Angels' offense stays hot with 16-hit, 11-run barrage vs. Rockies

ANAHEIM -- Ever since Zach Neto hit a walk-off homer against the Athletics on May 18, the Angels’ offense has started to finally click for the Angels over their last 15 games.

They’ve averaged 5.9 runs per game over that stretch and kept it rolling by tying a season-high with 16 hits in an 11-4 win over the Rockies in the series finale on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. It helped the Angels avoid a three-game sweep and they’ve gone 7-8 since the offense started to heat up. After their big night, they’ve now scored the second-most runs in the Majors (88) over the last 15 games behind only the Pirates and have the second-most hits with 138.

“I feel like everybody had quality at-bats, hit the ball hard,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It was one of those fun nights you want to be a part of. I feel like it was the momentum, the hitting was contagious, guys kept having good at-bats, so it was great.”

One big change has been an improvement in putting the ball in play, as it marked their sixth straight game that they struck out fewer than 10 times. They also put together their impressive night offensively despite Nolan Schanuel (left ankle tendinitis) and Neto (whiplash) out of action -- though they both are likely to return on Friday against the Dodgers.

Instead, the Angels have been leaning on unexpected sources of offense from players who were signed to Minor League deals before the season and were recently called up, such as Wade Meckler, Nick Madrigal, Jose Siri and Donovan Walton.

Meckler continued his hot start to his Angels career by going 4-for-5 with two runs scored, Madrigal went 4-for-5 with an RBI, Siri had an RBI double and Walton went 1-for-5. It marked the first time the Angels had at least two players with four hits in a game since David Fletcher, Mickey Moniak and Hunter Renfroe did it in a 25-1 win on June 24, 2023, at Colorado. And the first time it happened at home since Albert Pujols and Alberto Callaspo accomplished the feat on June 17, 2013.

“It was fun to watch,” Meckler said. “The line was moving quick. It felt like I was up every inning, which is a good thing. We had a good plan and we executed it well.”

Vaughn Grissom, who has been filling in for Schanuel, also went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs while Peraza, who started in place of Neto, went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Grissom noted the new approach that’s been working in recent weeks and said making more contact has been a huge key for the offense’s turnaround.

“It’s sick,” Grissom said. “We’re cutting down the strikeouts, balls are being put in play and we’re making guys make plays. So it feels great to kind of find a groove, finding holes here and there.”

The Angels strung together six hits as part of a six-run second inning against veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen, including four straight hits to open the frame. They were also helped by two run-scoring wild pitches from Lorenzen.

Grissom gave the Angels some cushion with a two-run blast in the fourth that knocked Lorenzen from the game. But they kept tacking on against the bullpen, including Jo Adell providing an RBI single in the fifth and Peraza hitting an RBI double and scoring on a single from Madrigal in the sixth.

“I think it was quality at-bats in the sense of moving the ball forward and battling with two strikes and using the big part of the field,” Suzuki said. “Just take what the pitcher gives us. Not trying to hook a slider for a homer down and away. It’s, ‘Take your base hits, move runners over, get runners in.’ It was impressive by the guys.”

The offense backed rookie right-hander Walbert Ureña, who went six innings and surrendered three runs on three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. He improved to 3-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 50 1/3 innings this year, including a 2.08 ERA over his last seven starts, and said pitching with a big cushion helped him stay relaxed.

“The offense was very good,” Ureña said. “It made me more comfortable on the mound and allowed me to attack and it allowed us to win.”