Mike Trout launched a game-tying home run to kick off a six-run seventh inning. Kevin Newman followed with a three-run blast to propel the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.
Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks pitched five solid innings for Los Angeles, giving up just one run. Rookie Christian Moore delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the decisive seventh inning, while Gustavo Campero added a late solo homer.
CJ Abrams hit his 12th homer of the season for the Nationals, who had briefly taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh on Riley Adams’ RBI single off reliever Ryan Zeferjahn (5-1).
Trout responded immediately, leading off the bottom half with a solo shot to left-center off Zach Brzykcy (0-1), his 13th of the year, to even the score at 2-2. That sparked a flurry of offense as the Angels sent 11 more batters to the plate in the inning.
Taylor Ward doubled, Jo Adell singled, and Moore delivered a clutch two-out RBI single off Eduardo Salazar to put the Angels ahead. Newman followed by launching his first home run of the season to left, extending the lead to 6-2. Rengifo later doubled, and Ward drew a bases-loaded walk to push the score to 7-2. Campero capped the offensive outburst with a homer in the eighth.
Earlier, Ward was hit by a pitch in the second inning and came around to score on Logan O’Hoppe’s double-play grounder, giving Los Angeles an early 1-0 lead. Abrams tied the game in the fifth with a solo homer off Hendricks.
Michael Soroka delivered a strong outing for Washington, allowing just two hits over six innings with five strikeouts and one walk, but ended up with a no-decision.
Key Moment
With two outs and two runners aboard in the seventh, Moore turned a 1-2 count into a crucial RBI single off Salazar, breaking the 2-2 tie and giving the Angels the lead for good.
Key Stat
Despite coming into the game with a disastrous 22.85 ERA in the sixth inning, Soroka preserved a tie after Newman’s leadoff single by initiating a 1-6-3 double play and retiring Nolan Schanuel to escape trouble.
Up Next
The series finale is set for Sunday with Nationals left-hander Mitchell Parker (5-8, 4.59 ERA) taking the mound against Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (3-8, 5.49 ERA).
