José Soriano pitched eight dominant innings and the Angels got home runs from Zach Neto and Jo Adell in a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Neto launched a leadoff shot on Chris Sale’s first pitch, and Soriano (3-0) struck out 10 as the Angels won their third consecutive game. The right-hander gave up one run and three hits without issuing a walk, throwing 69 of his 96 pitches for strikes.
Soriano gave up a solo homer to Drake Baldwin and a single to Matt Olson in the first, then retired 19 straight batters before Mike Yastrzemski led off the eighth with a single.
Mauricio Dubón homered off Angels reliever Chase Silseth in the ninth. Atlanta put two on with two outs before Jordan Romano replaced Silseth and got Yastrzemski to fly out for his fourth save.
The Angels played without star center fielder Mike Trout, who exited Sunday’s game against Seattle after getting hit on the left hand by a 94-mph fastball in the eighth. Trout’s hand swelled so quickly he struggled to remove his batting glove, but X-rays were negative and he is listed as day to day.
Sale (2-1) entered 8-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 11 career games against the Angels, but Neto slammed the left-hander’s first pitch, a 95-mph fastball, for a homer to left field.
Angels star Zach Neto celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Braves on Monday.
(Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
Sale retired his next nine batters but fell apart during a three-run fourth in which the Angels drew two walks, were twice hit by pitches, had two runners forced out at the plate and hit one ball out of the infield.
Logan O’Hoppe walked and Yoán Moncada was hit by a pitch, both with the bases loaded, to account for two runs. Bryce Teodosio drove in a run with an infield single for a 4-1 lead.
Jorge Soler opened the fifth with a single, and Adell drove a first-pitch fastball 411 feet to left for a two-run homer — his first of the season — and a 6-1 advantage.
