ANAHEIM -- Angels left fielder Justin Upton continued to stay hot at the plate on Thursday night, homering for the third consecutive game in a 7-4 win in the series opener against the Twins at Angel Stadium.
Upton launched a 413-foot solo shot, per Statcast™, on a hanging curveball from right-hander Jose Berrios to extend the Angels' lead to 3-0 in the third inning. It was Upton's fourth homer in his last five games, and it rocketed off the bat at 106 mph and cleared the Angels' bullpen in left field.
"Just trying to slow the game down," Upton said. "See the ball better. Any time that you're chasing pitches like I was early on, it means you're not seeing the ball well. It's been a focus of my work, seeing the ball a little better, and it's been working out."
Upton, who signed a five-year, $106 million contract extension with the Angels in November, is 12-for-34 (.353) with two doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs over his last eight games, a tear that has raised his batting average from .228 to .257. His nine home runs are second on the team behind Michael Trout (12).
"I think with Justin, he's just feeling comfortable in the batter's box," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's no huge adjustments. Sometimes it's just a matter of starting to see pitches, feeling comfortable. He's not missing some pitches that he was missing a couple weeks ago. This guy is one of the top hitters in our game. He's going to be big for us this year."