Angels’ offense erupts in rout of Guardians
ANAHEIM — The fireworks show was scheduled to happen postgame. The Angels’ offense could not wait.
The Angels sent four rockets over the wall on Saturday and got back on track after consecutive defeats with a 10-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians for their fifth victory in the past seven games.
The power show was a welcome sight after the club opened the season with six home runs over the first seven games and a slugging percentage near the bottom third of baseball. But there were signs an outburst was on the way.
Mike Trout and Logan O’Hoppe each hit home runs in the previous two games. Both went deep Saturday as well to highlight a seven-run fifth inning when the Angels stormed in front for good.
“The offense has woken up,” manager Ron Washington said. “They’ve been swinging the bats since the second game of the season, and tonight we just put it together the way we know we’re capable of putting it together. We’re proud of the work they’re doing.”
Jorge Soler hit his first home run in an Angels uniform and Luis Rengifo also went deep after departing Friday’s home opener in the fourth inning with a hamstring injury.
The four home runs by the Angels spoiled the homecoming of Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (1-1). The Mission Viejo native gave up seven runs on eight hits over four-plus innings after he went 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his season debut last Sunday.
The Angels’ damage came in support of right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, who was making his second start of the season and just the 13th of his young career. Kochanowicz had been the victim of the Guardians’ own early power display when he was taken deep by Carlos Santana in the first inning and Bo Naylor in the third.
Kochanowicz (1-0) gave up three runs on four hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts. His day was done after 79 pitches with the Angels up 10-3 as he fell one inning shy of becoming the second Angels pitcher ever to have 10 quality starts over their first 13 outings after Jered Weaver did it to open his major league career.
“That was awesome. Fires me up,” Kochanowicz said of the support from his teammates in the form of home runs. “I mean, when I give a homer, I don’t want to give up, and then they immediately come back with some firepower that really, really gets us going.”
Angels relievers Garrett McDaniels and Ian Anderson each pitched two scoreless innings to finish off the victory.
It did not start out promising when Santana went deep for Cleveland as the third batter of the game. But the Angels’ offense went on the counterattack with two home runs within their first four batters of the game when Rengifo went deep, and Soler put one over the center field wall after Trout walked.
“It was nice to see Rengifo get stretched out,” Washington said. “It was nice to see Jorge get his first one out of the way, because there’s a lot more coming. Our offense put it together tonight really well.”
Trout’s home run scored Rengifo and kicked off the run-scoring party in the fifth. It also broke a 3-3 tie to give the Angels the lead for good.
“Having good at-bats – hitting some pitches, missing some pitches – but it’s getting close,” Trout said about finding his peak productivity.
One particular trigger has helped Trout since spring training.
“I don’t think it’s mechanics, I think it’s keeping the head still,” he said. “When it sways back and forward the ball starts moving so I’m just trying to keep it simple. When the head is still, I see everything, and the swing is right.”
Soler followed by getting hit in the left hand by a Bibee pitch and O’Hoppe ripped with his own homer to center for a 7-3 lead.
“Not getting too high or too low,” O’Hoppe said. “I think we all saw last year the down a bit, obviously. Now we’re seeing the good of it, but it’s the same approach, you know? We’re trying to keep even wavelength.”
Right-hander Triston McKenzie replaced Bibee with Nolan Schanuel, greeting him with a single and Jo Adell worked a walk with one out. After a wild pitch to move up both runners, Tim Anderson doubled to left for his first two RBI in an Angels uniform.
Taylor Ward followed Anderson with an RBI single as the Angels reached double digits in runs for the first time this season.
Only when the final out was made did they light the fuse on the pyrotechnics outside the stadium beyond center field. The flash was spectacular, but the bang did not compare.