Zach Neto went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run and the Los Angeles Angels held on to snap a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Vaughn Grissom delivered an RBI double to cap the Angels’ three-run third inning.
Los Angeles’ Jose Fermin (4-2) struck out three during 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief for the Angels, who had dropped their previous three games. Samy Natera Jr. garnered his third save, striking out two during a 1-2-3 ninth.
Joc Pederson homered and walked three times, Jarred Kelenic drove in a run with a pinch-hit single and Brandon Nimmo had two hits and a run for Texas, which lost for the fourth time in five games this season in Anaheim.
The Rangers had won five of their previous six contests overall.
Cody Bradford (0-1), making his second start since 2024 after undergoing internal brace surgery on his left elbow, took the loss despite making a quality start. He allowed three runs on five hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out one over seven innings. He left after throwing just 75 pitches, 49 for strikes.
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Pederson led off with his 22nd home run, a 416-foot drive to center off Ryan Johnson.
Los Angeles rebounded to take a 3-1 lead in the third inning.
Wade Meckler led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Tyler Heineman and scored on a single by Neto. After Mike Trout was hit by a pitch, Neto and Trout executed a double steal. Nolan Schanuel then drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly, and Grissom followed with a double into the left field corner to knock in Trout.
The Rangers cut the gap to 3-2 in the sixth inning. Nimmo singled, went to second on a single by Ezequiel Duran and scored two outs later on Kelenic’s pinch-hit single to center.
That was the last hit of the game for Texas, which managed just a Pederson walk over the final three innings.
Before the game, the Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.
–Field Level Media
