Gore Gets Torched, Trout Announces His Return, Angels Rout Rangers
Wednesday at Globe Life Field, the Angels jumped on MacKenzie Gore early, piled on often, and cruised to a win we haven’t seen since last month. And Trout — back in the lineup after missing time, with the All-Star Game a week away — crushed a two-run HR 438 feet to left center in the eighth that brought the crowd to its feet and served notice that he’s back.
How It Came Together
Walbert Ureña held the Rangers scoreless, but let’s be honest about what it looked like. Four innings, one hit, zero runs — and five walks. The Rangers left five men on base against him and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Ureña wasn’t sharp. He was lucky. The Rangers beat themselves in those early innings, and Ureña took the gift and got out. Five walks in four innings is not a performance to build on. It helps when the offense backs you up and the ball bounces your way.
What came after was legitimately good. Samy Natera Jr. came out and threw two immaculate innings. Five strikeouts. Zero hits. Zero runs. 24 pitches. The fifth and sixth belonged to him completely, with Smith, Pederson and Lopez all going down swinging in a 1-2-3 fifth. Natera Jr. earned the win. Ryan Zeferjahn followed with a clean seventh — two strikeouts, one hit allowed, no damage. Fermin gave up a solo home run in the eighth to Higashioka. Mitch Farris pitched the ninth to finish the game. The bullpen carried this game once Ureña handed it off.
MacKenzie Gore Was a Disaster
Five innings. Nine hits. Seven earned runs. Seven strikeouts — he had the stuff, he just couldn’t stop the bleeding. Gore finished with 90 pitches, only 60 for strikes, and left with the Angels having already done maximum damage. Collyer came in for the sixth and gave up two more on a Grissom double to right that scored Lowe and Neto. Robby Ahlstrom gave up the Trout homer. The Rangers burned through five pitchers – Gore, Collyer, Peoples, Alhstrom, and eventually Higashioka, who came in to pitch after his pinch hit homer and gave up two more in the ninth. When your catcher is pitching the ninth inning of a 13-1 game, the night has gone about as wrong as it can go.
Angels Offense
The first inning started it. Neto doubled to left. Grissom singled to left, scoring Neto. 1-0, easy.
The fourth inning made it a game. Grissom singled again. Adell stepped in with one on and parked one 359 feet to right — two-run homer, his 13th of the year, 3-0.
The fifth inning broke it open. Neto doubled to left again — his second of the night. Trout walked. Grissom singled to left, scoring Neto, Trout moving to third. Then Adell again — 433 feet to dead center, three-run bomb, Trout and Grissom both score. 7-0. Two home runs, five RBI on the night for Adell.
The sixth put it away. Lowe walked, Neto reached on an infield single, Trout grounded out moving both runners up, and Grissom doubled to right — Lowe scored, Neto scored. 9-0. Grissom went 4-for-5 with four RBI. That is a night.
The eighth inning brought us vintage Michael Nelson Trout, blasting one 438 feet to left center. 11-0 Angels.
What a way to celebrate your 15-year MLB debut.
The ninth got us 2 more runs to improve our season run differential +12 this evening. Adell was HBP, Guzman doubled to left, Peraza hit a sacrifice fly and Siri added a single to to put the Halos up 13-1 for good.
Neto: 3-for-5, 3 runs scored, two doubles. Adell: 2-for-4, 3 runs scored, 2 HR, 5 RBI.
The Bottom Line
The Angels needed a dominant win after a 7 game losing streak. The offense showed up, the pitching held their own, and Mike Trout is back!!
