Angels fall when early lead is wiped out by Giants’ nine-run fourth inning
SAN FRANCISCO — Jorge Soler hit a three-run homer in San Francisco’s nine-run fourth inning and the Giants beat the Angels 13-6 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
The Giants’ struggling bats woke up in big fashion in the fourth inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a big lead in a bullpen game for both teams.
“You don’t see a nine-spot very often,” manager Bob Melvin said. “When you come off a loss like that, when you left a lot of guys on base and the at-bats weren’t great, especially the situational at-bats, it’s good to see them come out and have a game like that.”
Luis Rengifo drove in the go-ahead run on a single in the seventh and Logan O’Hoppe hit a two-run homer in the Angels’ 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
That gave 29-year-old Spencer Bivens the victory in his long-awaited debut in the majors.
Jose Suarez (1-2) faced five batters in the fourth and didn’t retire any of them, getting replaced after giving up back-to-back two-run doubles to Thairo Estrada and Brett Wisely.
“I feel like I made pretty good pitches,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “They put good contact on them. I can’t control that.”
Matt Chapman added a run-scoring infield single before Soler broke the game open off Hunter Strickland with his eighth homer of the season to make it 8-2. Austin Slater added an RBI single to cap San Francisco’s most productive inning at home since scoring 10 runs in the fourth inning against Pittsburgh on Sept. 7, 2008.
Bivens was the beneficiary of the big inning after getting called up from triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day to replace the injured Kyle Harrison. Bivens began his professional career in France and was toiling in the independent leagues before getting signed by the Giants two years ago.
He made it to the big leagues 12 days before his 30th birthday and pitched three innings in relief of Erik Miller. He allowed just one hit, a solo homer by Nolan Schanuel, and struck out four batters to get the win.
“It doesn’t really feel real,” Bivens said. “Just waiting to wake up from a dream. But it’s unbelievable. I really don’t have words for it. It’s nothing like I imagined it. It’s better that it’s that way.”
Mickey Moniak has three hits, including a two-run double, and Zach Neto hits a two-run home run as the Angels hold off a late Giants rally in an 8-6 win.
Austin Slater hit a solo homer in the seventh for San Francisco.
The Angels scored four runs in the ninth against closer Camilo Doval, who was so frustrated that he slammed a cooler in the dugout after being removed from the game.
Injury updates: Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo left in the fourth inning with a bruised left wrist after getting hit by Chapman’s hard grounder that went for an RBI infield single in the fourth inning. ... Second baseman Brandon Drury (hamstring) and first baseman Miguel Sano (knee) could return from rehab stints this week.
Up next for the Angels: Open a three-game series at home against Milwaukee with Jose Soriano (4-5, 3.48 ERA) starting against Carlos Rodriguez (0-1, 4.91).
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