Pitching woes doom Angels in blowout loss to Diamondbacks
PHOENIX — Christian Walker hit two homers, Joc Pederson added a late grand slam and the Arizona Diamondbacks coasted past the Angels 11-1 on Thursday night.
Arizona won two of three in the series and eight of its last 12 overall.
Walker got the Arizona offense started in the first inning with a three-run blast on a full count. The first baseman turned on an inside fastball from Griffin Canning and hit a high-arching shot deep into the left field seats for his 14th homer of the season.
“Felt really good to come through for the team early,” Walker said. “You get a chance with a couple guys on, to be able to make that count in the first, that’s good.”
José Soriano has one of his best starts of the season as the Angels roll past the Arizona Diamondbacks.
His 15th long ball came just two innings later when another powerful swing sent Canning’s hanging slider 464 feet and over the left-center wall to give the D-backs a 4-0 lead.
Walker is on pace for his third straight 30-homer season and has won a Gold Glove each of the past two seasons. He’s never been an All-Star, but there’s little doubt about his importance in the middle of the Diamondbacks’ lineup.
It was his second two-homer game of the season and 11th of his career.
“It’s just a pure swing,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “If I was going to teach someone a swing, I’d tell them to watch Christian Walker. It’s just a really nice, simple approach. There’s a high level of intensity, there’s a high level of intelligence on every at-bat.”
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-5) gave up one run on six hits and three walks, striking out eight. It was a nice bounce back by the 25-year-old, who had given up 13 runs over his previous 18 1/3 innings.
“When Walker does that twice early in the game, it gets the party started,” Pfaadt said. “I think it’s a lot easier to attack the zone, make some pitches early and frees up the zone.”
Kevin Newman had three hits, including a two-run single. Pederson’s grand slam — the third of his career — came in the seventh off Luis García and traveled 430 feet into the right-center seats.
Pederson added a run-scoring single in the eighth for a five RBI night. The Diamondbacks needed just nine hits to do their damage, while also coaxing six walks.
Canning (2-7) gave up four runs, four hits and a walk in six innings, pitching fairly well except for Walker’s two homers.
Logan O’Hoppe hits a walk-off home run that Houston Astros left fielder Trey Cabbage initially believed he caught to cap the Angels’ 9-7 win.
“He competed,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We were in the game until the seventh inning. A hit here, a hit here, maybe a double somewhere along the line, it’s a different ballgame.”
Mickey Moniak had a two-out, RBI single in the fourth to cut Arizona’s advantage to 4-1. Luis Rengifo added two hits.
The Angels have dropped four of their last six games.
Up next for the Angels: Left-hander Tyler Anderson (5-6, 2.63 ERA) will start the opener of a road series against the Giants on Friday. San Francisco will start right-hander Spencer Howard (0-0, 2.03 ERA).
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