Angels come from behind to beat Rangers for second straight game
ARLINGTON, Texas — Hunter Renfroe picked a good time to show signs of snapping out of his slump.
Renfroe hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the sixth inning to give the Angels the lead on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night, their second straight come-from-behind victory in two games to start this four-game series against the AL West-leading Rangers.
The Angels, who have won eight of their last nine games, moved within 4½ games of the Rangers.
“We knew this was gonna happen,” Renfroe said of the team’s recent hot streak. “We knew we were going to play good baseball eventually. I think the first month we weren’t pitching well or weren’t hitting. Finally, come here this month we’re really playing really good baseball. We’re starting to heat up.”
Renfroe also needed to heat up to help the Angels’ run production. After a good start, he had slumped through May and early June. He was in a 10-for-62 skid over the previous month – a slide that prompted him to be moved as low as No. 7 in the lineup. He was relieved to blast one over the right field fence to give the Angels the lead on Tuesday.
“I feel like I’ve been seeing the ball well, just kind of hadn’t had anything go my way,” Renfroe said. “That’s part of baseball. It comes and goes. It felt really good to finally get one off the barrel and at the right launch angle and be able to hit it out there, especially in that point in the game where we really need something. It felt great.”
In the ninth, Zach Neto hit a two-run home run and Brandon Drury drove in a run with a two-out single, padding the lead to four runs.
Closer Carlos Estevez was still needed to get the final two outs of the ninth, converting his 18th save in 18 tries this season. Relievers Jimmy Herget, Aaron Loup, José Soriano and Jacob Webb formed a bridge from starter Jaime Barria to Estévez.
Angels relievers have not allowed an earned run in 11⅔ innings in the first two games of this series.
The Angels’ bullpen now ranks fourth in the majors with a 3.24 ERA, after being one of the team’s weaknesses to begin the season. The bullpen has been revamped with young pitchers like Soriano and Sam Bachman, joining veterans Webb, Estévez and Chris Devenski.
“They’re leading the young guys that have come up,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “They understand the importance of strikes. Everybody’s kind of feeding off each other there.”
The Angels’ biggest problem now has been inconsistent work from the starters, and Barria didn’t help by giving up three runs in 4⅓ innings. Barria had not allowed a homer in a span of 37⅓ innings, from his first outing of the season through the second inning on Tuesday night.
He hung a slider to Nathaniel Lowe in the third, and Lowe lifted it into the seats beyond the left field fence for a two-run homer.
Two innings later, Barria gave up a solo homer to Corey Seager, putting the Angels down 3-1.
In between those, center fielder Mickey Moniak saved the Angels a run by leaping at the fence to rob Ezequiel Duran of a homer in the fourth inning.
The Angels, who overcame a 5-1 deficit on Monday, climbed out of a two-run hole in the sixth inning on Tuesday.
Shohei Ohtani and Drury each singled. The Angels then scored a run when Seager, the shortstop, lost control of the ball while trying to turn a double play.
Renfroe then homered against rookie Owen White – a touted prospect making his big league debut – to put the Angels on top, and they never looked back.
“Once we get going, it’s gonna be hard to stop us,” Renfroe said. “I think we’re right on the cusp of doing that.”
RENFROE@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/NlDN6W0OHq
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 14, 2023
NETO PROVIDES INSURANCE @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/9z50j6foGF
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 14, 2023
Mickey Moniak takes one back. pic.twitter.com/Om7AnWzik7
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2023
Postgame thoughts from Nevin following the game win in Arlington @Angels | #GoHalos | #LTBU pic.twitter.com/PXRWvMbEuT
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 14, 2023