Jorge Soler hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Mike Trout added a pair of homers as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Texas Rangers 11-8 on Wednesday night in a back-and-forth game at Angel Stadium.
Soler’s decisive blast came after Yoán Moncada led off the inning with a single. Facing reliever Luke Jackson, Soler sent a 421-foot shot over the left-field fence to break an 8-8 tie. Soler’s 14th home run of the season proved to be the difference as the Angels snapped a two-game losing streak.
Trout stood out at the plate, connecting for the season’s 15th and 16th home runs. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning and followed with a solo shot in the fifth, marking his third multi-homer game of the season and the 29th of his career. Trout also contributed with a productive flyout in the seventh that moved two runners into scoring position. Both eventually scored on a Taylor Ward single that tied the game at 8-8.
Travis d’Arnaud added to the Angels’ offensive output with his sixth home run of the year in the fourth inning, a solo shot that briefly tied the game at 5-5. José Fermín (2-0) earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning of relief, while closer Kenley Jansen notched his 16th save with a clean ninth.
Texas was powered by Marcus Semien, who drove in four runs. Semien hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning off left-hander Reid Detmers to give the Rangers an 8-6 lead. Detmers entered the outing having not allowed an earned run in 22 consecutive appearances, but he was tagged for three runs in just over an inning of work.
Kyle Higashioka also contributed for the Rangers with his third home run of the season, a solo shot, and added an RBI single in the fifth. Despite a strong offensive showing, Texas’s bullpen could not contain Los Angeles in the late innings.
Both starting pitchers had short outings. Kyle Hendricks of the Angels lasted only 3 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs, four earned. Texas starter Kumar Rocker pitched 4 1/3 innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits while striking out three.
The Rangers, who have lost two of the first three games in the series, will turn to left-hander Patrick Corbin (5-7, 4.18 ERA) in Thursday’s finale. The Angels are set to counter with Jack Kochanowicz (3-8, 5.42 ERA), as they look to secure a series split.
According to current betting odds, the Angels are slight underdogs at +110, while the Rangers are listed at -130. The over/under for the game is set at 9.5 runs, reflecting the offensive firepower both teams have shown throughout the series.