The Los Angeles Angels extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe played a central role, contributing a home run and a tiebreaking RBI single that propelled his team to a late-game lead. The Athletics have now dropped seven straight games.
Before the game, the Angels were listed as slight favorites with moneyline odds around -115, while the Athletics stood at -105, indicating a closely matched contest based on recent form.
O’Hoppe’s fourth-inning home run, his 11th of the season, tied the game at one after Oakland had taken an early lead with an RBI single by Luis Urías in the second inning. Oakland responded in the fourth with a two-run home run by rookie Nick Kurtz and a solo shot from Shea Langeliers, giving the Athletics a 4-1 advantage.
However, Los Angeles quickly regained control. Yoán Moncada hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to even the score at four runs apiece. Later in the same inning, O’Hoppe delivered an RBI single that gave the Angels the lead for good.
The Angels added two insurance runs in the ninth. Zach Neto drove in one with a double, and Taylor Ward contributed a run-scoring fielder’s choice, pushing the score to 7-4.
Kenley Jansen entered the game in the ninth for the Angels, seeking his 10th save of the season. He surrendered an RBI single to pinch-hitter Seth Brown, cutting the deficit to two. However, Jansen responded by striking out Tyler Soderstrom to end the game. Jansen has earned saves in three consecutive appearances and sits fourth on Major League Baseball’s all-time saves list with 457, trailing only Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, and Mariano Rivera.
Angels starter Kyle Hendricks pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. While his early-inning struggles continued, Hendricks settled after a shaky start. His season-long trend has shown a disparity between early and late innings, with an 8.44 ERA over the first two innings compared to a 3.16 ERA from the third inning onward.
In his latest outing, Oakland starter Gunnar Hoglund (1-2) allowed five runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. A notable moment occurred in the third inning when A’s infielder Jacob Wilson, who entered the game third in the majors with a .341 batting average, was hit on the wrist by a pitch and left.
The series continues Wednesday night, with the Angels scheduled to start right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (3-5, 4.71 ERA) against Athletics left-hander JP Sears (4-3, 3.31 ERA).