ANAHEIM – One night ago, the Angels’ comeback didn’t go as expected. A one run deficit in the late inning turned into six and the Angels dropped the second game of the season for the White Sox.
But Saturday was another night – and one where a hopeful comeback became reality for Angels fans, even without the help of the Rally Monkey.
At the bottom with a run in the eighth inning against Chicago, first baseman Jared Walsh delivered the tying triple down the left field-line to bring third baseman Anthony Rendon home.
Right fielder Justin Upton followed him with a loud go-ahead homer with a run-out speed of 106.5 mph and landed in the Chicago bullpen to take the Angels to a 5-3 victory in the club’s third game of the club’s series against Chicago .
Upton also played a key role in the opening day comeback win. In another crucial eighth inning at bat, he walked 11 pitch to load the bases for Albert Pujols, who then batted in the go-ahead run.
Prior to the comeback, the Angels had only one RBI the night before the tying run and starting scores were carried over by Walsh and Upton.
“This is what [Upton’s] can do, ”said Angels manager Joe Maddon. It’s not like it’s a surprise. He moves well, he feels very good about himself. I think I really believe he will continue this for a while. “
Walsh struggled to get into the regular season. He finished Cactus League game with a .217 average, four RBI’s and no home runs, but Walsh is no stranger to slow starts.
It took him 13 at-bats before getting his first hit of the 2020 season. He then hit nine homeruns and drove 26 runs to win the American League Rookie of the Month title for September.
“Spring training has been tough, but the season is so long that I don’t buy into the highs and lows,” said Walsh. “It’s a little bit of the weight of your shoulders to go out and find a few barrels.”
Maddon said a key to Walsh’s success is finding timing in his swing.
[Walsh] looked really good tonight, but beware, ”Maddon said. His hands are starting to work again. I expect it to look like this. “
A major difference in Saturday’s successful comeback versus Friday was the bullpen. Starter Alex Cobb left the game after giving up three runs in six innings and hitting out seven with only one walk.
The night before, the bullpen gave up five runs, but Junior Guerra and Tony Watson accounted for three shutout innings in Saturday’s win.
Maddon said Guerra is an impact arm his bullpen can rely on regardless of the situation.
[Guerra] is really a man who can start pitching [from the] right to close a game, ”Maddon said. “I’ve seen him do all those things, so I’m not surprised by it.”