Soriano's pitching brilliance fuels the Los Angeles Angels' hot start. He dominated the Braves, striking out 10 in eight innings, continuing his exceptional season.
The Los Angeles Angels are on the better side of .500 after Monday night’s 6-2 win against the Atlanta Braves in the first of three games to be played in the series. Holding a record of 6-5, the Angels are tied for first place in the American League West division heading into Tuesday.
There has been exciting baseball being played from an Angels team that people weren’t expecting much from to start the 2026 campaign. Home runs, stellar fielding displays, and elite pitching – there’s been baseball for every Angels fan to enjoy.
Monday’s game was another showcase of dominance for right-hander Jose Soriano, who notched his third win of the year in as many tries. The 27-year-old went for eight innings, only allowing three hits and one run while striking out 10 batters.
His outing on Monday tied his career high for innings thrown in a start, having last done so in June of 2024. It was also the Dominican’s third career game in which he reached a double-digit strikeout total and his first since June of last season.
It wasn’t an out-of-the-blue performance for Soriano – he’s been electric to start the season. Soriano went for six shutout innings in each of his first two starts on the year, making last night’s win his third consecutive quality start, which is tied for an MLB lead.
Soriano also has the joint lead in innings pitched and strikeouts, but has the sole lead in WAR and ERA+. His 0.45 ERA is good enough for second in the American League.
The Angels have been lacking in the pitching department for some years now, and they still are in many ways. Now, however, it seems as if they have a potential All-Star in their hands. Not only is he the clear-and-away best starter in the current Angels’ rotation, but he may be the best starter in baseball through three starts.
Three of the Halos’ six wins have come at the hands of Soriano and his dominance on the mound. It is still early in the year, and three games is a small sample size, but Soriano looks like the real deal. With the current issues troubling the rest of the Angels’ rotation, the club could be in a much different place if Soriano weren't dealing like he is so far.
Soriano should get his next start against the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the weekend. Though the Reds have seven wins to their name already, their lineup hasn’t fully woken up yet. It’d be no surprise if Soriano goes out there and displays another dominant performance in his next outing. There are no signs of slowing down for the righty.