Justin Upton, Jared Walsh power Angels' win over White Sox

The Angels' Justin Upton (10) celebrates with teammates after he hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning April 3, 2021.

Staff Writer

Published April 3, 2021 Updated April 4, 2021 1:25 AM PT

Jared Walsh pounded his fist on third base. Justin Upton pounded forearms with Walsh at home plate.

After finishing last season as two of the Angels’ most dangerous hitters, the duo struck again in the eighth inning Saturday night. Walsh erased a one-run deficit with an RBI triple, Upton clobbered a go-ahead, two-run home run in the next at-bat, and the Angels went on to win 5-3 over the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium.

The Angels (2-1) had been playing from behind since the top of the sixth inning, when White Sox rookie Yermín Mercedes broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI double off the wall in left field — his eighth straight hit to begin the season, a major league record since the start of the modern era in 1900.

The Angels — who scored their first two runs Saturday in the third inning after White Sox center fielder Luis Robert missed a routine two-out fly ball that hit off his head — had failed to threaten in the bottom of the sixth or seventh and began the eighth with Mike Trout’s third strikeout of the night.

But then Anthony Rendon singled with one out and White Sox reliever Evan Marshall threw Walsh a 1-and-2 changeup over the plate. Walsh crushed it into the right-field corner, scoring Rendon from first and racing all the way to third as outfielder Adam Eaton chased the ball down near the wall.

Two pitches later, Marshall went back to his changeup again. Upton sent it sailing into the bullpen in left field.

“If you zoom in on my mouth [in the replay],” Walsh said, “put one of those blur things on it when that ball went over the fence.”

With Angels closer Raisel Iglesias unavailable after working the previous two nights, the ninth inning went to Junior Guerra, who returned to the mound after a scoreless eighth inning to close out the game.

Highlights from the Angels’ 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.

“To come together as quickly as we have,” manager Joe Maddon said, “it’s really a testament to the veteran players on this team.”

Here are three other observations from Saturday’s game.

Alex Cobb sharp in Angels debut

Alex Cobb pitched well in his debut with the Angels, giving up three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts.

Angels starting pitcher Alex Cobb delivers during the first inning April 3, 2021, in Anaheim.

“There’s a different mindset when you’re on a team like this,” said Cobb, a 33-year-old right-hander whom the Angels acquired in a February trade with the Baltimore Orioles. “Three runs in six innings is by no means something to write home about, but when you’re able to do that on a team of this caliber, you’re legitimately keeping them in the game. More times than not, they’re probably going to come through.”

Outside of Mercedes, who had a solo home run, single and RBI double against Cobb, the sinker-ball pitcher had his way with the White Sox’s potent lineup. He leaned heavily on his splitter, throwing it 36 times (more than any other pitch) and inducing 12 swing-and-misses.

The sixth inning was perhaps the most important of Cobb’s outing. After permitting the first three batters to reach base — capped by Mercedes’ go-ahead double — Cobb had runners on second and third with no one out.

But then, he retired three straight to keep the deficit at one: a popout from Robert, strikeout of Andrew Vaughn and groundout from Leury Garcia. Of the 11 pitches in those at-bats, he threw the splitter 10 times.

“Throughout the course of a game, you’re going to have a plus-pitch, whether it’s the curveball, changeup or heater,” Cobb said. “And when you get into the jams, you go to that most comfortable pitch over and over and over again. You’re OK getting beat with your best.”

That plan worked Saturday, keeping the Angels within striking distance for their eventual comeback win.

Jared Walsh shakes off slow spring

Throughout his young pro career, Walsh has been a slow starter during spring training.

“I would say the stuff that I do is a tad unconventional,” the third-year first baseman and former two-way player said. “It’s more so timing, and just kind of understand how I’m moving. It’s hard for me to recreate in the offseason.”

Coming off his breakthrough final month of 2020, when had a 1.113 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in his final 22 games, Walsh said he “really tried to address” that issue entering this spring. The result? He went only 10 for 46 at the plate, struggling for consistency up until the final week.

“So,” he deadpanned, “I did a really poor job of it.”

But whatever the dilemma, it didn’t carry over to his first regular-season start on Saturday. In his first at-bat, Walsh roped a 110.1 mph line drive into center field, unlucky that Robert was perfectly positioned for the White Sox to make the catch. Walsh’s next time up, he drove in a run with a sharp ground ball through the left side.

“Spring training was tough but the season’s so long, I try not to really buy into the highs or the lows too much,” Walsh said. “Just trusting the work that I put in daily and knowing it’s going to manifest when I get on the field. That’s the main thing.”

He did strike out to end the fifth inning, stranding runners at second and third with a wild swing that sent his bat flying out of his hands. But he made up for it in the eighth, celebrating his game-tying triple with his pounding of the third-base bag.

“I just wanted to punch the bag a few times,” Walsh said, laughing, “to let it know I was there.”

Critical execution, both good and bad

Cobb might be new to the Angels, but he’s plenty familiar with shortstop José Iglesias after the pair played together with the Orioles last season.

“When I did get here, I told everybody what I experienced with Iggy over in Baltimore,” Cobb said. “And he’s done nothing but outdo all those expectations I had for him.”

The latest example came in the third inning Saturday. With two on and two out, José Abreu hit a grounder back up the middle, out of the range of most shortstops. Iglesias, however, not only fielded the ball behind second base, but then instantly delivered a back-hand toss to get a fielder’s choice forceout that retired the side.

“That,” said Cobb, who reacted on the mound by pumping a fist in the air, “really changed the game.”

So did Robert’s miscue in center field for the White Sox, only in a much more negative way.

His third-inning blunder began with a shallow fly ball from Anthony Rendon with a runner at first and two outs. Robert had a long way to come in from center, but arrived in time to call off the shortstop and get directly under it with both hands in the air.

Yet, he simply missed, the ball glancing off his glove and bouncing directly off his forehead. Robert spun in confusion as Fletcher, running hard from first all the way, trotted toward the plate. It didn’t help that Eaton, covering the play from right, permitted Rendon to advance to second (Walsh drove him in the next at-bat) with an errant throw home.

“Move the ball,” Maddon said postgame, remarking on the importance of putting the ball in play, with a devious grin. “Make the defense execute, so they may execute themselves.”