The Angels finally snapped into the win column after the trade deadline shakeup, and they did it with a formula that looked a lot cleaner than the roster churn behind it. Ryan Johnson gave them enough on the mound, Zach Neto supplied the thunder, and Los Angeles finished off Baltimore 4-1 in the last game of the three-game set.
Neto, batting fourth for the first time in this one, looked every bit like a cleanup bat. In the third inning, he turned on Brandon Young and crushed a three-run homer to put the Angels ahead 3-0. Baltimore answered right back in the bottom of the inning, when the Orioles got a solo shot from Yohel Pozo to cut into the lead.
Johnson’s afternoon was less tidy. He lasted until two outs in the fifth, and while he allowed just three hits and struck out one, five walks kept him under pressure the whole way as he kept battling his command. The Orioles never fully broke through against him, but they did make him work.
Los Angeles, though, got the kind of bullpen performance it has been chasing all season. Mitch Farris shook off a pair of rough outings and threw a scoreless inning. Luke Murphy kept rolling too, covering 1-1/3 innings and punching out three.
The Angels added a little breathing room in the seventh when Wade Meckler came home on a sacrifice fly. Meckler set the tone from the top of the order, finishing with two hits and two runs scored.
From there, Tayler Saucedo handled part of the late work before manager Kurt Suzuki turned to rookie Samy Natera Jr. for a four-out save once Baltimore threatened a rally. Natera finished it off for his second save of the season, striking out two and stranding a runner after allowing a hit.
It wasn’t the kind of messy bullpen night the Angels have been living through all year. This time, the relief corps kept things calm, and the win also stopped Baltimore from getting the sweep.
Next up for Los Angeles is a trip to South Florida to face the Miami Marlins. The Angels have not named a starter, while Miami will send Tyler Phillips to the mound. The Marlins are three games out in the NL wild card race and will be coming off a series loss to the Atlanta Braves.
In Other News...
Angels Rebuild Suddenly Has A Much Clearer Path Forward
The Angels deadline week did not look like the kind of splashy maneuvering that usually changes a franchise overnight, but it did give the organization something it has been chasing for a while: a deeper, more interesting talent base. John Mozeliaks trades brought in high-level prospects such as Moises Ballesteros and Arjun Nimmala, additions that fit neatly into a broader push to stock the system and create more flexibility at the major league level. The farm is still very much a work in progress, but it now has more names worth tracking as players continue moving through different minor league levels.
For a club trying to accelerate its rebuild, that matters as much as any short-term roster shuffle. The Angels have spent enough time searching for a cleaner path forward that every credible addition feels significant, especially when it comes with the promise of more promotions and a healthier pipeline below the majors. The deadline did not solve everything, and it was never going to, but it did make the next phase of the rebuild look a little less hazy. [Read more 🡒]
Three Angels Are Running Out Of Time To Prove They Belong
The Angels deadline reset changed the tone around the clubhouse in a hurry, with the front office shipping out multiple players and bringing back prospects who do not appear to be part of the 2026 picture. That kind of turnover leaves plenty of room for a team to sort through its next wave, but it also puts a sharper spotlight on anyone trying to carve out a role before the season is over.
For Vaughn Grissom, Oswald Peraza and Grayson Rodriguez, the clock is already ticking on more than just the schedule. Each has a limited runway left to show the Angels he can matter in the near future, and the uncertainty only grows from here with the roster still in flux and possible front office changes looming. What they do in the coming weeks could go a long way in determining whether they fit into the next version of the club, no matter who is making the call. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Deadline Push Revealed How Far Theyd Go For Pitching
The trade deadline offered a familiar reminder of how aggressively some clubs will chase pitching, with the Twins coming away with several additions to reshape their staff. Minnesota brought in Dean Kremer, A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman, and even explored the idea of landing controllable players such as Zach Neto before the market settled. For the Angels, that only sharpened the attention around Neto, a young infielder who has quickly become part of the organizations long-term picture.
Neto did not move, and the Angels have made it clear to him that he is a key piece of what they are trying to build. The Mariners showed some interest along the way, but never turned that into a real push, leaving Neto in Anaheim as the deadline dust settled around him. Around the division, Carlos Correa is already swinging again after ankle surgery and Jack Leiter is moving toward a rehab assignment, but the Angels more immediate takeaway is simpler: teams hunting for pitching will keep circling, and their core players will keep drawing calls. [Read more 🡒]