OC Register: Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward provide big hits late to propel Angels past Red Sox

[AngelsWin.com]

BOSTON — Although the Angels don’t often let Jared Walsh face left-handed pitchers, he’s had some of his biggest moments in the big leagues against lefties.

Walsh delivered the game-tying hit with two outs in the ninth inning against lefty Jake Diekman, and then he and Taylor Ward hit home runs in a six-run 10th to lift the Angels to a 10-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Walsh, who also hit a grand slam against New York Yankees lefty closer Aroldis Chapman last season, fought Diekman through a nine-pitch at-bat, eventually yanking a single through the shift to bring home the tying run.

It was the third time the Angels had tied the score, including Max Stassi’s two-run homer in the fifth and Anthony Rendon’s solo homer in the seventh.

They finally took their first lead in the 10th.

Stassi, the automatic runner, was still at second with two outs in the 10th, but Ward then crushed a drive over the Green Monster in center field, his sixth homer of the season.

The Angels didn’t stop there. Mike Trout singled, Shohei Ohtani walked and Anthony Rendon hit one off the wall, driving in a run. Walsh then blasted one over the wall, turning the tight game into a rout.

That allowed the Angels to save closer Raisel Iglesias, instead using Jimmy Herget to finish it off in the bottom of the 10th.

It was a satisfying end to a night that started in a disappointing familiar fashion. After the Angels were shut out in losses on Monday and Tuesday, they didn’t even have a hit until the fifth inning.

Walsh doubled and then Stassi blasted a homer to tie the score, 2-2.

The score was tied again when Aaron Loup, the Angels’ most dependable reliever of the young season, gave up a homer to Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the eighth.

That brought former Angels closer Hansel Robles in to try to finish it for the Red Sox in the ninth.

Robles issued one-out walks to Trout and Ohtani, but then he got Rendon on a flyout to get the Angels down to their final out.

Boston manager Alex Cora then pulled Robles in favor of Diekman, to take advantage of the first baseman’s issues against lefties.

Walsh fouled off three 3-and-2 pitches before knocking the game-tying hit.

Right-hander Ryan Tepera got the game to extra innings by pitching a scoreless ninth, with a strikeout-caught stealing double play ending it.

By the time the Angels put the game away in the 10th, the start for lefty Reid Detmers was easily forgotten. Detmers gave up three runs in 4-2/3 innings, all of them driven in by Boston leadoff hitter Trevor Story.

In the third, Detmers hung a curveball that Story yanked into left field, driving in two. In the fifth, Detmers left a slider at the thighs and Story whacked it off the Green Monster.

Otherwise, his biggest problems were a couple of momentary lapses of control. He walked the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters to lead off the third, just before Story’s first double. Detmers had a legitimate gripe about the strike zone of plate ump Pat Hoberg on the second walk, to Christian Arroyo.

Detmers was in line for a loss when he left, trailing 3-2, but Rendon took him off the hook with his homer.

More to come on this story.

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[totdprods]

Baseball Reference appears to have different criteria for who officially qualifies than MLB officially, but as of this morning Taylor Ward is now the league leader in BA, OBP, SLG and of course OPS.

Edited May 5, 2022 by totdprods

[totdprods]

If Rendon and Walsh found their swings last night, this team looks ridiculous offensively. 

[Angel Oracle]

Ironic that Hoberg squeezed Detmers in the 3rd inning with one of the BBs, as he’s one of the most reliable ball/strike callers in MLB.

If Rendon and Walsh are indeed starting to hit, that just leaves Ohtani of the main 5 bats to heat up.   

Edited May 5, 2022 by Angel Oracle

[totdprods]

Ward also now has about one full season’s worth of PA in his career with 611 PA (which is kind of surprising it took that long….technically ~650 is closer to an actual full season) but he now sports a very respectable lifetime .247/.327/.431/.758 slash with 31 doubles, 3 triples, 21 HR, 56 BB to 166 K, and a positive career bWAR of 0.9.
 

Even his blistering success aside this year, his poor career start is quickly fading. 

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

Ironic that Hoberg squeezed Detmers in the 3rd inning with one of the BBs, as he’s one of the most reliable ball/strike callers in MLB.

Detmers’ performance last night is getting overlooked because of the offense. That was a very solid start against a good team, matching someone who was literally perfect. 

Sporting a 3.68 ERA and 4 BB, 10 K in last 3 starts, ~15 IP. Baby steps. 

[Angel Oracle]

42 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Detmers’ performance last night is getting overlooked because of the offense. That was a very solid start against a good team, matching someone who was literally perfect. 

Sporting a 3.68 ERA and 4 BB, 10 K in last 3 starts, ~15 IP. Baby steps. 

Definitely progress from 2021 MLB numbers 

[totdprods]

4 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Definitely progress from 2021 MLB numbers 

Like a lot of young talented pitchers, I think he's in that stage where he's going to be 'good' most starts until he has that one bad inning. Lackey went through it, Weaver went through it. The numbers will look a little gross because 1) he won't be going deep into games as often and 2) bad innings can get really bad, but I see very much the same pattern with him, and that's encouraging, because I feel it'll click and he could become a #2-#3 very fast. Could even be by end of year. But it might take another year or two also.

[Deek]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Baseball Reference appears to have different criteria for who officially qualifies than MLB officially, but as of this morning Taylor Ward is now the league leader in BA, OBP, SLG and of course OPS.

Three AL MVPs on the roster!

[totdprods]

Also kinda crazy that Detmers leads the team in GS currently.