ANAHEIM — The Angels enjoyed one of those rare nights when everything works.
Starter José Soriano pitched five scoreless innings and the lineup put on a late clinic in clutch production to blow out the Tampa Bay Rays, 8-0, on Saturday night.
The Angels have won four in a row, including the first two against the team with the best record in the American League. They’ve won five of their last six, and they are one blown ninth-inning lead from a six-game winning streak. They have outscored their opponents by 26 runs in the last six games.
“This was one of the most complete games I’ve been a part of, just offensively, defensively, pitching,” said Jo Adell, who had four of the Angels’ 15 hits. “It was awesome.”
The Angels (29-42) have gone 12-8 over their last 20, and they no longer have the worst record in the American League. In that 20-game stretch, the Angels have hit .271 (third best in the majors) with a .766 OPS (10th). Their ERA is 3.71 (sixth).
The only negative from Friday’s game came on the eighth pitch of the night, when Soriano was hit by a 105 mph comebacker on the right side of his chest. Although he stayed in the game and showed no issues, he came out after just 76 pitches, which raised the question about his condition.
Soriano said he actually tweaked his leg trying to avoid the comebacker.
“I was trying to get away from the ball, and when I tried, I just felt my leg stuck,” Soriano said. “That’s when I started feeling a little bit sore. And every inning, it felt a little bit worse.”
He said there’s no concern going forward, though.
“I feel I can be good for my next outing,” he said. “We’ll just keep working on that and I’m gonna be good.”
It was a 1-0 game when Soriano was pulled, but the rest of the Angels made sure the victory didn’t get away.
Left-hander Samy Natera pitched two scoreless innings, and the offense exploded for seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings. That allowed left-hander Brent Suter and right-hander Kirby Yates to mop up the final two, resting the other relievers.
The hitters started slowly, giving the impression this might be another of those games of agonizing missed opportunities. They were hitless in their first seven at-bats with runners in scoring position, including four strikeouts. The only run scored on an error.
Just after Oswald Peraza struck out with runners at second and third in the sixth, the floodgates finally opened.
Rookie Denzer Guzman came through by fighting off a 1-and-2 fastball at the top of the zone and dumping it into center field. The two-run single put the Angels up 3-0.
“That was huge, just not to let that moment get too big and just be willing to take the jam shot, not try to overswing,” Adell said. “He was convicted and just kind of getting something close and he was able to really have a good day.”
Guzman then stole second and scored on Donovan Walton’s double down the right field line.
In the seventh, José Siri blasted a 431-foot two-run homer against his former team, accompanied by an emphatic bat flip. The Angels added two more runs in the inning on two more two-out RBI hits from Guzman and Walton.
The Angels finished with 15 hits, including three from Walton. It was the fourth time in the last six games that the Angels had at least 10 hits.
“All the way through the lineup, everybody was convicted to a plan and really found a way to execute,” Adell said. “There were really no holes all the way through.”
It locked up a victory for Soriano on a night that he took a step in the right direction in what has been a rollercoaster season.
Soriano started the season in dominant fashion, winning the American League pitcher of the month award for April, but then he had a 5.28 ERA over his next eight starts. In his last outing, at Dodger Stadium, things were going well enough until he allowed four runs on two homers in the sixth inning.
This time, he didn’t face much trouble besides the line drive smoking him in the chest.
Soriano gave up three hits, and only one left the infield. He walked two, with five strikeouts. On what ended up being his final pitch of the game, he got dangerous Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz to hit into a double play.
“Just take the good things from today, and take them to the next outing I have,” Soriano said. “I don’t have to think about what happened in the last month. Just take the good things and do it again.”