The Los Angeles Angels lost the first two games of their three-game set in Toronto, but Soriano and Adele starred today.
The Lost Angeles Angels finally beat the Toronto Blue Jays today, 6-1, as they used a strong start by Jose Soriano and a trio of home runs, including two by Jo Adell, to get back on track after a pair of losses in Toronto.
Soriano got off to a shaky start in this one, as he struggled in the first inning and got nicked for a run. The run came on a single by Daulton Varsho, who was driven home on a two-out double by Kazuma Okamoto to make it 1-0.
The Blue Jays went with an opener in this one with Eric Lauer scheduled to be the starter, but Spencer Miles ended up going further than expected, breezing through three shutout innings. Lauer complained about having to be the opener before this one, so Blue Jays manager John Schneider inserted another reliever in front of him as Tommy Nance posted another scoreless inning.
The Angels broke through big against Lauer when he finally entered the game in the fifth, starting with a two-run homer by Oswald Peraza, who drove home Nolan Schanuel after the first baseman drew a walk. The Angels weren’t done, though, as a Zach Neto double, a walk to Mike Trout and a double to right center by Vaughn Grissom plated two more.
Jo Adell took his turn as offensive star in the sixth by slugging his first homer of the day, an opposite-field drive to right that was a no doubter. Adell added yet another homer in the ninth on a 449-foot bomb that left the bat at just over 115 mph, putting on a power show in a game that was long out of hand.
That was more than enough for Soriano, who cruised to his sixth win of the season as he went 7-2/3 inning as he struck out seven and scattered five hits. He lowered his ERA to 1.66 in the process and reliever Sam Bachman did a nice job of picking up Soriano by getting the final out of the eighth on a ground ball to Grissom at third with the bases loaded.
The win was a relief for the Angels on several fronts. Getting Soriano right again was a big step, especially since he was able to give the Angels length after the Halos got pounded, 14-1, the day before. Getting a big day from Adell was also important, as he’s been hitting well but had been in a bit of a power slump before this one.
The Angels now head to Cleveland to open a three-game set against the Guardians, although the Halos haven’t listed a starter for tomorrow night yet.