The Los Angeles Angels Mike Moustakas (8) slides in safely on a Hunter Renfroe RBI double as San Francisco Giants catcher Blake Sabol (2) is late with the tag in the bottom of the first inning at the Big A in Anaheim on Tue Aug 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Anaheim, California

San Francisco Giants 5 (62-52)

Los Angeles Angels 7 (57-58)

Win: Lucas Giolito (7-8)

Loss: Scott Alexander (6-2)

Save: Dominic Leone (1)

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 31,974

By Stephen Ruderman

ANAHEIM–It was a wild one in Anaheim, as the Angels beat the Giants 7-5 in Game 2 of this three-game series to snap the Angels’ seven-game losing streak.

Coming off one of their biggest wins of the season Monday night, the Giants once again went with an opener, as Scott Alexander took the ball for the Giants, but he only faced three batters in the bottom of the first inning, as Luis Rengifo doubled down the right field line; Shohei Ohtani singled up the middle to knock in Rengifo; and Brandon Drury singled Ohtani over to second. 

Jakob Junis then came in, and struck out C.J. Cron, but then gave up a base-hit to Mike Moustakas, which scored Ohtani to make it 2-0 Angels. Randal Grichuk struck out, but Hunter Renfroe doubled in Drury and Moustakas, and after the throw from second-baseman Thairo Estrada hit the dirt, Renfoe went to third. Mickey Moniak then flew out to the wall in right, and the inning was over.

Lucas Giolito, whom the Angels had acquired from the White Sox on July 26, made his first home start at Angel Stadium, and he set down the first seven Giants he faced. However, the Giants would not go down quietly.

With one out in the top of the third, Brandon Crawford then worked an 0-2 count into a walk, and that got things started for the Giants. Luis Matos pinch-hit for A.J. Pollock—who left the game with side tightness—and singled to center; and LaMonte Wade walked to load the bases.

That set things up for Joc Pederson, who hit a little squibber along the third base line off the end of his bat, as Mike Moustakas had no play; everybody was safe; and the Giants were on the board. Wilmer Flores then grounded a single up the middle into center to knock in Matos and Wade, and just like that, the score was 4-3.

Junis held the fort, as the Angels wasted one-out doubles in the second and third. Giolito pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fourth; and Alex Wood came in for the Giants in the bottom of the fourth, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts. 

The Giants threatened in the fifth after Matos led off the inning with a walk and Wilmer Flores was hit by a pitch with two outs, but they were unable to do anything with it. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Brandon Drury hit an opposite-field home run to right to extend the Angels’ lead to 5-4. 

The Angels threatened more, as C.J. Cron followed Drury’s home run with a walk, and Mike Moustakas reached after a throw from Thairo Estrada pulled LaMonte Wade off the bag at first; but Wood then for Grichuk to fly out to right, and Renfroe to pop out to third to end the inning without any further damage.

Giolito and Wood both pitched 1-2-3 innings in the sixth, and Angels’ left-hander Aaron Loup pitched a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.

Brandon Drury hit a double down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the seventh for his third leg of the cycle, but he was nearly thrown out at second on a missile from Joc Pederson. C.J. Cron then singled to left, but Drury thought better than to test Pederson’s arm again, as that put runners on the corners with one out for Mike Moustakas, who knocked in Drury with a sacrifice fly to center-fielder LaMonte Wade out in right-center. 

Grichuk grounded into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to end the bottom of the seventh, and that did it for Alex Wood, who pitched four solid innings, and outside of Brandon Drury, gave up just one hit.

“I thought Alex did a really nice job,” said Giants Manager Gabe Kapler. “Through those middle innings, we needed somebody to keep us in the game, and make pitches.”

Loup was back out for the Angels in the top of the eighth. Kapler sent Patrick Bailey to pinch-hit for Joc Pederson, and Kapler was rewarded, as Bailey singled to left. Angels Manager Phil Nevin then brought in the former Giant, Dominic Leone, and Wilmer Flores hit a home run to left-center to make the score 6-5. Leone then set the next three guys in order.

Luke Jackson came in for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth, and he immediately ran into trouble. Renfroe singled, and Monial doubled Renfroe to third. Matt Thaiss pinch-hit for Chad Wallach, and knocked in Renfroe with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-5. Jackson escaped the eighth without giving up any more runs. 

Phil Nevin did not want to take any chances with his struggling closer, Carlos Estevez, who had blown his last two save opportunities, so Nevin decided to let Leone try to convert the six-out save. The move paid off, and Leone pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his first save of the season.

Despite the loss, the Giants did not go down quietly, just has been the case all season. Even in the ninth, the Giants made Leone earn the save.

“I think these guys scratch and claw,” said Kapler. “That’s why we make moves like Pat[rick] Bailey pinch-hitting, [as well as] Austin Slater just to kind of get those kind[s] of upgrades, because these guys are going to fight until the finish every time.”

The Giants have now lost three of their last four, as they fall to 62-52, and five games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, in the National League West. 

The rubber match of the series will be Wednesday night at 6:38, as Manager Gabe Kapler will start Ryan Walker (4-1 ERA 2.52) he’ll be opposed by Shohei Ohtani (9-5 ERA 3.32).