Zach Neto’s tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning led the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-5 victory in Kansas City on Tuesday, ending the Royals’ five-game winning streak.
The Angels had lost three straight and six of their past seven games.
Neto led off the sixth with his team-leading 19th homer, snapping a 2-2 tie. Logan O’Hoppe and Anthony Rendon added run-scoring singles in the inning for a 5-2 lead.
Topping the majors with a .400 average against left-handed pitchers, Neto scored twice and had two hits and a walk. He owns a .317 average in 35 games since July 9.
Kevin Pillar concluded a 14-pitch plate appearance with a sacrifice fly during a two-run seventh as Los Angeles compiled its biggest offensive outburst since scoring nine on Aug. 8. The Angels collected eight hits and four walks against four Royals relievers.
Highlighted by Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI double and Vinnie Pasquantino’s two-run single, Kansas City chased Angels starter Tyler Anderson with four straight hits opening the seventh, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
Anderson (10-11) allowed five runs on 12 hits in six-plus innings, walking two and striking out two. He became the Angels first left hander to win 10 games in a season since Hector Santiago in 2016.
The Angels added two ninth-inning runs on Jo Adell’s RBI double and a squeeze bunt by Jack Lopez.
Three Los Angeles relievers pitched one hitless inning apiece.
Batting .229 as a team with runners in scoring-position prior to Tuesday, the Angels collected five hits in 16 such at-bats.
Los Angeles was hitless until Nolan Schanuel and Pillar opened the fourth with doubles along the left field line to produce the game’s first run. Pillar subsequently scored on Rendon’s sacrifice fly.
The Royals answered in the bottom half of the frame with doubles to right by Witt and Pasquantino, then tied the game 2-2 on an RBI single by Hunter Renfroe.
Witt finished with three hits and Pasquantino had three RBIs.
Kansas City starter Cole Ragans (10-8) pitched five-plus innings, allowing five runs — four earned — on three hits and three walks. Ragans, who fanned nine, ranks second in the American League with 183 strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
