Zach Neto hit a two-run double in the seventh inning, breaking the tie and helping the Los Angeles Angels win their first home series of the season with a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.
Luis Rengifo also contributed with an early run for the Angels. This win marks their first series victory in ten attempts, and they achieved back-to-back home victories for the first time since early September.
Despite having the worst home record in the majors at 9-21, the Angels managed to hold the Padres to just three runs in 18 innings. “It’s a significant win,” Neto expressed. “The fans and the team deserve it, so we need to continue playing the way we know.”
Adam Mazur had a strong major league debut, pitching six innings of one-run ball for the Padres. However, their powerhouse lineup, led by Manny Machado, struggled against the Angels.
After facing difficulty against Mazur, the Angels managed to break through in the seventh inning against the Padres’ bullpen. With the bases loaded, Neto hit a double over Jurickson Profar’s head in left field, bringing in three runs. Mickey Moniak later scored on a wild pitch.
“I thought I hit it right to (Profar),” Neto said. “That’s why it took me a while to get out of the box. It’s an amazing feeling to come through like that, especially when we’ve struggled with runners in scoring position.”
In the eighth inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado singled for the Padres. Jake Cronenworth then drove in Tatis with a two-out single off Luis García. However, Hunter Strickland, who had escaped two previous jams, managed to get Ha-Seong Kim to pop up, securing the win for the Angels.
Matt Moore pitched the seventh inning for the Angels. Carlos Estévez pitched the ninth inning and earned his second save in two days, making it his 10th save overall.
Adam Mazur is a 23-year-old pitcher who was drafted in the second round from the University of Iowa. He only started four games for Triple-A El Paso before being called up to join the Padres due to injuries to Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove.
Mazur walked four batters but managed to limit the damage by allowing only two singles. “Mazur was outstanding,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He pitched six clean innings, was efficient, and worked his way out of trouble when needed.”
Patrick Sandoval pitched well for the Angels, giving up one run on four hits over six innings. This was his second consecutive strong performance.
“It was one of those days where everything clicked,” Sandoval said. “I felt good, and my pitches were working well.” Sandoval, who had been inconsistent in the past, struck out seven batters and threw a season-high 70% of his pitches for strikes.
“I thought he competed well tonight,” commented Angels manager Ron Washington. “He stayed focused and didn’t let anything distract him.”
The Angels struggled to get hits against Mazur but managed to score a run in the third inning. Luis Guillorme walked, advanced on a groundout, and scored on Rengifo’s single.
