The Los Angeles Angels narrowly escaped Oracle Park Sunday, holding off a wild San Francisco Giants rally for a tense 4-3 win. This wasn’t just any game though; it saved them from a brutal three-game sweep and saw Mike Trout put up his first four-hit game since way back in 2021. Yeah, that’s right, 2021.
Soriano Stepped Up, Offense Delivered Early Pop
After getting absolutely clobbered the day before, the Angels desperately needed their starter to go deep, and José Soriano answered the call. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out five. He moved to 9-6 on the season, settling down after a shaky start and giving the bullpen a real chance. The offense backed him up early too. Trout kicked things off in the first with a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Jorge Soler groundout. The Angels then blew it open in the fourth when Soler led off with his 12th home run of the year. After Nolan Schanuel walked, Jo Adell crushed a two-run shot to center, pushing the lead to a comfortable 4-0. Things looked pretty solid for a minute.
Chaos in the 9th Almost Blew It All
The Giants started chipping away in the fifth when Willy Adames doubled and scored on a force-out that included a throwing error by Zach Neto, making it 4-1. But the real drama unfolded in the ninth. Sam Bachman started the frame and immediately got into trouble, walking two batters around a force out. Mitch Farris came in to try and clean up the mess, but it got super dicey. Pinch-hitter Daniel Susac lined out, but then Luis Arraez absolutely hammered a double off the right field wall. Both of Bachman’s inherited runners scored, suddenly cutting the lead to a heart-stopping 4-3. With the tying run in scoring position, Heliot Ramos went down looking on a call that looked to catch the inside corner, and Farris snagged his first career save. Phew.
That’s how you avoid a sweep, barely. For the Angels, getting that length from Soriano and seeing Trout light it up is huge, even if the bullpen made everyone sweat. They’ll need to keep that energy, and maybe find a way to make the ninth inning a little less… dramatic.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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