Mickey Moniak and Logan O’Hoppe stop their slumps to lift Angels over Braves
Mickey Moniak hit a go-ahead double in the sixth inning and Logan O’Hoppe stopped an 0-for-29 slump with a tying homer in the fourth and the Angels beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Friday night to stop their three-game losing streak.
Moniak, who was one for 11 on the homestand when he came up to bat, narrowly missed a home run when he drilled Pierce Johnson’s curveball off the right-field wall. That drove in Nolan Schanuel, who drew a walk from Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach (4-6) leading off the inning.
“Every time they get a ball close to him he does some damage,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We needed what he gave us tonight. Both teams were stretching to score runs and we scored more than them.”
Sure Hunter Greene has vomited on the mound three times this season with the Reds, but the ex-Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High star is a serious Cy Young Award contender.
Brock Burke (1-0), the third of six Angels pitchers, earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Ben Joyce got five outs for his second save.
“We had to piece that together, especially after [starting pitcher José] Soriano ran out of gas,” Washington said. “Everyone came in and did a good job. We needed the bullpen to step up and they did.”
The Braves had eight hits and drew seven walks, but were unable to get the clutch hit they needed after the fourth inning. They left 11 on base and were two for 12 with runners in scoring position.
“We had a lot of opportunities. Just couldn’t get a big hit,” manager Brian Snitker said. “When you’re having trouble scoring runs, you hope someone gets a big hit and relaxes everyone. But we’ve had a hard time doing that.”
Schwellenbach gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in five-plus innings. He struck out eight and has 85 strikeouts this season, most by a Braves pitcher through their first 13 games in franchise history.
O’Hoppe tied the score 2-2 in the fourth with his 17th homer, which is third among catchers in the majors.
“I felt like a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s been a tough week, but it’s not over yet. It’s a good sign and I feel like I have something to latch onto and build off,” O’Hoppe said.
Atlanta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Marcell Ozuna led off with a base hit and Matt Olson walked before Sean Murphy lined a single to left field to drive in Ozuna. Jarred Kelenic brought in Olson with a one-out chopper that third baseman Anthony Rendon was unable to handle cleanly.
Daulton Varsho hit a three-run home run as the Toronto Blue Jays finished off a three-game sweep of the Angels.
The Angels tied it in the home half when O’Hoppe drove a low curveball from Schwellenbach into the center-field stands. O’Hoppe drove in Schanuel, who got aboard with a leadoff double down the left-field line.
Injury update: Rendon was removed from the game in the fourth with a bruised right elbow.
Up next: Braves left-hander Chris Sale (13-3, 2.61 ERA), who leads the National League in wins and ERA, threw seven scoreless innings at San Francisco on Monday. Angels right-hander Griffin Canning (4-10, 5.11) has yielded at least four runs in three of his last five starts.
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