The Los Angeles Angels defeated the struggling Kansas City Royals 3-0 on Friday night. Brandon Drury drove in two runs, while Patrick Sandoval pitched seven solid innings to secure the win for the Angels.
The Royals, who currently have the worst record in the major leagues at 18-51, suffered their 10th consecutive loss, marking their longest losing streak since May 2021 when they dropped 11 games in a row. It was also the ninth time this season that they were shut out and the 15th time they were held to four hits or fewer.
The Angels, on the other hand, have been performing well lately, winning 10 of their last 12 games. They took two out of three games against the Seattle Mariners at home before winning three out of four games against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.
Angels manager Phil Nevin acknowledged that it wasn’t their best offensive performance and they made some mistakes on the bases, but he praised Sandoval’s great outing. Sandoval allowed four hits, four walks, and hit a batter while striking out six.
Sam Bachman, in his first professional save, retired six straight batters to close out the game for the Angels.
Royals starter Brady Singer gave up two runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Despite the loss, Royals manager Matt Quatraro commended Singer’s performance, noting that he settled in well and threw the ball solidly against a tough lineup.
The Angels scored their first run in the first inning when Shohei Ohtani doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on Brandon Drury’s single. Drury later extended the lead with an RBI double in the sixth inning.
The Angels added another run in the seventh when Jose Cuas hit a batter and walked Matt Thaiss with the bases loaded.
In terms of injuries, Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was held out of the game due to soreness in his left wrist. Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who was hit by a pitch on his left hand earlier in the week, was also not in the lineup but is expected to return soon.
In the next game, Angels right-hander Griffin Canning is scheduled to start against Royals right-hander Mike Mayers.
In NL action in New York, the Mets defeated the struggling St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Friday night. Tylor Megill earned his first win since last month, and Daniel Vogelbach, returning to the lineup, hit a home run to contribute to the Mets’ victory.
The Mets, with a record of 33-36 and a $355 million payroll, won their second consecutive game after losing nine of their previous ten. They got off to a strong start in the first inning, with Brett Baty hitting a two-run double off Miles Mikolas, and Tommy Pham, a former Cardinal player, adding two RBI singles. Willson Contreras hit a home run for the struggling Cardinals, who have now lost six games in a row and 13 of their last 16. With a record of 27-43, the Cardinals currently have the worst record in the National League and their worst start in 45 years.
Tylor Megill (6-4) pitched six innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out seven to earn his first win since May 18. He had struggled in his previous four outings, including a poor performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week. Mikolas (4-4) suffered his third consecutive loss, giving up six runs and eight hits in six innings.
Daniel Vogelbach, who had been in a slump, broke out of his 0-for-12 skid with a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third homer of the season. Vogelbach credited the Mets’ hitting coaches for their work with him, even on off-days, to help him improve his swing.
On the defensive side, the Mets turned a 1-2-3 double play in the first inning, and relievers Dominic Leone and Josh Walker combined for three innings of one-hit relief to close out the game.
The game, which took only 2 hours and 1 minute, was the fastest nine-inning Mets game since May 2019.
In the next game of the series, Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright (2-1, 5.79 ERA) is set to start against Mets rookie Kodai Senga (6-3, 3.34 ERA).
MLB scoreboard for Friday, June 16, 2023:
Chicago (NL) 10, Baltimore 3
Cincinnati 2, Houston 1
Philadelphia 6, Oakland 1
Tampa Bay 6, San Diego 2
Arizona 5, Cleveland 1
Boston 15, New York (AL) 5
Toronto 2, Texas 1
Detroit 7, Minnesota 1
Seattle 3, Chicago (AL) 2
Miami 6, Washington 5
Atlanta 8, Colorado 1
Milwaukee 5, Pittsburgh 4
San Francisco 7, Los Angeles (NL) 5