Angels edge White Sox 4‑3 behind Trout, Zeferjahn
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Interstat) — Zach Neto’s tying home run in the fifth inning and Nolan Schanuel’s go-ahead double moments later lifted the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
The Angels snapped a four-game losing streak to the White Sox and improved to 14-23, while Chicago fell to 17-19. The game took 2 hours, 36 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 26,892.
The White Sox struck quickly in the first inning against Angels starter Sam Aldegheri. Chase Meidroth led off with a single deflected by shortstop Zach Neto, and after walks to Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery, Randal Grichuk delivered a two-run single to right field, scoring Meidroth. Edgar Quero followed with a sacrifice fly to center fielder Mike Trout, scoring Vargas for a 3-0 lead.
The Angels answered in the bottom of the first against White Sox starter Erick Fedde. After Neto lined out, Mike Trout crushed his 11th home run of the season to left field, cutting the lead to 3-1. Two batters later, Jorge Soler went deep to center field for his eighth homer, making it 3-2.
The score remained 3-2 through the next three innings as both bullpens took over. Aldegheri worked four innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs, striking out one and walking two. Fedde lasted 4 2/3 innings, surrendering six hits and four earned runs with two strikeouts and two walks.
The pivotal moment came in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Neto hammered a 1-1 pitch from Fedde over the wall in left-center field for his sixth home run of the year, tying the game 3-3. Trout then walked, and Schanuel followed with a line-drive double to right field that brought Trout home with the go-ahead run, giving the Angels a 4-3 lead.
The White Sox threatened in the sixth when Andrew Benintendi singled and later advanced on a force out, but Angels reliever Sam Bachman escaped the inning with a strikeout.
Chicago cut the deficit in the top of the seventh on Meidroth’s solo home run, his second of the season, off Bachman. But Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz entered and stranded the tying run, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
The Angels bullpen continued to hold. José Fermin worked the eighth inning, allowing one hit with two strikeouts, and earned the win, improving to 1-1. Ryan Zeferjahn closed the game with a scoreless ninth, striking out two and earning his first save of the season. Fedde took the loss, falling to 0-4.
Both teams had key contributions from position players. Trout went 2-for-2 with a home run, a walk and an RBI. Neto was 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. For the White Sox, Meidroth finished 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored, and Benintendi went 2-for-4.
The White Sox outhit the Angels 8-7, but left eight runners on base and struck out 11 times.
The victory was a reversal of fortune for the Angels, who were shut out 6-0 by the White Sox a night earlier. The teams split their previous four meetings this season, with Chicago taking three of four in late April at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox had won three of their previous four games overall, while the Angels had lost four of their previous five.
The Angels’ bullpen was a major factor. After Aldegheri departed, Sam Bachman allowed one earned run over 1 2/3 innings but struck out three. Pomeranz allowed two hits but no runs in one inning. Fermin notched the win with a clean inning, and Zeferjahn sealed the save.
For Chicago, relievers Tyler Davis and Jordan Leasure each tossed scoreless frames. Davis worked 1 1/3 innings without a hit or a run, striking out one, and Leasure struck out two in a perfect inning.
The White Sox will look to even the series Wednesday in the rubber game before returning home to face the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The Angels will close the series Wednesday and then travel to Toronto for a three-game set beginning Friday.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago White Sox 6, Los Angeles Angels 2, while its ELO system gave the Angels a 51.00 percent probability to win. The White Sox opened as a pregame favorite at minus 1.5 on the run line, and the total of seven runs went over the over/under line of nine.