The visiting Los Angeles Angels broke up a scoreless game with four runs in the eighth inning and beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Tuesday in the opener of their three-game series.
The Angels have won five of their last seven and pulled back to the .500 mark. The Braves have lost five of their last six and dropped to eight games below .500.
With one out in the eighth, Mike Trout delivered a hustle double and Taylor Ward walked. Jo Adell then lined a changeup from reliever Dylan Lee (1-3) down the left-field line for a double to drive in the first run.
Former Brave Jorge Soler greeted new pitcher Enyel De Los Santos with a double to drive in a pair, and pinch-runner Gustavo Campero scored on an RBI single by Luis Rengifo.
A trio of Los Angeles relievers — Jose Fermin (1-0), Reid Detmers and Kenley Jansen — covered the final three innings to complete the team’s fifth shutout. It was the seventh time Atlanta has been blanked this season.
The starting pitchers both worked six scoreless innings.
Atlanta’s Grant Holmes allowed three hits, three walks and struck out 10 — his second game with double-digit strikeouts — and departed after throwing 106 pitches. LA’s Tyler Anderson gave up four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Both teams wasted scoring opportunities.
The Angels left the bases loaded in the fourth and stranded runners on the corners in the fifth.
Atlanta got a leadoff triple from Michael Harris II in the fifth inning — his first extra-base hit since June 20 — but were unable to drive him home.
Atlanta’s Matt Olson had a hit and walk and extended his career-best on-base streak to 31 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors. The last Atlanta player to surpass 30 games was Freddie Freeman, who reach base in 33 straight in 2020.
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. struck out four times for the second time in his career; the other occasion was Sept. 13, 2020, against the Nationals.
–Field Level Media
