SEATTLE —Jo Adell might have finally figured out something that coaches have certainly been telling him for years.
“Less is more,” Adell said after driving in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of the Angels’ 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. “The homer is not always the answer.”
It was the second time in the last 10 days that Adell had a go-ahead hit in the late innings of a victory over the Mariners. Although he hit a three-run homer back on July 14, his single up the middle on Monday was significant because it is part of what Adell described as a new approach.
Instead of “going in and trying to force damage,” Adell said, he’s now looking to make contact when the situation calls for it.
“Naturally, damage from me is going to happen,” Adell said. “I’m gonna run into those pitches and hit them well, but to go into an at-bat and try to force that is when issues can arise. Every once in a while, you get lucky. You try to do damage and you can do damage. But for me I gotta continue to simplify, and just get the barrel to the ball and be on time and focus on that. Let the rest play.”
Adell now has a seven-game hitting streak, in which he’s 9 for 21. In that stretch, he has five strikeouts and six walks. To be sure, it’s a small sample size, but it’s nonetheless encouraging to Manager Ron Washington.
“He’s growing,” Washington said. “He’s growing.”
It was the Angels’ fourth straight victory over the Mariners, including the final three games before the All-Star break. Adell punctuated that winning streak with an eighth-inning homer when the Angels trailed by two.
This time, he came to the plate with Brandon Drury at second and Zach Neto at first after each had drawn walks with two outs.
Adell punched a single up the middle. Drury chugged around and slid head first across the plate. As the ball skipped away from catcher Cal Raleigh, Neto came home.
Adell had also played a critical role in the Angels tying the score in the eighth. He led off the inning with a walk. With runners at first and second and one out, Adell took off for third, stealing his 13th base of the season. Taylor Ward then drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
An inning later, Adell helped the Angels get the lead, and then closer Carlos Estévez locked it up with a perfect ninth on nine pitches, all strikes.
Estévez has converted 12 consecutive save opportunities. He has not allowed a run in his last 17 innings, dating to May 28.
“It’s been awesome,” Washington said, “because when you bring in your closer, you want to see him throw strikes. And that’s one thing he’s been doing. He’s been throwing strikes with all his pitches. And he’s been putting his pitches in places where he wants to put them. He just hasn’t been making many mistakes. And that’s what you want to see when your closer comes in.”
Angels pitching was good all night, starting with left-hander Tyler Anderson allowing one run in 5⅔ innings.
Anderson hit J.P. Crawford with his second pitch of the game, and then Victor Robles hit a slow chopper to third and beat it out for an infield hit. An out later, Raleigh dropped a single into center field, driving in Crawford.
After that, Anderson retired the next 15 in a row, into the sixth inning. He gave up a single and a two-out walk and was then pulled with two runners aboard.
Hans Crouse struck out Mitch Garver to escape the jam, keeping the Angels down 1-0.
Relievers Hunter Strickland and Luis Garcia kept the Mariners down while the Angels’ offense slowly got going.
The Angels had just three hits and a hit batter in seven scoreless innings against Seattle starter Bryce Miller.
The Angels also didn’t seem to appreciate the help Miller got from plate umpire Mike Estabrook, who was a focal point throughout the night. With a runner at first and two outs in the first, Willie Calhoun was called out on a third strike that was a couple of inches outside.
In the second, Drury was incensed with a called third strike that was clearly low. Hitting coach Johnny Washington was ejected after that call.
And in the sixth, in the Angels’ first at-bat of the game with a runner in scoring position, Calhoun again seemed to disagree with a called third strike. This one appeared to nick the edge of the zone, though.
The Angels had another runner in scoring position in the seventh, with one out, but Drury hit a flyout and Zach Neto grounded out.
Estabrook was in the spotlight again in the eighth inning, when he ejected Nolan Schanuel after he argued a called third strike. It was the first ejection of Schanuel’s young career, and Washington did not appreciate it.
“In that situation right there, that ball was too close to not swing and leave it up to the umpire,” Washington said. “Now he has to learn that he has to control his emotions. He can’t put us behind the eight ball by leaving the game. He’s our best out there at first base, but it’s a learning moment. It’s a teaching moment.”
JO is THAT guy @Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/as20J8PRt9
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 23, 2024
Jo Adell vs. the Mariners is where he SHINES @EricaLWeston @Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/G6a8ManjWZ
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 23, 2024
Wash shares his thoughts after the WIN @Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/4hYz1MNDgF
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 23, 2024
Taylor TIES it up @Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/nvvpGj1M5h
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 23, 2024
Carlos Estevez loves the boos @EricaLWeston@Angels l #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/iKmkulYgXE
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) July 23, 2024
