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Mickey Moniak delivered when it mattered most. In the sixth inning, he smashed a go-ahead double that helped the Los Angeles Angels rally past the Atlanta Braves for a 3-2 victory on Friday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Logan O’Hoppe also played a key role in the win. He broke out of a frustrating 0-for-29 slump with a game-tying home run in the fourth inning, boosting the team’s spirits and setting the stage for Moniak’s heroics.
Moniak, who had struggled earlier in the homestand with just one hit in 11 at-bats, came up big when it counted. He just missed a home run, crushing Pierce Johnson’s curveball off the right-field wall. The hit drove in Nolan Schanuel, who had drawn a leadoff walk against Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach (4-6).
“Every time Mickey gets a pitch to hit, he does something special,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “We needed that tonight. Both teams were fighting for runs, and we managed to get the crucial ones.”
Brock Burke (1-0), the third of six pitchers for the Angels, earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Ben Joyce stepped up to record five crucial outs, securing his second save of the season.
“We had to rely on the bullpen, especially after José Soriano ran out of steam,” Washington noted. “Everyone contributed, and that’s what we needed tonight.”
The Braves had their chances, collecting eight hits and drawing seven walks. However, they couldn’t capitalize in key moments, leaving 11 runners on base and going just 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
“We had our opportunities, but just couldn’t get that big hit,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker.”When you’re having trouble scoring, you hope for that one hit to break the tension, but it just didn’t happen for us.”
Schwellenbach allowed three runs on four hits over five-plus innings. He struck out eight, bringing his season total to 85, the most by a Braves pitcher in their first 13 games.
O’Hoppe’s fourth-inning homer, his 17th of the season and third among MLB catchers, tied the game at 2-2.
“I felt a lot of weight lift off my shoulders with that swing,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s been a tough stretch, but this is something to build on.”
Atlanta took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Marcell Ozuna led off with a single, and Matt Olson followed with a walk. Sean Murphy then lined a single to left, driving in Ozuna. Jarred Kelenic added another run with a chopper that third baseman Anthony Rendon couldn’t handle cleanly.
The Angels responded in the bottom of the inning.O’Hoppe took a low curveball from Schwellenbach and launched it into the center-field stands, bringing the Angels level and setting the stage for their eventual victory.
