ANAHEIM ― Whether the Angels wind up buying, selling, or standing pat before Friday’s trade deadline remains to be seen. Give credit where it’s due: the Angels have worked wonders just to make it interesting.
On the same day that All-Star first baseman Jared Walsh joined Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon on the injured list, journeyman utility player Phil Gosselin stood in as the Angels’ number-3 hitter. Batting behind Shohei Ohtani – whose MLB-leading 37th home run brought the Angels from behind earlier in the night – Gosselin’s eighth-inning single drove in the decisive run in an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Max Stassi and Justin Upton also hit home runs as the Angels (51-50) took two of three games in the interleague series with Colorado (44-58), the fourth-place team in the National League West.
Combined with the Seattle Mariners’ loss earlier in the day, the Angels were able to gain a game on the team directly ahead of them in the AL West standings. They’re five games behind Oakland (57-46) for the second wild card berth.
Angels starter Andrew Heaney has frequently seen his team make marginal upgrades, or sideways moves or – as was the case last season – deal major league players for prospects. Not since his first season with the team, 2015, have the Angels been in the unambiguous position to act as deadline buyers.
“My thing is, I want to be here and I want to win,” said Heaney, who allowed three runs in six innings and didn’t factor into the decision. “I don’t have control over that. The schedule lays out ahead of us. We still play the teams in front of us. That gives us an opportunity to close the gap.
“Players are always going to say we want to keep pushing. That’s why you play the game.”
The Angels had to make a couple of big pushes Wednesday. They trailed 3-1 early, and surrendered a 7-3 lead in the late innings, before coming back to win.
Angels closer Raisel Iglesias couldn’t nail down a rare five-out save attempt with a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning.
Entering the game with a runner on first base, Iglesias allowed back-to-back singles with two outs. The latter allowed Josh Fuentes to scamper home from third base and tie the score, 7-7.
After David Fletcher punched an opposite-field single through the right side of the infield against Carlos Estevez in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ohtani drew his second walk of the game.
Fletcher then advanced to third base on a passed ball charged to catcher Elias Diaz, before Gosselin’s line drive to left field scored Fletcher with the go-ahead run.
Iglesias (7-4) nailed down the win by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Gosselin went 2 for 4, raising his batting average to .294. The 32-year-old has appeared in parts of nine major league seasons. The Angels are his seventh team. Only once has he played in more games, or gotten more at-bats, than he has to this point in 2021.
“When we got him, Larry Bowa called or texted me immediately, and told me how much we would like him,” Manager Joe Maddon said of Gosselin. “He pretty much described him perfectly about walking up to the plate at any time and giving you a great at-bat. This is the kind of guy who can slip through the cracks.”
Heaney left in line for the victory with a 7-3 lead. But right-hander Steve Cishek and left-hander Tony Watson allowed the Rockies to score three runs in the seventh inning.
Down 3-1 in the fourth inning, the Angels turned the tables on the Rockies.
After Adam Eaton and Juan Lagares struck out, Jack Mayfield lined a single to center field to knock Antonio Santos out of the game. Right-hander Jesus Tinoco took over, and a five-run rally broke out.
Tinoco hit Fletcher with a pitch before Ohtani obliterated a fastball over the plate, giving the Angels a 4-3 lead and electrifying the announced crowd of 16,365.
Upton hit his 15th home run of the season two batters later. Stassi’s solo shot in the fifth inning was his ninth of the year.
The Rockies placed their scheduled starter, Chi Chi Gonzalez, on the COVID-19 injured list before the game. Left-handed reliever Lucas Gilbreath was the first of five pitchers to take the ball. Manager Bud Black informed Gilbreath, a 25-year-old rookie, he was starting the game Wednesday afternoon.
19 of Shohei Ohtani’s 37 HR have been 110+ MPH.
It’s also the most in @MLB this season. pic.twitter.com/BDzOJlyqFM
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) July 29, 2021
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