ANAHEIM — Trailing by a run in the seventh inning, the Angels used a couple of overdue home runs to break the game open.
Mike Trout got the rally started with a solo homer and Kevin Newman added a three-run homer, leading to a six-run inning and an 8-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.
Trout has been back from the injured list for about a month, but his bat has been relatively quiet ever since a flurry in the first few games.
Newman’s bat has been relatively quiet all season, relegating him to the bench on most days. He has only been starting this weekend because shortstop Zach Neto is still nursing a shoulder injury.
The Angels were down 2-1 when Trout led off the bottom of the seventh with a homer.
Trout had not driven in a run to tie the score or give the Angels the lead in the seventh inning or later since April 15, 2024.
Trout was hitting .111 this season in “late and close” situations, which are defined as any situation in the seventh or later with the hitting team up by a run, tied or with the tying run at least on deck.
That he did it with a homer was also notable. Trout hadn’t hit a homer since June 19. He’s hit only four homers in 27 games since returning from a knee injury.
Trout said he felt something was off in his first at-bat when he struck out, and so he and the hitting coaches went to work adjusting his posture for the rest of the game.
“I missed a heater down the middle that I usually hit,” Trout said. “Just felt really long. And, we looked at some video during the game and made an adjustment.”
Interim manager Ray Montgomery said it was nice to get a big moment from Trout.
“Never gets old,” Montgomery said. “He’s capable of changing the game every time he’s in it, and every time he’s at the plate. Not surprising. He’s been grinding. It’s huge to have his presence, both obviously what he brings offensively, but just in the dugout, around the guys. It’s awesome.”
Taylor Ward followed the homer with a double, and then Jo Adell singled, putting runners on the corners. Two outs later, the Angels hadn’t gotten the go-ahead run home. Christian Moore punched a single into left field to put the Angels on top.
Newman then launched his first homer of the season, in his 85th plate appearance, to give the Angels a 6-2 lead.
Newman came into the game with a .188 average and a .410 OPS. Neto’s injury has provided him the opportunity to play consecutive games.
“When you don’t get regular ABs and you’re coming off the bench and you’re asked to do the things that role is asked to do, it’s tough,” said Montgomery, who was a bench player during his brief major league career. “For those that have done it, they know how hard it is. So it’s hard to get into a rhythm. So just to put a couple AB’s back to back, a couple nights, to get him a little more comfortable, was good.”
Newman said he wasn’t thinking about the homer in terms of what it meant for his season.
“More importantly than whatever I’ve been through, I think that just to come through in a situation that, to help give us some extra runs in a tight game, is what’s most important,” Newman said. “I think that just resulting in a win is the biggest takeaway.”
The Angels got a sixth run on Ward’s bases-loaded walk. Left-hander Reid Detmers and right-hander Sam Bachman then picked up the final six outs, getting the Angels (41-41) a victory on a night when their pitchers were able to bounce back from Friday’s 15-9 nightmare loss.
Angels starter Kyle Hendricks gave up one run in five innings, once again delivering what the Angels hoped to get for their modest $2.5 million investment.
Hendricks has an unspectacular 4.66 ERA, but he’s pitched at least five innings in 14 of his 16 starts. He’s allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of them. The Angels have been ahead or tied when he’s left the game 10 times. Their overall record is 8-8 when he starts.
On Saturday night, Hendricks threw 74 pitches and 36% of them were either called strikes or swinging strikes, which was his highest percentage of the season.
Hendricks didn’t walk a batter, and he struck out five. He didn’t allow a run until CJ Abrams hit a homer with two outs in the fifth.
It was a solid bounce-back from his previous start, when he was charged with five runs on eight hits in five innings.
“Back to myself after the last outing,” Hendricks said. “I felt off, especially mechanically. Today, just back into my legs. Back in my mechanics. Got the ball down in the zone a lot better, and saw a lot of the similar results I was getting before the last start.”