ANAHEIM -- José Soriano gave the Angels exactly what they needed Monday night: seven sturdy innings, a lower ERA, and a strong case for himself with the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaching.
Then the offense finished the job late.
Trailing by a run heading into the ninth against All-Star closer Riley O’Brien, the Angels scratched out two runs to beat the series opener 3-2 on a walk-off hit-by-pitch. Vaughn Grissom delivered the tying blow with an RBI double to right, and Jo Adell was then hit by a pitch after an intentional walk to force in the winning run.
Soriano worked seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven. The right-hander’s line was the kind of outing that can matter in trade conversations, and it dropped his ERA to 3.43 across 21 starts this season.
The Angels’ ninth-inning push started with Nolan Schanuel, who stayed hot with a one-out single. Jorge Soler was then hit by a pitch, setting up Grissom’s clutch double. After the intentional walk, Adell was plunked to bring home the deciding run.
Adell had already provided the Angels’ first breakthrough earlier in the night, connecting for a solo homer in the third inning to snap an 0-for-24 stretch.
The win was the Angels’ second straight, and it also came with Soriano continuing to look like a pitcher with real value. He’s viewed as a trade candidate, along with left-hander Reid Detmers, who is also under team control through 2028.
In Other News...
Reid Detmers Suddenly Feels Like The Angels Deadline Decision
Reid Detmers has become one of the more interesting names hanging over the Angels as the deadline approaches, not just because he can help a contender, but because he fits the kind of trade chip this front office can actually use. Los Angeles is looking for promising young hitters, especially bats with some power, and that makes Detmers a potentially valuable way to address a need that has been obvious for a while.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak may have the freedom to make that call after Perry Minasian was fired, which only adds to the sense that this could be one of the more consequential decisions of the month. The Braves, Brewers and Guardians have all been floated as possible partners, and each would have a different kind of young hitter to discuss, but for now Detmers remains in the middle of a market that has not yet produced a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face Franchise Defining Deadline Choice Arte Moreno Usually Avoids
The Angels are approaching the Aug. 3 deadline with a kind of decision Arte Moreno has usually preferred to avoid: weighing whether to move a young starter before the market fully settles. The clubs poor performance has pushed the conversation in a different direction, and the possibility of dealing pitching that remains under team control through 2028 gives the front office a real chance to reshape the roster rather than simply patch around it.
What makes the moment more delicate is the market itself, which has been shifting as other contenders have surged and narrowed the field of potential buyers. Interim GM John Mozeliak now has to navigate not just trade interest, but the larger question of whether Moreno will sign off on a deal that could define how the Angels approach the next few seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Schanuel Suddenly Feels Like An Angels Deadline Decision
Nolan Schanuel has quietly become one of the more stable pieces in the Angels lineup, the kind of first baseman who does a little of everything well enough to matter. His steady on-base ability, low strikeout rate and reliable work at first base give him a profile that tends to travel, which is why he is starting to look less like a fixed part of the roster and more like the sort of player rival clubs could circle when the market shifts.
The Angels are not actively shopping him, and there is no sense they are eager to move him. Still, if the right offer shows up, the front office would have to at least consider it, especially with clubs like Arizona, Cleveland and Detroit potentially able to build a prospect-heavy package around a player who fits a lot of needs. For now, Schanuel remains in Anaheim, but the deadline conversation around him is already starting to sound a lot more real than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]