Happy Junk Day Postgame

Happy Junk Day! Janson Junk got the start today and we got some early production from unlikely guys. Jack Mayfield scored Phil Gosselin on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and then Juan Lagares doubled in Taylor Ward in the second inning to make it 2-0 Angels. Lagares got picked off at third base to end the second inning. I heard you are not supposed to make the third out at third. Shohei Ohtani was at bat at the time. Disappointing to say the least!

Shohei Ohtani went 0-fer his first two at bats. Luckily, Junk kept it at 2-0 Angels for three innings so our customarily tepid offense could hang in there for a little while. Suddenly Janson Junk has become a strikeout pitcher. Fascist or no, I’ll take strikeouts all day long, considering how the Angels bat these days.

Middle Innings

There was a scare in the fourth inning when Ibanez, Trevino, and Tavares all got two-out hits in a row. The Tavares hit scored Ibanez to make it 2-1 Angels. Brock Holt also hit safely to tie the game. (Scary Kids, but I already did the Fright Night Postgame.)

Rengifo beefed up his mighty .191 batting average with a hit in the fifth inning. Then David Fletcher hit into a double play to end the Angels’ half of the fifth inning and keep the game a tie. Double plus ungood.

All right. Walsh and Junk made a nice play to start off the fifth by preventing a double. The next guy reached base, so of course Joe Maddon came in to remove the starter. It’s in the rules. Junk had walked nobody. He was supposed to walk a bunch of guys according to the rules. What is up with all those strikeouts? Are you sure? Austin Warren came in to pitch. He closed out the inning to keep it at 2-2. I thought that not scoring inherited runners was against the rules as well. (Still trying to figure this out on the fly).

Shohei Ohtani singled, stole second, made it to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and then scored on a timely single by Jack Mayfield. 3-1 Angels. Kurt Suzuki then hit safely to keep the inning alive for Jared Walsh. (Well, I admit there was only one out at the time anyway.) Walsh Also hit safely past Kiner-Falefa. If Junk hadn’t been pulled, Junk could probably have pitched into the seventh inning. His pitch count was quite low. The hit parade this inning continued until the Angels were up 6-2.

Late Innings

It remained 6- 2 Angels through the 8th inning, despite Steve Cishek. The Angels scored another run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh. Kudos to Raisel Iglesias for not giving up the game in a non-save situation. The Angels won the game 7-2.