ARLINGTON, Texas — José Soriano showed no ill affects of what had been a hectic week.
Soriano did not allow a run in the Angels’ 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night, despite flights to and from the Dominican Republic for the birth of his son, followed by a flight to Texas.
Although Soriano didn’t get his normal work or sleep in the time between his starts, he blanked the Rangers over 5⅔ innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six.
“Honestly, it’s a very special moment,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “Before I started the game I was thinking about him and trying to do my best and take care of my family.”
In his previous start, on Aug. 17 in Sacramento, he gave up three home runs for the first time in his career. That was a rare event for a ground ball specialist.
On Monday, he was back to his normal routine, getting eight outs on six ground balls. The two double plays increased his major-league leading total to 27. No one else has more than 18.
“He did a great job,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “He had both his four-seamer and two-seamer today. I think having the four-seamer keeps hitters honest to not cheat on one of his heaters. And when you see a four-seamer, you realize you got to get on top, which then makes your sinker even better. And he had his split today too, especially against the lefties. We didn’t try one against the righties. I know we had a lot of windows for it. But he did a tremendous job with all the other stuff. And I think he did a great job mixing his pitches to keep guys off balance. And he was attacking the zone.”
Soriano couldn’t quite make it through the sixth. Interim manager Ray Montgomery pulled him with two on and two outs and Rangers star left-handed hitter Corey Seager due. Left-hander Reid Detmers entered to strike out Seager.
Detmers picked up the first two outs of the seventh and then right-hander Luis Garcia finished the inning. Left-hander Brock Burke pitched the eighth.
Kenley Jansen worked the ninth, even though they had a four-run lead. Jansen had taken the loss in each of his two previous outings, pitching through a rib issue.
The pitching staff got the Angels (62-69) a victory even though their hitters are still not doing much. The Angels have scored just 16 runs in their last seven games.
On Monday they were facing Jacob deGrom, and looking for their third victory in three games against the two-time Cy Young Award winner this season.
D’Arnaud, who used to be deGrom’s catcher with the New York Mets, drove in one of the two runs the Angels’ scored against him. He homered against deGrom earlier this season. Asked why the Angels have fared so well against deGrom, d’Arnaud pleaded ignorance.
“I don’t know,” d’Arnaud said. “I think we don’t try to do too much against him, because he throws so hard. And I think we get rewarded with all the extra bases that we get because we’re not trying to do too much. When we try to do too much against a guy like that, usually we swing and miss and strike out a lot. That’s my guess. I don’t know.”
The Angels got started on the first pitch they saw from deGrom, when Zach Neto hit a homer. It was his ninth homer of the season leading off the first inning, an ongoing franchise record.
“To set the tone like that, especially after the tough series we had at home, tough last two series, actually,” d’Arnaud said, “that gave us all a big exhale.”
Logan O’Hoppe could do the same when he hit a homer in the ninth, his first since July 21.
“We’ll call it what it is,” Montgomery said. “Anytime you’re feeling it and you’re trying to get to something, even though it’s something you can’t chase – you can’t chase hits, can’t chase homers – but to get it and get it off his chest, was good to see.”
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