Zach Neto delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night, lifting the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a weekend series at Angel Stadium. The win ended a four-game losing streak for Los Angeles, and on the same night, the club honored Neto with a bobblehead giveaway.
The Angels entered the game as narrow underdogs, with pregame moneyline odds listed around +105. The Mariners were slight favorites at approximately -125, and the over/under for total runs was set at 8.5, a figure that remained under despite the game extending into extra innings.
Neto’s game-winning hit, a two-out ground ball in the 10th inning, came off Seattle reliever Casey Legumina and snuck past a diving attempt by second baseman Cole Young. The single scored the automatic runner from second base and marked the first walk-off hit of Neto’s major league career. The shortstop finished the game with two hits and a run scored.
The Angels received additional offensive contributions from Jo Adell, who entered the game in a slump, having gone 1-for-20 in his previous at-bats. Adell gave Los Angeles the lead in the first inning with a two-out, two-run double to left field, scoring Neto and another runner to make it 2-1. Those would be the only runs the Angels managed until the decisive 10th inning.
Seattle was powered by Jose Rodriguez, who homered twice in the game. He scored with a solo home run in the first inning, launching a 98-mph sinker from Angels starter José Soriano over the right-center field wall. Rodriguez added another home run to lead off the sixth inning, tying the game at 2-2. It was the fifth multi-homer game of his career.
Both starting pitchers were effective over six innings. Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo allowed two runs on four hits, striking out six and walking two. Woo continued his streak of outings with at least six innings pitched and no more than two walks, extending it to 20 consecutive starts. The streak is the fourth-longest of its kind in major league history, trailing only Juan Marichal, Cliff Lee, and Curt Schilling. Soriano, starting for the Angels, matched Woo by giving up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
In the top of the 10th, the Mariners threatened with two runners on and no outs against Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. The right-hander escaped the jam by retiring the next three batters, including a strikeout of Cal Raleigh looking on a 99-mph fastball to end the inning. Zeferjahn was credited with the win, improving to 6-3 on the season. Legumina took the loss for Seattle, falling to 4-5.
The series continues Saturday night in Anaheim. The Mariners are scheduled to start right-hander George Kirby (4-5, 4.65 ERA), while the Angels will counter with left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.43 ERA).
