Angels beat Pirates for first series win in a month

PITTSBURGH – Any team goes through tough stretches in a season, but the Angels’ run of nine consecutive series without a series win was a tough one to bear, especially given it came right out of the gate in the 2024 season.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the Angels broke out of it by breaking through adversity quickly, rallying right after they lost a lead to secure a 5-4 win over the Pirates at PNC Park. Los Angeles hadn’t won a series since sweeping the Marlins in Miami from April 1-3.

To get back to winning a series, the Angels are going to need a complete game. No one aspect of their team game is going to carry them. Here’s how they put it all together, even with a couple of speed bumps along the way.

The Angels’ offense carried over its consistency from its nine-run showing the night before.

One of the major keys for the offense was getting the leadoff man aboard. They did so in four of the first six innings against lefty Martín Pérez, including a first-pitch homer to open the third inning by Jo Adell. Brandon Drury legged out a double as the leadoff man in the fifth on the kind of aggressive baserunning decision that the Angels have been emphasizing, and Adell knocked him in with a single.

In the sixth, with his team down two runs, manager Ron Washington saw exactly what he’s been wanting to see from his lineup. Instead of selling out for power, the Angels strung together four hits — three singles followed by Drury’s second double — to begin the frame, then Willie Calhoun lifted a sacrifice fly to plate the winning run.

“Nobody went up there trying to do more than the situation indicated that needed to be done,” Washington said. “Again, we’re still trying to look for that work to sustain and be consistent.”

Soriano shows strengths, plus room for growth

José Soriano flashed his starting potential once again early in the game, racking up six strikeouts over four scoreless innings. He broke 100 mph with his sinker and touched 95 mph on his slider, an almost unbelievable number on a pitch that came out of his hand 3 mph faster on average on Wednesday vs. the rest of the season.

However, his third time through the order was a struggle, as he allowed four runs over the span of six batters in the fifth inning, including a bases-clearing double by Oneil Cruz on a sinker that was low and on the outer part of the plate — a pitch he thought he located fairly well, but that allowed a crucial hit set up by previous mistakes.

“I got out of control with my pitches in the zone,” said Soriano about his third time through the order, via an interpreter. “I’ve just got to learn from that and turn the page and be ready for the next start.”

Bullpen effort keyed by resurgent reliever

To get the Angels out of the messy fifth that Soriano struggled through, Washington turned to a reliever who has been as reliable as anyone in baseball this season: Adam Cimber.

The funky righty dealt with a right shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2023 season and led to an ERA over 7. But he’s collected no dust. At 2.70 following Wednesday’s game, his ERA isn’t as eye-popping as the top relievers in the game, but he’s held opposing teams scoreless in 14 of his 16 appearances.

Cimber got Rowdy Tellez to pop up to right field to end the fifth, then struck out three batters in order in the sixth and strutted off the mound with some emotion.

“He’s been very, very good for our bullpen,” Washington said. “He’s been able to come in and hold innings down. He’s been able to come in and give us multiple innings. He’s been able to do a very good job for us, and that’s what he’s been doing all year.”

Wednesday also saw a couple of relievers shut down the Pirates after slower starts to their season. Matt Moore, who had allowed a run or more in four of his past nine appearances, covered 1 1/3 perfect innings. Luis García, who owned a 5.14 ERA entering the game, got two outs after him.

And to close it all out was closer Carlos Estévez, who had allowed six runs in his previous 5 2/3 innings. But he made light work of the Pirates, striking out two of his three batters to seal the win.

“It was an amazing job,” Soriano said of the bullpen’s showing.