Yoán Moncada’s Blast Powers Angels Past A’s For 5th Straight Win – Orange County Register

“Yoán Moncada’s blast powers Angels past A’s for 5th straight win – Orange County Register”

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Angels pitcher Kyle Hendricks throws throughout the first inning of a baseball recreation towards the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Could 20, 2025. (AP Picture/Nic Coury)

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WEST SACRAMENTO — Who would have guessed that Yoán Moncada would develop into such a key piece of the Angels’ lineup?

Moncada’s fourth homer in 13 video games since coming off the injured listing lifted the Angels to a 7-5 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday night time.

“He’s such a good hitter, and it’s pretty fun to watch on a day-to-day basis, how pro he keeps his work and really how he approaches the day,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe stated. “So he impacts more guys than he probably knows.”

The Angels trailed by three runs within the fifth inning when Moncada blasted a three-run homer. Two batters later, O’Hoppe knocked in Taylor Ward with the go-ahead run, and the Angels bullpen held the result in safe their first five-game profitable streak of the season.

Nearer Kenley Jansen, pitching for the fourth time in 5 days, gave up a run however nonetheless recorded his tenth save of the season.

The Angels (22-25) have performed higher over the previous couple weeks, a stretch that’s coincided with Moncada’s return to the lineup. He missed a month with a thumb harm.

Supervisor Ron Washington stated Moncada’s disciplined at-bats affect different gamers.

“He makes the pitcher work,” Washington stated. “And the more he makes the pitcher work, the benefit goes to the next guy. And that’s what the lineup is about, trying to benefit the next guy, and that’s what he brings.”

Since he returned to motion on Could 6, the Angels are 8-5 in his begins. Moncada, who additionally had a single within the Angels’ two-run ninth inning, has a .910 OPS and 12 RBIs since coming again. Two of his homers have been three-run homers. He hit a two-run homer within the first inning of their victory over the Dodgers on Friday night time.

This one was the large blow in a four-run fifth that turned the sport, simply after the Angels fell behind, 4-1, within the backside of the fourth.

Luis Rengifo led off the inning by combating A’s starter Gunnar Hoglund by a 12-pitch plate look, culminating with a single. It was the longest plate look of Rengifo’s profession.

After that, Hoglund couldn’t discover the strike zone. He walked Kyren Paris on 4 pitches. Zach Neto helped him out by hitting a popup on the primary pitch. Nolan Schanuel then received forward 3-and-0 earlier than grounding out.

Moncada then demonstrated the way in which to make the most of a pitcher struggling along with his management. Moncada received a 2-and-0 pitch from Hoglund and he crushed it 439 ft, into the timber past the berm in proper, tying the sport.

That blast additionally helped Moncada flush the frustration from his earlier journey to the plate. He had requested for time after a referred to as strike on a 3-and-1 pitch, however plate ump Andy Fletcher didn’t see him sign, Moncada stated. Fletcher then referred to as an automated third strike on Moncada for a pitch-timer violation.

“I was pissed at that at-bat,” Moncada stated by an interpreter. “When I hit that (home run), I feel I had my soul back.”

Ward then launched the primary of his two doubles, giving him an additional base hit in six straight video games. He scored on a single from O’Hoppe, who had supplied the Angels’ first run along with his eleventh homer of the season.

Proper-hander Kyle Hendricks, who had been working out and in of bother all night time, then got here again to the mound and received the Angels 5 extra outs, ending 5⅔ innings.

Hendricks has a 5.32 ERA by his first 9 begins, however he has persistently saved the Angels in video games. Hendricks has pitched a minimum of 5 innings seven instances, and he’s left with the Angels forward or inside two runs six instances.

The bullpen took over with a 5-4 lead within the sixth. Left-hander Reid Detmers received three outs, together with a diving catch from proper fielder Jo Adell. Proper-hander Hunter Strickland picked up the following three outs on 11 pitches. Left-hander Brock Burke recorded the ultimate out of the eighth inning.

The Angels scored twice within the prime of the ninth to offer a cushion for Jansen. He turned the fourth pitcher in main league historical past to report a minimum of 10 saves in 14 straight seasons. The others are Corridor of Famers Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith and John Franco.

The bullpen has immediately develop into dependable, simply because the situational hitting and protection have additionally improved, serving to the Angels to get again inside three video games of .500 for the primary time since they had been swept in Minnesota final month.

“It’s great,” O’Hoppe stated. “It shows us that that little lull we went into, however many weeks ago was, is a perfect example of what we were practicing, which is not panicking, and that things are going to change, and they have right now. But that doesn’t mean that everything’s set in stone, and it’s gonna be perfect all the time, either. So we’re gonna enjoy this and ride this wave as long as we can, and approach tomorrow with a clean slate.”