Angels run winning streak to 4 with rollercoaster victory in 11 innings
ST. LOUIS —Nolan Schanuel was the goat. Then he was the hero. Then he was simply another excited spectator, able to see the rest of his teammates collaborate on a victory that they won’t soon forget.
“The best way to put it is being out there and being a part of that, I got goose bumps,” the Angels first baseman said after their 9-7, 11-inning victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. “Just being with these group of guys and everything, it’s just electric, 24/7. There’s a totally different vibe in here from this year to last year. And it’s awesome. It’s awesome to be a part of.”
The Angels (4-1) have won four in a row, holding on for three well-played one-run victories in the days leading up to this one. They were on the way to another game just like the others until Schanuel’s eighth-inning error gave away their lead.
From there, the game went off the rails, but someone on the Angels had an answer for everything that went wrong, starting with Schanuel. His triple in the 10th drove in two runs, on the way to building a three-run lead.
The Angels were then forced to rely on two rookie pitchers to hold that lead, and they gave it up in the bottom of the 10th.
Then they scored three more in the 11th, including a two-out RBI single from Kyren Paris – suddenly their best clutch hitter – and a two-run double from Yoán Moncada.
This time, the lead held, and the Angels celebrated back-to-back series victories to start the season.
“There’s no quit,” Manager Ron Washington said. “It just was no quit. They’re learning how to pull for each other. They’re learning how to stay in the fight. And if you’re going to be successful, you’re going to have to be in those kind of ball games. Those are the kind of ball games that winning teams have to be in. And we’re getting a taste of it early. And I’m just so proud of the way they hang together. I’m so proud of the way they’re just going out there and trying to get the job done, and they are getting the job done.”
It wasn’t the way they planned it.
They took a 3-2 lead to the eighth, thanks to six strong innings from Kyle Hendricks, one from Ian Anderson and a three-run outburst in the second inning. Right-hander Ben Joyce was just about to finish off the eighth. He induced a routine grounder to the right of Schanuel at first base, but he made a wild throw to Joyce covering the bag. It got past him and the tying run scored.
“Guys came up right when I got into the dugout on the front step and tapping me, saying ‘Hey, forget about it. You’re gonna have to come up and make an impact in the game later,’” Schanuel said.
He got his chance in the 10th, when he lined a ball into the right-center field gap, putting the Angels back up by two. He pumped his first after sliding in with the first triple of his career. Jo Adell followed with what proved to be a critical insurance run.
In the bottom of the inning, the Angels had used all their reasonably fresh relievers. They were down to a couple of pitchers who had never been in the majors before last week, and who had each thrown at least 20 pitches the night before.
Left-hander Garrett McDaniels, who was pitching his second major league game a night after pitching his first, could only retire one of the four hitters he faced. Two runs scored. Right-hander Ryan Johnson the entered with the tying run at third and one out, and he gave up a game-tying single. He escaped with the score still tied.
“That’s two young kids, first time at the major-league level, they got thrown in a fire quick, and I think they handled themselves extremely well,” Washington said. “It wasn’t something that we planned, but it was something we needed them to do for us to be successful. And they went out there and they left their heart out there, and they did it for all of us, and that’s what it’s about.”
Johnson, who had picked up his first big league save a night earlier, ended up getting his first major league victory on Tuesday, thanks to the Angels having one more rally.
With two outs in the 11th and the Angels automatic runner still standing at third, the Cardinals intentionally walked Mike Trout to get to Paris.
It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, except that Paris has shown a remarkable knack for clutch hits.
His RBI single came two days after his go-ahead homer in the eighth and one day after his game-tying triple in the seventh.
“He’s electric,” Schanuel said. “What is this, three games in a row? He’s a dude. It’s awesome.”
Moncada’s two-run double gave the Angels two more runs, which was enough for them to finally hold the lead. Johnson got the first out in the bottom of the 11th, and Ryan Zeferjahn – working for the third day in a row – got the final two to pick up his first major league save.
By the time it was over, it seemed like a lifetime ago that Hendricks had polished off the Angels’ fourth quality start in their first five games. Once he was done, he become another excited spectator, watching four hitters drive in the final six runs.
Earlier in the game, the Angels’ three-run second was built on four straight two-out hits.
“Just an awesome win,” Hendricks said. “Just back to back nights like that. Just kind of onto the next pitch, next play. Taking advantage of that other side. Just some huge swings of the bat there late. That just shows the approach, selectiveness and just using their strengths. The hitters making the pitchers come to them and then doing damage. Just so fun to watch, man.”