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ANAHEIM — The Angels were able to sleep soundly Tuesday night and not just because they gave blankets to everybody in attendance.
Zach Neto’s go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning sent the Angels to a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres and the team’s first home series win in 10 tries this season.
For two months, opponents streamed into Angel Stadium only to get stronger with more victories than defeats. Health plans don’t treat visitors this well.
This time, the Angels had their own cure by following a series-opening 2-1 victory on Monday with Tuesday’s operational success that was finished off with a three-run seventh.
“It’s big time,” Neto said of the first home series win. “These fans deserve it, we deserve it. We’re just gonna play the same baseball we know how to play and whether it comes out with a win or a loss we’ll discuss it after the game. But we’ll just enjoy this one for a little bit until midnight, flush it and come in with a new attitude tomorrow.”
Yet, while it all worked out in the end, not everybody in red was able to vanquish their home hexes.
Even as Patrick Sandoval’s arsenal improves, the curse of the home mound only gets stronger in defiance of the Angels left-hander.
Sandoval was left with a no-decision despite allowing just one run on four hits over six innings. If there was a slight flaw, the outing was completed with a somewhat inefficient 100 pitches. But in striking out seven against one walk, Sandoval was operating on his terms.
“It was one of those days where you feel really good and the stuff kind of matches so it was a good day,” said Sandoval, who reached as high as 96.9 mph on the radar gun.
“It kind of felt like I could go to (the fastball) whenever I wanted and I had a lot of confidence in it and that’s not something I’m really used to with the fastball. It was a good step forward.”
He was left without a win in seven home starts this season. Add the four home outings without a win to close last season and it is an 11-game run since he last crafted a win while standing on the pile of dirt he knows best.
“I thought he was competing out there, really,” Manager Ron Washington said. “He was spotting his fastball, he broke out a sweeper. He was just hitting his spots with all of his pitches and he was really out there grinding and I like to see that. I didn’t see him one time get into his feelings. He stayed focused on what he had to do.”
The outing did set the table for the Angels’ late rally, and back-to-back victories for the first time since May 19-20. The last time they won more than two games in a row was the opening days of April.
After throwing his new sweeper 21 times against the New York Yankees last week, when he gave up just two runs over six innings in an outing he would lose, Sandoval threw it 10 more times Tuesday. It means he has thrown 43 sweepers in three starts after using the new pitch 15 times in his first 10 starts.
“It’s huge when you can add another weapon,” Sandoval said. “It makes hitters think a little bit more and that’s what I want.”
But the Angels’ offense was facing its own unknown quantity. Padres right-hander Adam Mazur made his major league debut and matched Sandoval with one run allowed over six innings. Mazur gave up just two hits, but allowed four walks with two strikeouts.
The Angels’ lone run off Mazur came in the third inning to counter a run by the Padres in the top of the frame. Luis Guillorme walked with one out, went to second on a Nolan Schanuel ground out and scored on a Luis Rengifo single to center.
The Angels’ productive seventh inning started with a leadoff walk by Willie Calhoun against Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui. Logan O’Hoppe followed with an infield single that was originally called an out at first base but was overturned on replay.
Jo Adell walked to load the bases before Mickey Moniak grounded into a fielder’s choice, with pinch runner Cole Tucker out at home. Neto’s line-drive double over the head of Padres left-fielder Jurickson Profar put the Angels ahead 3-1, with Moniak later scoring on a wild pitch.
“Right before I went on deck, I told (Washington), I was going to be a happy hitter,” Neto said. “But in order to be a happy hitter I had to get a hit. I finally came through.
“I thought I hit it right at him, that’s why I took so long to get out of the box. But I knew I hit it good and once it went over his head I made sure to let go of the bat and started running.”
The Padres got a run back in the eighth on a Jake Cronenworth RBI single against Luis Garcia, before Hunter Strickland got Ha-Seong Kim to pop out with two runners aboard.
Matt Moore (2-2) followed Sandoval with a scoreless inning to pick up the win and Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth inning for his 10th save in 13 chances.
“When you pitch the way we pitched tonight, and play defense the way we played defense tonight and get the timely hitting, that makes for a good night,” Washington said. “And we had a good night.”
Zach Neto DELIVERS 🤩@Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/RXCeJYxrhY
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 5, 2024
.@EricaLWeston chats with Big Papa after tonights WIN 🤩@Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/mKc6Nh0Oin
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 5, 2024
.@EricaLWeston gets us Wash’s reaction after the WIN 😇@Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/3IIxeezDSE
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 5, 2024
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Courtesy : https://www.pressenterprise.com/2024/06/04/angels-defeat-padres-for-their-first-home-series-win-this-season/