Matt Thaiss drove in a career-high five runs, and Jo Adell hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Angels came back from a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-7 on Tuesday night.
Thaiss became the first Angels catcher to drive in five runs and steal two bases in the same game. He is only the second catcher in major league history to do this, following Detroit’s Mickey Cochrane in 1934.
“He just delivered big tonight but he’s been there before every time he plays, whether it’s getting pitchers through innings or whether he’s coming up with big hits,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Thaiss’ fifth start this month.
Taylor Ward drove in three runs for the Angels, who were behind 6-2 after two innings but won for the sixth time in nine games.
Los Angeles was ahead 7-6 before Ezequiel Tovar’s seventh-inning homer off José Quijada (1-0), who earned his first big league win since July 28, 2019, as a rookie with Miami. The Angels retired 16 batters in a row before the home run.
Adell hit his 16th homer in the bottom half of the inning, a drive off Jake Bird (1-2). Adell has hit three go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or later this season.
“It was a lot of fun to be down like we were and to claw back and fight back,” Thaiss said. “That was really cool and a big part of that was what Griff did from innings three through six. We don’t win that game if he doesn’t step up right there and do what he did.”
Zach Neto drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt in the eighth — he was called safe by first base umpire Tony Randazzo but a video review showed pitcher Justin Lawrence fielded the ball and tagged Neto before Neto reached first. Thaiss also added an RBI single.
Hunter Strickland got three straight outs for his first save since Aug. 1, 2022, for Cincinnati.
