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Wade Meckler drove in the winning run, capping a two-run 10th that gave the Angels a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. They salvaged a game in which the bullpen cost Walbert Ureña a victory after his seven scoreless innings.
The Angels led by three in the eighth and by two with two outs in the ninth, when Ben Joyce gave up a two-run homer. So many times this season the Angels have lost these kind of games, so this was a welcome change.
“It sucks being on the other side of them,” Meckler said, “and it feels great to be on our side of them. It’s just good resiliency after that tying run in the ninth.” Joyce suffered his third blown save in his last nine outings.
Left-hander Blake Weiman then gave up two hits in the 10th, as the Twins converted their automatic runner. Weiman did well to strand the bases loaded, keeping the deficit at one, though.
After that, the Angels executed in the bottom of the inning in ways that have eluded them for so much of this nightmarish season. It started with Vaughn Grissom hitting a fly ball to move automatic runner José Siri to third.
After Zach Neto drew a walk, Mike Trout lined a single into center field, tying the score . Trout , who has often failed to use the ABS challenge when he should have, this time had a potential third strike overturned, extending his at-bat long enough for the clutch hit.
Neto also did a nice job going from first to third on the hit into left-center. That meant Meckler could drive in the winning run by just getting something into the outfield.
He ripped the first pitch he saw from lefty Kody Funderburk through the right side of the drawn-in infield , for his first walk-off as a major leaguer. It was also significant because Meckler’s struggle with lefties has been one of the few blemishes on his strong rookie season .
“Just get out of there before two strikes,” Meckler said, explaining his approach. “Runner on third base and less than two outs, I feel like I could put any strike in the air.
I was just trying to get out of the at-bat as fast as possible.” Meckler’s hit gave the Angels (59-64) just their fifth win in 19 extra-inning games this season.
With the victory, the Angels avoided what would have been a crushing loss on a night when starter Ureña dominated, striking out nine and walking none .
“That might have been one of the best starts I’ve seen, honestly, like up there wi th (games) I’ve ever caught, either,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It was impressive.
He was throwing 100. His changeup was incredible.
The last game we were talking about him leaving some pitches up. He made an adjustment.
Today was virtually unhittable.” The Angels led 3-1 when Joyce took the ball in the ninth. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, but then he gave up a single on a 103 mph fastball to Victor Caratini.
Walker Jenkins, one of the top prospects in baseball, then drilled a 101 mph fastball just barely over leaping center fielder Siri, for a game-tying two-run homer . To Suzuki, the bright side was that Joyce didn’t walk anyone.
Control had been one of his main problems in his previous struggles. “I saw a lot of strikes,” Suzuki said.
“He threw a lot of strikes. He used some good splitters.
Obviously he got beat with his fastball. I think the positive is he was throwing strikes tonight.
He was attacking and the guy put a good swing on it. Try to look at the positives and go from there.” Just like that, Urena’s victory was gone, even though he pitched one of his best games of the season.
Ureña’s 2.74 ERA is the best among Angels starters this season, even better than Reid Detmers. “It’s been fun to watch, really, the 100 mph fastballs consistently with the nasty changeups and sliders,” Suzuki said before the game.
“The consistency’s been really good.
Even the games where he kind of struggles a little bit in the beginning, he finds a way to grind through it and give us a chance to win, which I think is a huge thing for a younger pitcher.” Ureña reached 100 mph nine times on Thursday night, and his velocity across all of his pitches was slightly up from his averages this season.
He has allayed any fears that the workload of his first major league season would catch up to him in September. “He works on his routine in the weight room and the training room, doing his arm care,” Suzuki said.
“All that stuff has been tremendous. He’s been definitely a positive for the team.”
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