SAN DIEGO — A week after taking out their frustrations on one of the best closers in the American League, the Angels made a dramatic comeback against one of the best closers in the National League.
The Angels scored six runs in the top of the ninth, five of them charged to right-hander Robert Suarez, on their way to a 9-5 victory over the Padres on Monday night.
Last week the Angels had two come-from-behind victories against the Toronto Blue Jays and closer Jeff Hoffman.
They trailed by two runs on Monday when the Padres sent Suarez and his 0.51 ERA to the mound in the ninth. With one out, pinch-hitter Luis Rengifo singled, and then the Angels drew four straight walks to tie the score, knocking out Suarez.
Taylor Ward then hit a grand slam against right-hander Alek Jacob.
Closer Kenley Jansen worked the bottom of the ninth, even though it was not a save situation.
The victory got the Angels off to a good start in this gauntlet of a week. They have six straight road games against arguably the two best teams in baseball, the Padres and Dodgers.
The Angels (17-23) also hit the quarter-mark of the season with an inspiring victory.
Coincidentally, the Angels have come from behind in the ninth to win three times this season, and all of them have been games started by Yusei Kikuchi.
Kikuchi still hasn’t won a game in nine starts, but that’s not an indictment of how he’s pitched.
Kikuchi has a 3.72 ERA and he’s gotten through six innings in six starts. He’s only failed to finish five once.
Kikuchi allowed just two earned runs in six innings on Monday. In the third inning, he quickly retired the first two hitters but then gave up a run on three straight singles.
Kikuchi was about to get out of the inning when Xander Bogaerts hit a chopper to his left. He jumped and grabbed the ball, but he bobbled it on the way down. He still had time to pick it up and throw to first, but his throw skipped past Schanuel as two runs scored.
At that point, it looked like it might be a typical Angels game.
The offense did little other than two runs on a Zach Neto homer in the third. Their only other run until the ninth-inning rally scored on a Padres error.
Perhaps their comeback should not have been a huge surprise, though, because the Angels have played better against better teams since last year.
The 2024 Angels lost 99 games. Five of the eight teams that they played .500 or better against were playoff teams, though. That included a three-game sweep of the Padres.
Asked before the game if he could explain that, Washington came up empty.
“If I knew, we wouldn’t play like we play against the teams that are not as successful,” Washington said. “I don’t know. We play well against good teams.”
More to come on this story.
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