More than just a glove, Simmons ignites Halos

August 4th, 2017

ANAHEIM -- As the Angels continue their push to make the playoffs, continues to come up in crucial moments for the Halos.
Simmons came up with a double in the eighth inning to ignite the Angels' 5-4 comeback win against the Phillies and then capped off the rally by scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
The 27-year-old ripped a double to right, moving pinch-runner Cliff Pennington into scoring position, where C.J. Cron brought in Pennington to in with a ground ball to tie the game at 4-4.
Simmons, who went 1-for-4 at the plate, then showed his sense of awareness on the basepaths, racing from third to score, after fired a wild a pitch. Simmons nearly second-guessed himself after seeing the ball get away from Phillies backup catcher .

"It froze me," Simmons said. "The way it came out the pitcher's hand for a second. I was like 'It's over his head I got to go' and then to see how quick the catcher got to it or quicker than I would want, still managed to score the run."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Simmons has been "steady all year" with the injuries and ups and downs the club has suffered.
He also has 19 hits in his last 43 at-bats for the Angels.
"Andrelton is having a great year," Scioscia said. "I think he flies a little bit under the radar because of all the shortstops in the league. I don't think there's any shortstop playing at a higher level than Andrelton has done. At the defensive end, you see it. At the plate, you know he's using the whole field. He's hitting home runs, he's driving the ball to right field, he's just having a terrific season."