Shohei Ohtani shone on the mound and at the plate, Mickey Moniak delivered the tying hit and the go-ahead home run, and the Los Angeles Angels held on to beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 on Thursday in Arlington, Texas
The Angels won three of four in the series over the first-place Rangers, making their case that they're legitimate AL West contenders. They are in third place, 4 1/2 games behind Texas
Ohtani (6-2), who hadn't won since May 15, got the decision over Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi (9-3). Ohtani allowed two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts over six innings
Then, after his mound duties were over, Ohtani as the designated hitter belted his 22nd home run, sending a first-pitch slider from Rangers reliever Brock Burke over the center field fence. The two-run shot provided some much-needed insurance for the Angels' bullpen
The Rangers threatened in the ninth, loading the bases on three straight walks from Angels closer Carlos Estevez, who was removed in favor of Jacob Webb. Webb got the next two hitters, walked in one run, but preserved the victory by striking out Adolis Garcia. It was Webb's first save of the season
The Angels jumped in front in the seventh, taking a 3-2 lead on a solo shot by Moniak, his sixth homer of the season
The Rangers had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on third and one out against Angels reliever Chris Devenski. Facing a full count, though, Marcus Semien struck out swinging on a failed check swing ruling from first base umpire Ramon DeJesus for the second out. After the Angels intentionally walked Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe bounced into an inning-ending groundout
Between innings, the Rangers expressed their displeasure with DeJesus' call. Semien, pitching coach Mike Maddux and manager Bruce Bochy were all ejected
Despite the win, the Angels leave Texas with a couple injury concerns
First baseman Gio Urshela sustained an injury trying to beat out a double play in the first inning. He played the bottom half of the first in the field before being replaced by Jared Walsh. The Orange County Register reported that Urshela was on crutches with a hip issue and would be evaluated in Kansas City, where the Angels travel next
Third baseman Anthony Rendon also drew injury concerns in the first inning after being hit by a pitch on the wrist. Rendon played the full game, although he did not take a full swing his final two at-bats. He tried to bunt both times. The Register reported that he was undergoing X-rays after the game.
--Field Level Media