Kevin Pillar hit two home runs and brought in six runs, assisting Patrick Sandoval and the Los Angeles Angels in defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0 on Tuesday night.
Logan O’Hoppe contributed four hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which had lost three consecutive games and five out of six . Willie Calhoun walked twice and scored three times.
Sandoval (2-5) struck out seven in seven innings, earning his first win since April 3 against Miami. The left-hander allowed three hits and walked one.
“Tonight, Sandoval was exceptional,” Angels manager Ron Washington praised. “Our starters have given us six innings in the last eight games, and that’s what we aim for with these guys.”
Sandoval’s seven innings marked a season-high. “I just need to understand myself better and pitch like I did tonight, being the best version of myself,” Sandoval reflected. “I’m capable of this.”
The Angels took the lead for good when Pillar hit a three-run homer against Quinn Priester in the fourth. Mickey Moniak singled and Calhoun walked before Pillar sent the ball to the left-field bleachers for his second homer of the season.
“We put everything together,” Washington remarked. “It all started with the pitcher, and it was ignited by the big hit from Pillar, something we’ve been searching for. He delivered, and then it spread from there.”
Pillar led off the seventh inning with another homer to left off Roansy Contreras. It marked Pillar’s seventh career multihomer game and his first since 2021 with the New York Mets. He doubled in a run in the eighth inning off Josh Fleming.
The veteran outfielder joined Los Angeles on April 30 after Angels star Mike Trout was placed on the 10-day injured list with a knee injury. Pillar, 35, had only played three games with the Angels before Tuesday and had one hit in six at-bats.
The Angels are Pillar’s ninth team since 2019. “It’s moments like that where you keep working hard in the cage,” Pillar reflected. “It’s been a lot of effort leading up to this. My father taught me at a young age to keep working hard and keep my head down. It’s validation that I can still make an impact.”
Nolan Schanuel and Moniak each contributed two hits for Los Angeles, which had only scored three runs in their previous three games.
