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Angels blow out A’s on the strength of an 11-run inning

April 2, 2023

OAKLAND — Once the Angels returned to action Saturday, it didn’t take them long to bury the frustration of an Opening Day loss and the controversy that followed on the subsequent day off.

The Angels exploded for 11 runs in the third inning of a 13-1 pummeling of the Oakland A’s.

It made for a much happier walk from the dugout to the clubhouse than on Thursday night, when the Angels were stinging from a one-run loss just as third baseman Anthony Rendon engaged in an altercation with a fan.

The Angels are still waiting to hear from Major League Baseball to find out if Rendon will face any discipline, but in the meantime they took care of their on-field business with a comfortable victory.

“It was great,” said Taylor Ward, who drove in three on a single and a homer in the third. “Definitely the start we needed, I think. Just bring the fire like that. I think that’s what we need to do every game, just keep the foot on the pedal.”

For the first two innings, the Angels had no answers for Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, who was making his big-league debut. The Angels went in order, with four strikeouts against his assortment of 99 mph fastballs and diving splitters.

In the third, though, the Angels knocked Fujinami out quickly.

Luis Rengifo walked and Gio Urshela, Logan O’Hoppe and Ward had consecutive hits, producing two runs. Mike Trout walked to load the bases.

Shohei Ohtani – who had faced Fujinami in high school in Japan – smoked a line drive off the left-field fence. Runners had to hold in case it was caught, so it went as a single, scoring one more run.

Rendon hit a sacrifice fly. Hunter Renfroe walked. Jake Lamb singled, ending Fujinami’s day.

Rengifo then walked again. Urshela singled again. O’Hoppe hit a sacrifice fly. Ward then blasted a two-run homer, completing the 11-run outburst.

Manager Phil Nevin said the spark to the inning was Rengifo having a disciplined plate appearance and drawing a walk.

“Knowing there’s the potential for losing the strike zone a little bit, we have to be patient and stick with our approach,” Nevin said. “Luis’ at-bat was exactly what we talked about.”

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval was the beneficiary of the outburst, picking up a victory with five innings of work on 86 pitches. He gave up just one run on a Ramon Laureano homer.

“All right, pretty good,” Sandoval said of his outing. “I made some pitches. I also didn’t make some pitches. But getting through five with an 11-run lead and not screwing it up, I’m happy about it.”

Left-hander Tucker Davidson pitched the final four innings. Davidson is expected to be the Angels’ No. 6 starter, but they don’t need him to fill that role until April 12, so it was convenient to get him some work in a blowout to start sharp.

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When it was over, Davidson qualified for his first big-league save by virtue of working at least three innings to close out a victory. That earned him a beer shower from his teammates.

All in all, it was a happy clubhouse, although Sandoval wouldn’t go so far as to say that it was a relief after what had transpired in the previous two days.

“Just another game,” he said. “Game 2 of a long season. Business as usual.”

Orange County Register

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Angels blow out A’s on the strength of an 11-run inning

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