Angels give up back-to-back homers in ninth, losing to Toronto in a walk-off
TORONTO — Rookies Joey Loperfido and Addison Barger hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Angels 5-4 on Friday night.
Toronto trailed 4-3 heading into the ninth against Angels right-hander Roansy Contreras (2-3), but Loperfido tied it with his fourth home run of the year before Barger won it with his fourth.
Barger’s 439-foot drive was the longest homer of his brief career.
“It’s surreal, an unbelievable moment,” Barger said.
Loperfido homered in Toronto for the first time since joining the Blue Jays in a trade with Houston last month.
Minnesota Twins and Angels legend Rod Carew finally becomes a United States citizen at 78 after immigrating to the country from Panama when he was 14.
“A really fun way to end the game,” Loperfido said. “For Barger to come through like that with a pretty unbelievable swing, too, it was fun.”
It was the fourth time this season the Blue Jays had hit consecutive home runs, and the fourth time that they won in their final at-bat.
“Great swing from Joey, great at-bat from Barge,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
The blown save was Contreras’ second in four chances.
“Contreras has been good in that situation,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He’s good against lefties. Tonight it just didn’t work out.”
The Angels have lost three straight and 11 of 14.
Toronto’s Chad Green (4-3) worked one inning for the win as the Blue Jays extended their winning streak over the Angels to five.
The Angels put a runner at third base with one out in the ninth but Green retired Logan O’Hoppe and struck out Niko Kavadas.
Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz gave up three runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, leaving after Loperfido doubled to begin the seventh. Kochanowicz walked none and struck out one.
“He was outstanding, he really was,” Washington said. “He deserved a better fate. He was getting ground ball after ground ball after ground ball.”
Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt gave up four runs and four hits in six innings. Bassitt walked two and struck out six.
“To his credit, you look up and he goes six,” Schneider said. “We really needed it with kind of a thin bullpen.”
General manager Perry Minasian agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Angels as he continues to try to turn around the struggling club.
All four of the Angels’ runs came in the second inning. Leadoff batter Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch and scored on Anthony Rendon’s double into the left-field corner.
Kavadas walked and both runners advanced on a double steal before scoring on Jo Adell’s two-out double. Taylor Ward capped the inning with an RBI single.
Toronto cut the deficit in half in the fourth, when Alejandro Kirk’s groundout drove in a run and Ernie Clement added a two-out RBI single.
Kirk added an RBI single in the sixth to make it 4-3.
Roster moves: The Angels selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn from triple-A Salt Lake. Right-hander Mike Baumann was designated for assignment.
Injury update: Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak was held out of the starting lineup but could return Saturday, Washington said. Moniak left Thursday’s game in the third inning after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch.
Up next: Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (6-3, 4.38 ERA) takes a five-game unbeaten streak into Saturday’s scheduled start against Angels right-hander Carson Fulmer (0-4, 4.24). Francis is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his past five outings.
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