The Los Angeles Angels finally got back in the win column today, taking down the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 behind a dominant start from José Soriano and a power display from Jo Adell. After dropping the first two games of this three-game set north of the border, the Halos needed a spark—and they got it in a big way.
Soriano didn't have the cleanest start, surrendering a run in the first inning on a two-out double by Kazuma Okamoto that drove in Daulton Varsho. But from there, he locked in, cruising through 7⅔ innings while striking out seven and allowing just five hits. The outing lowered his ERA to a sparkling 1.66 and gave the Angels bullpen a much-needed breather after getting pounded 14-5 the day before.
The Blue Jays went with an opener strategy, using Spencer Miles for three scoreless innings before turning to Eric Lauer in the fifth. Lauer had voiced frustration about being used as an opener, and things only got worse from there. The Angels erupted against him, starting with a two-run homer from Oswald Peraza that scored Nolan Schanuel. They kept the line moving with a Zach Neto double, a Mike Trout walk, and a two-run double by Vaughn Grissom to blow the game open.
Jo Adell put on a show of his own, launching a solo homer to right field in the sixth—a no-doubter that cleared the wall with ease. He wasn't done, adding a 449-foot bomb in the ninth that left the bat at 115 mph, putting an exclamation point on the victory.
Reliever Sam Bachman also delivered a key moment, stranding the bases loaded in the eighth by getting a groundout from Grissom at third. For the Angels, this win was about more than just the scoreboard. It was about getting Soriano back on track, rediscovering their power stroke, and building momentum as they head into their next series. When the bats are booming and the pitching is sharp, this team looks like a force to be reckoned with.
