ANAHEIM — The Angels slugged last in an epic slugfest.
Jorge Soler hit a tie-breaking two-run homer to lift the Angels to an 11-8 victory over the Texas Rangers in a rollercoaster of a game on Wednesday night.
Soler, who has been in a slump for much of the last two months, got ahead 3-and-1 and then launched a 421-foot homer. Nolan Schanuel added an RBI single later in the inning.
Mike Trout hit two homers for the Angels, a game-tying two-run blast in the third and then a go-ahead solo shot in the fifth.
It was Trout’s first multi-homer game since he came back from the injured list on May 30.
In the 36 games since he returned from the injured list, heading into Wednesday, Trout had a higher on-base percentage (.419) than slugging percentage (.413). That was a sign that he’d been drawing plenty of walks but not doing his customary damage when he swung the bat.
Soler and Trout had the biggest hits on a night when all nine Angels starters had at least one of the team’s 12 hits.
Jo Adell had a go-ahead RBI double in the third, and has reached by a hit or a walk in 20 straight games.
Travis d’Arnaud had two hits, including a homer. Taylor Ward had a game-tying two-run single in the seventh, and he also walked.
The Angels (45-47), who have been among the major league leaders in strikeouts all season, struck out just twice.
The barrage helped the Angels on a night when a few of the eight pitchers they used had trouble getting through clean innings.
Starter Kyle Hendricks had one of his rougher outings of the season, allowing five runs in 3⅔ innings. Although Hendricks has been unspectacular this season, he’s done well to get through at least five innings while allowing three runs or fewer in most of his starts.
This time, though, the Rangers (45-48) were on him from the start.
Hendricks gave up six hits, including a Kyle Higashioka homer that barely cleared the left-field fence.
He also caused himself some problems when he fielded a broken-bat comebacker and just had to throw the ball about 50 feet to get an out at the plate, but he chucked it past d’Arnaud, the catcher.
Interim manager Ray Montgomery came to visit Hendricks just before he faced Josh Smith in the fourth inning. Left-hander Brock Burke was warming in the bullpen, and Smith is much better against righties than lefties. Still, Montgomery left Hendricks on the mound, and Smith doubled, driving in a run.
The next time Smith came to the plate, the Angels did bring in a lefty, Reid Detmers. Detmers got Smith to end the sixth, preserving a tie, but he couldn’t get through the seventh.
Detmers hit Corey Seager with a pitch and then gave up a tie-breaking two-run homer to Marcus Semien. That snapped his 22-game streak without allowing an earned run. The last time he gave up an earned run was May 17.
Semien fouled off three straight 3-and-2 fastballs before getting one in the middle of the zone, and he launched it over the left field fence.
More to come on this story.