahy and the St. Louis bullpen held the Angels scoreless until the ninth inning.
Ninth-Inning Comeback
The Angels’ decisive rally began with Nolan Schanuel.
Batting .367 since June 21, Schanuel opened the ninth with a one-out single against O’Brien. Jorge Soler was then hit by a pitch, bringing the tying run into scoring position.
Grissom followed with a line drive that struck the right-field wall after eluding a leaping Jordan Walker. Pinch-runner Oswald Peraza scored easily from second, while pinch-runner Jose Siri raced to third as the game was tied at 2-2.
The Cardinals intentionally walked Josh Lowe to load the bases, setting up a matchup with Adell.
After falling behind 3-0 in the count, O’Brien’s next pitch struck Adell, forcing home Siri with the winning run and completing the Angels’ walk-off victory.
Bullpen Preserves Opportunity
Before the comeback, the Angels’ bullpen ensured the deficit remained manageable.
Fermin pitched a scoreless ninth inning and struck out two batters, earning his third win of the season.
His work allowed the offense one final chance against one of the National League’s top closers, and the Angels took full advantage by stringing together quality at-bats and capitalizing on O’Brien’s command issues.
The victory spoiled an outstanding start by Leahy and highlighted another resilient performance from Los Angeles, which received key contributions from Soriano, Grissom and Adell.
Up Next
The three-game series continues Tuesday night with the Cardinals sending left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who is 5-6 with a 5.00 ERA, to the mound against Angels right-hander Walbert Ureña, who enters with a 5-7 record and a 2.88 ERA.