Two evenly matched teams played a very tight game tonight. The scoring kicked off when Kyren Paris launched a two run homer in the second inning.
That lead held for most of the game but turned into a deficit in the 7th inning. Ben Joyce got knocked around and the Rays took a 3-2 lead.
But that’s when Travis d’Arnaud stepped to the plate to even things up.
A scoreless frame by Brock Burke gave the Angels a chance to win it late. And that looked to be the case when Luis Rengifo came through with a clutch single to give the Angels a 4-3 lead in the top of the 9th.
Unfortunately, Luis Rengifo was then tasked with playing defense in the bottom of the 9th. First liner bounced off his glove for a leadoff single. Then he misplayed a sacrifice bunt and turned it into a hit.
Fortunately, he took the next chopper and delivered a strike home to cut down the runner. One out, tying run on third, go ahead run on first, and an erratic Kenley Jansen on the mound. It looked dire. But Kenley got a K to get to two outs.
The go ahead run took second base, but Jansen kept pounding the strike zone. He got another K and the game was over. Save number 450 for Jansen!
Light that baby up! What a great win to kick off the road trip.
Those last couple innings must have been really demoralizing for the Rays, nice to be on the other side of one of those wins for a change.
That’s 7-3 over the 1st 1/16 of the season. Not a bad start.
Is this team actually good?
We are tonite
All this winning and we are still pretty much missing Trout, Neto and Ward from the lineup.
When they get hot, and if the pitching holds, we might not lose 100 games!
Hey Mia, the Angels are actually higher in their division than the Dodgers are, ha, ha.
Since FS71 is MIA again
Did he Freaky Friday us again? OMG.
Well, we are in first place now. Just got to hold it for likkkee…. what 23 weeks? I’m still about for weeks from starting to get stupid thoughts that start with ‘maybe we can…” but this is still loads of fun.
Hendricks? WTF man? You’re supposed to really suck.
How many more decades do we give adell to figure it out
I dunno. One? Or are you like God. A game is as a single year to you?
Same for ward. I thought he figured it out 3 years ago.
Boom shakalala
https://x.com/WayneRandazzo/status/1909815684357374038
That was pure cinema by Jansen. I always thought he was highly overrated when he was with the Doyers but his resume and that performance tonight changed my mind on him. Pure veteran confidence.
The guy has never had an xERA higher than 3.25 in sixteen seasons, and has delivered 50+ appearances in every season except pandemic-shortened 2020. He’s been arguably the most reliable reliever in the sport for a generation.
Saves are pretty meaningless, but Jansen has been Mr Consistency for a good long time.
It seems the Halos are making the most of their hits. How many double-digit hit games have they even had?
3, but not including tonight, but also including tonight
They just squeezed that win out. Joyce just didn’t have the magic tonight.
Hope so dude.
How much skin does this team have on its teeth? Or are they a shark? SHARKBALL!
Fansince 71 is again missing in action when we need him most.
I think it is time we all fire him from his Shufflebot duties …. What do you all think ??
He’s protesting the season right?
From Shufflebot or just not buying tickets to games ??
Lack of Shufflebot supports the former. Also, I’m just kidding
Actually, I know he definitely said he wasn’t renewing his season tickets.
He sacrificed for the greater good because why give up when the tide finally turns ? Oh right, Arte!
Two game suspension
I’m as High as Wayne Randazzo’s Pompadour!
Haha
I take complete credit for the dub tonight. I got mad when they had runners on 2nd and 3rd vs. Jansen and I turned it off. Clearly giving them the push they needed to win.
Thanks for taking one for the team there JM
Ward needs to move to the back of the lineup and have someone else bat leadoff until he can find his stroke
The problem is that we have 6 guys that need to do that. Other than Paris, Schanuel, and O’Hoppe, nobody else is really hitting. Heefo is starting to heat up a little bit.
Heefo was huge tonight with that clutch two out go ahead hit …. Maybe time to move him to lead-off spot ?
Gifo dude is an enigma wrapped in a riddle while trapped in a paradox. Great at bats to get a walk and the winning single. Then single handily tried to give it away on defense. I’ve adjusted my expectations and try to embrace the chaos.
No doubt that his defense is the big question mark. Almost makes me want to put him at DH.
2/3 of the team needs to bat 8th or 9th till they get their act together. Now, let me launch into my unpaid professional swing anal cyst on like seven guys…..
Logged on to say the same, he/s garbage right now. This has got to be his last year here.
We’re 10 games in. Let’s give it some time before we throw him to the wolves. He’ll figure it out.
Yes the Dire Wolves are still to young
Joyce being a thrower is why they brought in Jansen, a pitcher. Ditto for Hendricks over Detmers. It’s a long season, yada yada yada but, the early returns are nice.
We need to fix Detmers because he and Dana need to be in the rotation next year.
I agree. Still, until they are “fixed”, these are proving to be wise signings.
At what point do we concern ourselves with the OF production – or lack there of?
I agree. How much leash do you give Adell. His past hasn’t been that productive like Ward so Ward gets a longer leash I think
I think you just have to ride it out for now. Neto should help and Heefo is starting to hit but Ward, Trout, Soler and Adell are ice cold.
Who do we replace them with? Even if you put Paris in center, you replace Paris with Newman, or maybe Anderson after Neto returns, Not much of an improvement.
Therein lies the rub. It’s not as though we have a rising talent ready to roll in the pipeline.
As others mention. Neto returning should “lengthen” the lineup and that alone will be helpful.
I so think Trout is “close”. The K rate is not bad and he’s drawing BB’s.
The way we used the bullpen tonight I’m sure Detmers will be getting huge opportunities this road trip.
Mid-May. Accept for Adell. The other two have pretty solid track records to point to.
Welp … there goes our 6-and-14 dreams!!!!!!
😛
Neto with another HR for the Bees tonight. Has been on base in his first three appearances.
Can’t be too much longer now.
We need him because we only have 3 guys who are hitting right now.
Wash will be batting Neto 9th for the first month so he can get his feet wet.
Stupid manager. Driving this incredibly talented squad starit into the ground.
And yet we’re 7-3
Of course, he struck out swinging in his next plate appearance, lol.
But that was the first out he’s made since Saturday. They didn’t get him out once on Sunday.
Arte needs to market the milestones better.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GoDv4WDbwAEiRkL?format=jpg
Yeah for a marketing guy he’s not paying attention.