The Los Angeles Angels rode a powerful offensive outburst in the fifth inning to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 10-4 on Saturday night at Angel Stadium. Mike Trout and Logan O’Hoppe each delivered two-run home runs during a pivotal seven-run frame, turning a tied contest into a decisive Angels win. The result evened the series ahead of Sunday’s finale and extended Los Angeles’s recent momentum at home.
The game was tied at three entering the bottom of the fifth before Trout broke the deadlock with a towering two-run homer to center field. The 429-foot shot came off Guardians starter Tanner Bibee and left the bat at 107 miles per hour. It was Trout’s third home run in as many games and gave the Angels a 5-3 advantage.
Later in the inning, Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch, and O’Hoppe followed with a home run to left-center, extending the lead to four. The scoring continued as Nolan Schanuel singled and Jo Adell drew a walk, setting up Tim Anderson’s two-run double. Taylor Ward capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single to give Los Angeles a 10-3 cushion.
Bibee, who entered the game with a 1-0 record, struggled through four innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, including four home runs. The fifth-inning collapse marked the end of his outing, and he took the loss, dropping to 1-1 on the season.
The Guardians had taken an early lead with solo home runs by Carlos Santana and Bo Naylor, part of a three-run output over the first five innings. Cleveland threatened again in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs. However, Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz, making just his second major league start, worked out of the jam by inducing a flyout from Kyle Manzardo. Kochanowicz earned his first big league win after allowing three runs, two of them earned, on four hits in five innings. He also walked three and struck out four.
In the opening frame, Luis Rengifo opened the scoring for Los Angeles with a solo home run. Trout followed with a walk and later came around to score on Soler’s two-run home run to center, putting the Angels ahead 3-0 early.
O’Hoppe’s homer in the fifth gave him a home run in three straight games, matching Trout’s current streak. It marks the first time in O’Hoppe’s career that he has gone deep in three consecutive contests, while Trout has now achieved the feat 16 times.
Tyler Anderson is scheduled to take the mound for the Angels in the series finale on Sunday. The left-hander enters with a 0-0 record and a 5.40 ERA. The Guardians will counter with right-hander Luis Ortiz, 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA.
According to most sportsbooks, the Angels opened as -130 favorites for Sunday’s contest, with the Guardians at +110. The projected total for the game is set at 8.5 runs.