The Los Angeles Angels will look to achieve something they have not done since April 20 when they open a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
After sweeping the Boston Red Sox in three games, the Angels are at .500 for the first time since May 23. A win Friday would give them a winning record for the first time since they walked off the San Francisco Giants 5-4 more than two months ago to move their record to 11-10.
The Angels have won seven of their last 10 and are a game behind the Seattle Mariners for second place in the American League West.
“There’s a good vibe,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said after Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Red Sox. “I think the guys are loose. They’re having fun. They don’t feel like they’re out of any game, and you can kind of feel it in the dugout. Just keep playing, keep grinding.”
Jose Soriano (5-5, 3.39 ERA) will get the start for the Angels, who have won each of his last three starts. He earned his first win since May 30 when he threw 6 2/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball in a 9-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday, when he also struck out 10 and walked three.
The 26-year-old right-hander has one career start against the Nationals. On Aug. 9, 2024, he went six innings and allowed one run on a walk and four hits. Soriano also struck out seven, but got a no-decision as the host Nationals rallied to win 3-2 in 10 innings.
Offensively, outfielder Jo Adell is enjoying a season-high eight-game hitting streak — one off the longest in his career. The 2017 first-round draft pick continues to show signs of growth in his sixth season in the majors. Four of his nine hits during the streak have been home runs. His 17 homers for the season tie him with catcher Logan O’Hoppe for second on the team behind Taylor Ward’s 19.
It has been a long month for the Nationals. Dave Martinez’s team has won just five of 23 games in June. Currently on a nine-game California road trip, Washington has lost four of the six contests so far. Earlier this month, the Nationals endured an 11-game skid that was the team’s longest winless streak since 2008.
Jake Irvin (6-3, 4.18 ERA) will take the mound for the Nationals. He earned the win last Saturday when he held the Los Angeles Dodgers to two runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-3 victory. The third-year right-hander, 28, struck out seven and did not issue a walk for only the second time in his 16 starts this season.
Friday’s appearance will be his first start against the Angels.
Three of Washington’s four losses on the current road trip have been by one run. That included a 1-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, when the Nationals mustered just three hits and could not provide any support for their ace, MacKenzie Gore.
“That’s on us, that’s on the lineup,” said center fielder Jacob Young. “He keeps us in almost every game. We just haven’t been able to score the runs.”
Washington’s lineup features several young hitters, led by left fielder James Wood. The 22-year-old leads the team with 22 home runs and 63 RBI in his first full season in the majors.
–Field Level Media
