Bowden Francis retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced in seven innings and Will Wagner had a sparkling major league debut, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Outside of allowing a third-inning solo shot by Mickey Moniak, Francis (5-3) was perfect, striking out eight without issuing a walk in an 81-pitch outing.
Wagner, the son of former major league closer Billy Wagner, had a double in the second in his first major league at-bat and finished 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Leo Jimenez also recorded a milestone for the Blue Jays, hitting his first career home run, a two-run shot, during a four-run third.
The Angels finished with just two hits in the game, both solo home runs. Jo Adell hit his team-leading 18th homer of the season in the ninth inning against Toronto closer Chad Green.
Green went on to pick up his 12th save of the year.
Angels starter Davis Daniel (1-4) got through the first two innings unscathed before the Blue Jays put together a rally in the third. To start the outburst, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled with one out and scored on Spencer Horwitz’s ground-rule double for a 1-0 lead.
One out later, Will Wagner drove in Horwitz with a single for his first big-league RBI.
Jimenez then hit an 0-2 fastball deep to center field. Moniak got a glove on the ball as he leaped and reached over the fence, but he was unable to make the catch, resulting in the two-run homer that made it 4-0.
Moniak got one run back in the bottom of the third, hitting his eighth home run of the season to cut the Angels’ deficit to 4-1. But Los Angeles’ offense was stifled the rest of the way.
Daniel was tagged for four runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked two and fanned five.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe had to leave the game after the sixth inning due to right knee soreness.
–Field Level Media
