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Brandon Drury continues big week in Angels’ blowout victory against A’s

April 27, 2023

Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels shortstop Zach Neto makes a diving stop on a ground ball hit by the Oakland Athletics’ Esteury Ruiz during the first inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. Ruiz was safe at first on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oakland A’s starting pitcher Luis Medina throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels star Shohei Ohtani grounds out to third base during the first inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is thrown out at first as Oakland Athletics first baseman Jesus Aguilar makes the catch during the first inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Angels’ Zach Neto, left, dives into second for an RBI double as Oakland Athletics shortstop Kevin Smith makes a late tag while second base umpire Nate Tomlinson watches during the second inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, left, and Brandon Drury, right, congratulate each other after scoring on a ground-rule double by Matt Thaiss as Oakland Athletics catcher Carlos Perez stands at the plate during the second inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Angels’ Matt Thaiss celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Angels star Shohei Ohtani bats during the second inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Oakland Athletics’ Kevin Smith, center, is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani swings for a strike during the fourth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

An Oakland A’s fan watches from the stands with a bag over his head during the fourth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels second baseman Brandon Drury makes a stop on a ball hit for a single by the Oakland Athletics’ Esteury Ruiz during the fifth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Oakland A’s Kevin Smith, right, celebrates as he returns to the dugout after scoring during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Angels’ Brandon Drury circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Oakland A’s relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami throws to the plate during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Angels’ Mike Trout, left, scores on a single by Shohei Ohtani as Oakland Athletics catcher Carlos Perez stands at the plate during the sixth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oakland A’s relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oakland A’s relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels relief pitcher Chase Silseth, left, and catcher Matt Thaiss meet on the mound during the eighth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani begins to circle the bases as he watches the flight of his two-run home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left, is congratulated by teammate Brett Phillips as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels star Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Angels outfielder Brett Phillips, center, outfielder Mike Trout and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrate after their 11-3 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Angels star Shohei Ohtani, left, high-fives Manager Phil Nevin after their 11-3 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, right, makes a face at teammate Brett Phillips prior to their game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Angels and the Oakland A’s square off on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

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ANAHEIM — A few days before Brandon Drury continued his offensive explosion in the Angels’ 11-3 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night, he wasn’t feeling so great about himself.

Drury stood on the field during a pregame ceremony on Sunday and accepted his 2022 Silver Slugger Award, which he’d earned as the best-hitting utility player in the National League.

At the time, Drury’s 2023 batting average stood at .182, so he quipped to Manager Phil Nevin that he didn’t deserve the hardware.

Things have taken a dramatic turn since then.

Drury homered, doubled and drove in three runs on Wednesday night. Over his past three games, he is 6 for 13 with three homers. He lifted his OPS from .477 to .730. He has hit four homers this season.

“Love the way he’s swinging the bat right now,” Nevin said. “Driving with authority, going out there with a purpose. It’s good to see.”

In the relative blink of an eye, Drury has gone from a horrible start to exactly what the Angels expected. He has a career .734 OPS. Last season was the best year of his career, with 28 homers and an .813 OPS, good for his first Silver Slugger.

“Baseball’s a crazy game,” Drury said. “You start thinking a little bit too much and trying a little bit too hard. So it’s one of those games where you just gotta keep going because you never know. You take that one swing or see that one pitch and you remember, ‘That’s it. That’s what it was.’ For 60-70 at-bats, I was in there just grinding as much as I can just to get that feel back.”

Drury said the one at-bat that told him it was clicking came in the second inning on Monday night. He got a changeup from Oakland left-hander Ken Waldichuk and hit it over the fence in left-center.

“It’s a swing that I had in the past where I was out front, and able to stay through it a little bit, which I hadn’t had the whole year,” Drury said. “So that kind of brought me back a little bit to the feeling of just kind of being myself. I got a little bit lost in there trying to do so many different things at once. Now I’m just trying to keep it simple. There’s still room for improvement. I’ve been having good at-bats, but there’s also been some bad ones too. So gotta keep going.”

On Wednesday night, Drury’s second-inning double drove in the Angels’ first run of the game against right-hander Luis Medina, who was making his major league debut. Matt Thaiss and Zach Neto followed with doubles as part of a five-run inning.

Neto’s double was significant because he took a first-pitch swing without his distinctive, exaggerated leg kick. Normally he only abandons the leg kick when he has two strikes. Nevin said that was an adjustment specific to Medina, who was getting the ball to the plate so quickly out of the stretch that Neto would not have had time to get his leg down.

The Angels then padded their lead on Hunter Renfroe’s team-leading seventh homer of the season, in the third, and Drury’s two-run shot in the fifth. Shohei Ohtani, who had been in a week-long slump, hit a two-run homer in the eighth.

The beneficiary of the offensive explosion was Patrick Sandoval, who gave up two earned runs in seven innings. He is the first Angels starter other than Shohei Ohtani to make it through the seventh this season.

Sandoval bounced back nicely from allowing five runs in his last start, a loss in New York. He walked a career-high six in that game, and he didn’t walk any this time.

“Never want to walk anyone,” Sandoval said. “So it’s cool. Hopefully, I can keep this rolling on to the next one.”

Chase Silseth, who was just promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day, worked the final two innings as the Angels finished off their first victory by more than two runs since April 8.

Sandoval believes the Angels pitchers can have a cushion often with the way the lineup could produce.

“It’s awesome,” Sandoval said. “We rake, one to nine. We are nasty. The guys are getting hot. It’s going to be fun.”

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The third Home Run of the series for Brandon Drury @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/UQNTXVPB6l

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Shohei squeezes in an HR before the start tomorrow @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/C0zYT7aqNs

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Patrick Sandoval, Nasty Changeup.

Ready whenever you are…. pic.twitter.com/qgfaRMRNC5

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2023

Hunter Renfroe wears the Kabuto more than his regular hat
(106.7 Exit Velocity btw)@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/InluZ9emDY

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Thaiss Thaiss Baby A Ground Rule Double opens things up@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/S03vdjIfbI

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Orange County Register

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Brandon Drury continues big week in Angels’ blowout victory against A’s

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