Angels explode for 6 runs in 8th inning to beat Blue Jays

ANAHEIM — In one inning, the Angels did everything they had failed to do for most of the previous three weeks.

The Angels scored six runs in the eighth inning to overcome a one-run deficit on their way to an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

“It was definitely a great team win,” Manager Ron Washington said. “We had a lot of contributions out there tonight.”

The Angels scored more runs in the eighth inning than they had scored in any game since April 10.

During that time, they had hit 19 solo home runs and three two-run homers, but Yoán Moncada blasted a three-run homer to give the Angels a comfortable lead in the eighth.

Moncada was playing his first game since going on the injured list with a thumb injury, just before the team-wide offensive slump began.

“I feel very excited,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “You guys know, I was off for a lot of games. To come back and be able to hit the homer at the right time. It feels phenomenal.”

It was a surprise too. Moncada admitted before the game that his timing might be off simply because he’d gotten so few at-bats. He missed the end of spring training with the same thumb injury. The Angels rushed him back into the lineup after two rehab games because they thought he could have some patient at-bats and draw some walks while they waited for him to get his swing back.

Turns out, that was wrong.

Moncada said after Tuesday’s game that he was coming out swinging.

“I just went in there and attack the pitches because that’s how you get the timing back,” Moncada said. “I wasn’t gonna take any pitches. I was gonna swing.”

Moncada’s homer came just after the Angels manufactured two runs on a walk, a stolen base and two singles.

The Angels caught a break because Nolan Schanuel’s bunt in the eighth inning didn’t get far from the plate, so catcher Alejandro Kirk could have nailed Zach Neto at third. Third baseman Ernie Clement mishandled the throw, and Neto scored the tying run as the ball went into the outfield.

“We got blessed finally by the baseball gods,” Washington said. “From that point on, the way the faucet has been opening up on us, we finally opened up on some people.”

Five more runs scored after the error, including Logan O’Hoppe’s go-ahead single before the Moncada homer and a Jo Adell homer after it. The rally allowed the Angels to cruise home with their first comfortable victory in weeks. Although they had won five times in the previous 21 games, none of them were by more than three runs.

The late rally provided the bookend to a game that began with slumping Taylor Ward hitting a two-run homer in the first inning.

Ward also added an infield single in the eighth. Ward, who also walked, had his best day in weeks, just after he had spent some time getting extra at-bats against an Angels minor-league pitcher.

Ward was 3 for 46 with 18 strikeouts over the 13 games before Sunday, when he snapped an 0-for-27 slump with a double.

The rally came too late to get a victory for starter Tyler Anderson, who cut his ERA to 2.68 with one of his better efforts of the season.

After Anderson allowed a two-run homer to George Springer in the first inning, he buckled down and did not give up another run through 6⅔ innings.

Anderson struck out a season-high seven, while walking one.

In the seventh, Anderson gave up a leadoff double to Clement. Washington came to the mound, with Ryan Johnson warming in the bullpen. After a conversation, Washington left Anderson in the game. Anderson rewarded the decision by getting Myles Straw and Andrés Gimenez on grounders.

Johnson gave up a tie-breaking homer to Anthony Santander, but in the bottom of the inning the hitters finally picked up the pitchers in a way they hadn’t in weeks.

Johnson also got some help from veteran right-hander Hector Neris, who followed him to the mound with runners at the corners and out in the eighth. In his first appearance with the Angels, Neris struck out two straight hitters to hold the deficit at one.

“He’s been in that situation before,” Washington said of Neris. “All we want him to do is just use his experience, because we need it down there in that bullpen. That was huge. That’s where the game was saved right there.”

One of the negatives for the Angels on this night was outfielder Gustavo Campero leaving with left ankle irritation. Campero twisted his ankle awkwardly on a swing in the fifth inning. The Angels said he is day to day.

The Angels were without closer Kenley Jansen, who Washington said was “under the weather” but should be fine tomorrow.

Jose Fermin pitched a scoreless ninth.