Luis Rengifo delivered a crucial RBI single in the seventh inning, Logan O’Hoppe added a two-run homer, and the Los Angeles Angels came from behind to defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Saturday.
In the seventh inning with two outs, Nolan Schanuel walked, stole his first career base, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Giants catcher Curt Casali. Rengifo then hit a soft single off Ryan Walker (4-3) to bring Schanuel home, breaking the 3-3 tie.
“It was a pivotal moment,” Angels manager Ron Washington commented on Schanuel’s baserunning. “It gave Rengifo an opportunity to put the ball in play, which he did. He found a gap and drove in the run that turned out to be the game-winner.”
Mickey Moniak extended his hitting streak to seven games with a solo home run in the second inning, following up on his three-hit performance the previous day.
Matt Moore (3-2) pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief to earn the win, while Carlos Estévez closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning for his 12th save of the season.
The Angels will aim for their third series sweep of the season with a win on Sunday. The Giants, who had won five of their last seven games before this series, have now dropped the first two games against the Angels.
O’Hoppe tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning with a towering two-run homer off Giants starter Keaton Winn, who allowed three runs over six innings. O’Hoppe’s home run traveled 467 feet, the longest hit at Oracle Park this season. The 24-year-old now leads MLB with a six-game streak of extra-base hits.
“We really needed that,” Washington said of O’Hoppe’s contribution. “He’s swinging the bat the way we know he can.”
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval pitched five innings, giving up three runs while working around eight hits.
“I didn’t feel particularly sharp today,” Sandoval admitted. “But I made some key pitches when I needed to and worked through some tough situations.”
