The Los Angeles Angels extended their winning streak to four games with a 10-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night. The win marked another encouraging step for Los Angeles, which has begun to find consistency after a slow stretch and is showing signs of the power-heavy offense that flashed earlier in the season.
Infielder Vaughn Grissom delivered the biggest performance of his MLB career, going 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBIs to power the Angels’ comeback win. Grissom, a former top-100 prospect who had been struggling, gave Los Angeles an immediate spark with a two-run single in the third inning to put the Angels ahead 2-1. He then broke the game open with a grand slam in the eighth inning, extending the lead to 9-6 and putting the Tigers away.
The Angels’ offense once again featured the kind of production that had made it dangerous in early April, with home runs, timely hitting and double-digit total hits helping them control the game late. Grissom’s breakout performance stood out as the highlight, but the overall lineup gave the club the balance it needed to keep momentum going.
On the mound, Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz had a difficult outing, lasting just four innings while allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Detroit has had success against him dating back to last season, and the Tigers continued that trend by forcing Los Angeles into an early battle.
Tigers starter Keider Montero gave his team a solid effort, allowing four runs over 5.2 innings on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven. However, the bullpen could not hold the game together. Reliever Will Vest surrendered Grissom’s late grand slam and was charged with five runs in the loss.
The Angels will look to clinch the series on Wednesday night behind ace right-hander José Soriano, who has been one of the most effective pitchers in the American League this season. Soriano enters the matchup with a 6-3 record, a 2.44 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 74 strikeouts over 11 starts. In his most recent outing against the Athletics, he worked 6.2 innings, allowed two runs and struck out seven.
Detroit will counter with Casey Mize, the former No. 1 overall pick who is enjoying one of the best stretches of his career. Mize is 2-3 with a 2.47 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and 43 strikeouts through eight starts. He also delivered 6.2 strong innings in his last appearance against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing two runs while striking out four.
First pitch for the second game of the series is set for 3:40 p.m. PDT, with the game available on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.
