ST. LOUIS -- Nolan Schanuel didn¡¯t have a hard time describing the atmosphere in the Angels' clubhouse Tuesday night.
¡°I got goosebumps, and just being with this group of guys and everything, it's just electric 24/7,¡± Schanuel said. ¡°There's a totally different vibe in here from this year to last year, and it's awesome. It's awesome to be a part of.¡±
That electricity is leading to results on the field, with Tuesday night¡¯s 9-7 win in 11 innings over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium being the latest example.
Los Angeles blew a one-run lead in the eighth and a three-run lead in the 10th, only to come up with two key two-out hits in the 11th to pull out a fourth win in a row and the second straight in extra innings.
¡°It just was no quit,¡± manager Ron Washington said. ¡°They are learning how to pull for each other. They are learning how to stay in the fight. And if you're going to be successful, you're going to have to be in those kind of ball games. Those are the kind of ballgames that winning teams have to be in. And we¡¯re getting a taste of it early.¡±
For the third game in as many days, Kyren Paris came up with a game-changing hit, knocking an RBI single in the 11th to break a 6-6 tie. Yo¨¢n Moncada followed with a two-run double for insurance to give rookie Ryan Johnson his first Major League win -- a day after picking up his first career save.
Johnson is the first pitcher to record a win and a save within their first three career appearances since Ryan Weathers for San Diego in 2021, and he joined Stew Cliburn (1984-1985) as just the second Angel to do so.
The Angels looked to have the game in hand in the eighth, but a Schanuel throwing error allowed Lars Nootbaar to score the game-tying run.
Schanuel made up for the miscue with a two-run triple in the 10th to give the Angels a 5-3 lead. Jo Adell followed with a single that plated Schanuel.
It was Schanuel¡¯s first career triple.
¡°My teammates picked me up, and they had my back no matter what,¡± Schanuel said. ¡°Even though I made the error, we still knew we had a chance to win the game. And guys came up right when I got into the dugout on the front step and tapped me, saying, ¡®Hey, forget about it. You're gonna have to come up and make an impact in the game later.¡¯¡±
But the Cardinals responded with three in their half of the 10th. Luken Baker had a two-run double and Nolan Arenado¡¯s single tied the game at 6.
Kyle Hendricks earned a no-decision in his Angels debut, but he continued his career-long run of success against St. Louis, allowing just two runs and striking out four over six innings. It was the fourth quality start out of the season¡¯s first five games for Angels starters.
Hendricks is 15-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 29 career appearances (28 starts) against St. Louis. He owns the lowest ERA against the Cardinals of any player to debut after 1973 (minimum 175 IP) and leads all active pitchers in wins (14), starts (28) and innings pitched (185) against St. Louis.
The Angels finally solved Matthew Liberatore after the Cardinals' starter retired the first eight batters he faced. Tim Anderson and Taylor Ward started the two-out rally in the third with a pair of singles, and Luis Rengifo and Mike Trout followed with back-to-back doubles to give the Halos a 3-1 lead.
The Angels moved to three games above .500 for the first time since Aug. 2, 2023, and won consecutive extra-inning games for the first time since Sept. 4-5, 2017, at Oakland.
¡°Just some huge swings at the bat there late,¡± Hendricks said. ¡°That just shows the approach, selectiveness and just using their strengths, the hitters making the pitchers come to them and then doing damage. Just so fun to watch, but good at-bats just all night long lead to that.¡±