The Los Angeles Angels continued their strong stretch on the road with a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night, powered by home runs from Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel and a dominant performance on the mound by José Soriano. The win completed a two-game sweep of the Braves, who continue to struggle offensively and are dealing with mounting injuries to their pitching staff.
The Angels entered the game as slight underdogs with most sportsbooks listing them at around +110 on the moneyline. Despite the odds, they took control early and maintained their lead behind Soriano’s efficient pitching and timely hitting.
Soriano, a right-hander, improved to 6-5 on the season after delivering seven scoreless innings. He allowed only three hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out seven. None of the Braves’ baserunners advanced past first base against him. Soriano has delivered four consecutive quality starts and continues providing stability for the Angels’ rotation.
Zach Neto led the offensive charge for Los Angeles with three hits, including his ninth home run of the season, and scored three times. Nolan Schanuel added a two-run homer in the second inning, driving in Neto after his leadoff double. The long ball was Schanuel’s seventh of the season and gave the Angels an early 2-0 advantage.
Atlanta starter Bryce Elder dropped to 2-6 after allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks across five innings. The outing marked his third straight loss and followed a rough start last week in which he surrendered 10 runs in just two innings. Injuries have severely impacted the Braves’ rotation. Spencer Schwellenbach was recently placed on the injured list with a fractured elbow, joining a growing list that includes Chris Sale, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Reynaldo López.
The Angels added to their lead in the fourth when Neto reached on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a line drive by Brandon Drury. Neto later capped his night with a solo homer in the sixth, extending the lead to 5-0.
Jurickson Profar prevented a shutout for Atlanta with a solo homer in the ninth off Angels reliever Brock Burke. It was Profar’s second home run in as many games since returning from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Matt Olson extended his on-base streak to 33 games with a single in the first inning, currently the longest active streak in the major leagues. Meanwhile, Angels outfielder Jo Adell extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single, the longest by any Angels player this season.
Looking ahead, the Angels continue their road trip with a series opener Friday night in Toronto. Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 4.66 ERA) is scheduled to face Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer (4-1, 2.60 ERA). The Braves begin a series at home against the Baltimore Orioles, with Spencer Strider (3-6, 3.86 ERA) set to start against former Braves right-hander Charlie Morton (4-7, 5.63 ERA).
