There haven’t been many positives for the Los Angeles Angels in the 2026 season. But over the last week, the team has seemingly flipped a switch and is playing their best stretch of baseball yet this season.
The Angels soundly defeated the Detroit Tigers, 7-1, in a rubber match on Thursday afternoon. Grayson Rodriguez set the tone from the mound in what was a very encouraging outing, turning in his best start since becoming an Angel and leading the way to the Angels’ fifth win in their last six games.
In five innings of work, Rodriguez allowed one run, two hits and punched out five batters. His fastball consistently sat around 96-98 MPH, while garnering eight whiffs against Tigers hitters.
Situational hitting stood out as a strong point for the Angels, a facet of the game their offense has heavily lacked in this season. Sitting at the very bottom of the league in hitting with runners in scoring position, the Angels flipped that script on Thursday, going 4-for-9 as a team in that category.
In their recent winning stretch, the Angels have relied on the long ball for a chunk of their run-scoring successes. Conversely, the long ball was not needed in the comfortable victory.
The Tigers trotted Jack Flaherty to the mound, who has not played up to his typical standard this season. He started off strong, allowing just two baserunners through the first four innings, but the Angels refound their offensive stride in the fifth inning after 13 consecutive innings without a run, including yesterday’s shutout loss.
In the fifth, the Angels tagged Flaherty for three runs, highlighted by a Zach Neto go-ahead RBI double. Recording two multi-hit games this series, Neto has hit for a .333 batting average in the team’s last seven games, rediscovering his stride after nearly a month-long skid.
The damage would increase in the later innings, the Angels’ bullpen finding insurance from Vaughn Grissom’s RBI double and a Jorge Soler run-scoring single to bring him in.
Mike Trout added to the Tigers’ pitching troubles with a two-run double in the ninth inning, recording his 30th RBI of the season. He hit two doubles in the win, his first double in the game’s opening frame marking his 1,800th career knock.
One huge positive from the Angels’ series win was the consistency of their bullpen, one that has been lackluster and sat towards the bottom of the league in ERA. Over three games in Detroit, the Angels bullpen yielded just one earned run in 12 innings of work.
Four Angels relievers combined to seal the series win on Thursday, including lefty Drew Pomeranz, who delivered a clean outing in his return from the injured list. Despite the relievers combining for five walks in four innings, their arms prevented damage and worked their way out of jams.
Now winners of back-to-back series for the first time this season, the Angels will look to keep things rolling as they head southeast to face the Tampa Bay Rays, who sit atop the American League despite just being swept by the Baltimore Orioles.
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