'That's why we do it': O'Hoppe leads Angels in late-inning win
ANAHEIM -- Catcher Logan O'Hoppe has already developed into one of the Angels¡¯ clubhouse leaders because of how he carries himself and the work and preparation he puts in with pitchers.
But his offense shined on Friday, as he smacked a three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Angels to a 5-2 win over the Tigers at Angel Stadium. It gave the Angels their first five-game winning streak since June 4-9, 2023, while they improved to 14-10 in June.
¡°That¡¯s why we do it,¡± O¡¯Hoppe said. ¡°I picture moments like that in the offseason. That¡¯s what I miss the most. And so I really tried to be where my feet were and feel that moment as much as I could. And I blanked out and took a swing."
With two runners on and two outs, O¡¯Hoppe stepped up to the plate against right-hander Shelby Miller and ambushed him with a three-run blast on a first-pitch fastball that was middle-in. It was the 11th homer of the year for O¡¯Hoppe and came at a big moment.
Manager Ron Washington has been impressed by O¡¯Hoppe and how he¡¯s improved both behind and at the plate. O'Hoppe, 24, is hitting .270/.322/.465 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and 37 RBIs in 69 games.
He's been even better in June, batting .309/.351/.574 with four homers, six doubles and 11 RBIs in 20 games. And he elevates his game in key situations, as he's hitting .283/.371/.566 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 53 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
¡°What he¡¯s been doing, I heard he was doing last year before he got hurt, so y'all shouldn't be surprised,¡± Washington said. ¡°I'm learning about him every day he¡¯s out there and I'm very impressed with the way he¡¯s handled himself. He seems to be clutch, but you just got to wait until he¡¯s get some more time on his belt before we named him Mr. Clutch.¡±
Third baseman Luis Rengifo, who hit a two-run blast in the first off Kenta Maeda, sparked the rally with a two-out single that he blooped into left field. Rengifo went 2-for-4 and leads the American League with a .315 average.
¡°There¡¯s not a pitch a pitcher can throw that Rengifo doesn¡¯t think he can hit,¡± Washington said. ¡°He barreled one up and then he took a good swing at that ball even though the pitcher beat him on the pitch and it fell in. But only because he got a good swing off on it.¡±
O¡¯Hoppe also had to navigate the pitching staff and handle five relievers after right-hander Zach Plesac lasted just 2 2/3 innings because of losing control in the third. Plesac walked four straight batters after a two-out single, with only three of his 19 pitches going for strikes.
It tied the game and that was it from Plesac, who was replaced by Jos¨¦ Marte, who got out of the jam. Plesac said he had trouble gripping his pitches but was thankful the bullpen bailed him out.
He¡¯s posted an 8.25 ERA in three starts and his spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy with right-hander Jos¨¦ Soriano due to return from his abdominal infection next week in Oakland. Right-hander Davis Daniel will also get another start after throwing eight scoreless innings in his first career start against Detroit on Friday. Right-hander Roansy Contreras gave up one run over three innings in his first start of the year on Thursday against the A¡¯s.
¡°I couldn¡¯t get a grip and it just seemed like I was squeezing it tight but it kept slipping out,¡± Plesac said. ¡°But you have to give it to the bullpen. Marte getting me out of that jam. The bullpen has been on fire recently.¡±
Marte began an impressive run for the relievers, as he combined with Matt Moore, Hunter Strickland, Luis Garc¨ªa and Carlos Est¨¦vez to throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings on just one hit, which came in the third inning. It was an impressive showing. However, to ease the burden, the Halso could use a longer start from right-hander Griffin Canning on Saturday
¡°It was unbelievable,¡± O¡¯Hoppe said. ¡°I¡¯ve never pitched before but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s really hard to do on short notice like that. They did a great job. They didn't get in a lot of traffic, but when they did, they went pitch by pitch. It was pretty cool.¡±