Jose Soriano struck out 10 over eight innings and Jo Adell and Zach Neto homered to lead the Los Angeles Angels to their third straight victory, 6-2 over the Atlanta Braves on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano (3-0) allowed one run on three hits, retiring 19 in a row at one point. He didn’t walk a batter and left after throwing 97 pitches, 69 for strikes. Jordan Romano got the final out to pick up his fourth save as the Angels logged their third consecutive victory.
Drake Baldwin homered and had two hits and Mauricio Dubon also went deep for Atlanta, which lost its third straight game.
Braves starter Chris Sale (2-1) gave up six runs on five hits, two walks and two hit batters in four-plus innings.
Sale, who entered the contest with a 8-0 record and 1.28 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Angels, struck out seven. It marked the first time since June 1, 2024, against the Athletics that the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed six runs in a game.
Atlanta jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Baldwin’s fifth home run of the season, a 397-foot drive into the bleachers in right. It was the first run allowed this season by Soriano, snapping a 12-inning streak.
Los Angeles tied it in the bottom of the first when Neto drove Sale’s first pitch of the game 400 feet over the bullpen in left for his fourth homer and 11th career leadoff home run.
The Angels took advantage of Sale’s wildness to take a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
Jorge Soler was hit in the foot by a pitch to start the inning, advanced to second on a single by Adell and took third when Jeimer Candelario walked to load the bases. Logan O’Hoppe followed with a walk to force in a run. One out later, Yoan Moncada was hit in the shin by a pitch, driving in another run. Bryce Teodosio then hit an infield single to make it 4-1.
Los Angeles extended its edge to 6-1 in the fifth, chasing Sale in the process. Soler led off with a single and Adell followed with a 411-foot homer to left-center.
Dubon led off the ninth with a home run down the left field line off reliever Chase Silseth to cap the scoring.
The contest was the opener of a three-game series.
–Field Level Media
