Angels ride early big inning to win rubber game against Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — On a warm, sticky day in Philadelphia, the Angels didn’t have to sweat.
The Angels scored five runs in the second inning and never looked back on their way to an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Right-hander José Soriano gave up two runs in seven innings and the entire lineup produced. They had 13 hits and scored in four innings.
The Angels (49-50) won two of three in the series against the National League East division leaders. It was the first time they won on a Sunday since May 18.
“That’s a really good team,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “That’s one of the better teams we faced. It’s a tough lineup. Obviously they’re going to be in it right to the end. So I think it speaks volumes about what the guys do and how they step up. We beat the Sunday curse, too, which is nice.”
The only downside to the game was that first baseman Nolan Schanuel was hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the first inning. Schanuel was removed from the game with what was initially diagnosed as a contusion. He’s day to day. Schanuel said he’d like to play on Monday, but he’s not sure.
“It hurts,” he said. “Went and got an X-ray. Nothing came up, but it just squared me up in a bad spot.”
Not long after Schanuel left the game, the Angels showed that they could produce without him.
With one out in the second inning, the Angels strung together four straight singles — three from the bottom of the lineup — to produce a run. An out later, the bases were still loaded for Mike Trout. He took a 3-and-2 pitch that appeared to nick the top of the strike zone, but it was called a ball, pushing in the second run of the inning with a walk.
Four pitches later, Taylor Ward doubled into the gap in left center, clearing the bases and putting the Angels up 5-0. Ward added an RBI double in the seventh.
Trout contributed a sacrifice fly and LaMonte Wade Jr. — who replaced Schanuel at first — had the Angels’ only homer. Wade had three hits and a walk.
Eight players registered hits in each of the three games of the series. It was the eighth time in the last 10 games that the Angels reached double figures in hits.
Over that span, they’ve hit .293 with an .859 OPS. They’ve hit .322 with runners in scoring position.
“This is a dangerous lineup, top to bottom,” Wade said. “It’s deep lineup, deep bench. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of. Got a lot of guys in here working their butts off. They’ve got good routines, and they’re sticking with them. So it’s good. It’s fun to see this team click like that.”
The Angels have at times been too reliant on homers, with too many strikeouts in between. The Sunday performance was encouraging because it included just one homer. Also, they did it against Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez, who had a 1.36 ERA in his previous 10 starts.
“I think the guys were patient but aggressive in a good way,” Montgomery said. “We got to him early, which gave Sori a good cushion.”
Soriano had a comfortable lead before he threw his 13th pitch, which allowed him to cruise. Soriano got 16 outs on 14 ground balls, including two double plays. Soriano leads the majors with 24 ground ball double plays.
“Those are the results that I’m looking for,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “Keep the ball down. And that was what happened.”
Soriano struck out five and walked two in his 93-pitch outing.
By getting deep in the game, Soriano helped provide a rest for the bullpen two days after Friday’s bullpen game. The entire bullpen, except Carson Fulmer – who pitched Saturday and Sunday – will be available for the opener of a series on Monday against the New York Mets.