Angels use 3 solo homers to cool off MLB-leading Braves with 4-1 victory; Ohtani goes 2 for 3

By GEORGE HENRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Luis Rengifo, Randal Grichuk and Chad Wallach hit solo homers off Charlie Morton, Chase Silseth won his second straight start and the Los Angeles Angels cooled off the major league-leading Atlanta Braves with a 4-1 victory on Monday night.

Matt Olson’s NL-best 36th homer and major league-leading 89th RBI made it 2-1 in the fifth, helping the Braves join the 2019 Minnesota Twins as the only teams with 200 long balls before August. Atlanta began the game with 31 more homers than the Los Angeles Dodgers, the No. 2 team.

The Braves (67-37) were coming off a three-game sweep of Milwaukee in which they scored 29 runs and went deep 11 times.

“Offensively, we had a really good ballgame pitched against us,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “The starter was really good, the bullpen did a great job. We had a hard time generating much offense.”

Los Angeles two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP and the majors’ homer leader with 39, went 2 for 3. He was hit by a pitch in the first and intentionally walked in the second. He ripped a single 113.3 mph to right in the fourth, singled off A.J. Minter in the seventh and was robbed of a three-run homer by center fielder Michael Harris II in the ninth.

Harris timed his leap at the wall perfectly, raising his glove over the 9-foot wall to bring the ball back. Ohtani drove it 406 feet.

Rengifo drove the game’s third pitch to right-center. Grichuk, making his Angels debut a day after getting acquired with first baseman C.J. Cron in a trade with Colorado, hit an opposite-field shot to right in the fourth. Wallach drove his seventh homer 441 feet to left-center for a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

Cron’s RBI single in the ninth made it 4-1.

The Angels (56-51) have won 10 of 13 and have the AL’s best record since the All-Star break at 11-5. Los Angeles began the night five games back in the AL West and four games back of the final wild-card.

“It’s exciting, we’re in the playoff push,” Wallach said. “Any time you’re in that, it’s always fun baseball.”

Reynaldo López worked the final 1 2/3 innings to earn his fifth save.

Silseth (3-1) started in place of Griffin Channing, who was scratched with what Channing described as “general soreness” a few hours before the game. Making his third major league start, Silseth gave up three hits and one run in five innings.

“We pitched great,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “Silseth was great. We told him yesterday he might have a chance to start today. Getting the official word this morning — maybe that helps, I don’t know. We extend López there. That’s a lot of pitches in a two- to three-day stretch. He was phenomenal. Going right after guys. There’s a lot of life on that fastball.”

Morton (10-9) lost his third straight start and has a 6.46 ERA over that span. The 39-year-old allowed six hits and three runs in six innings.

“I was encouraged by my curveball, I was encouraged by my delivery,” Morton said. “And except for the first inning, I was encouraged by my ability to throw strikes.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Nevin said CF Mike Trout, sidelined since July 4 with a left hamate fracture, took some dry swings before the game. There is still no immediate timetable for the three-time AL MVP’s return, but the team hopes it’s sometime in mid-August. … Nevin added there’s an outside chance that OF-3B Taylor Ward could return if the team makes the postseason. Ward suffered facial fractures after getting hit by a pitch Saturday in Toronto. He’s on the 60-day injured list.

Braves: Snitker said LHP Max Fried was scheduled to throw a side session but stopped short of saying when the team’s ace will return to the rotation. Fried has been on the injured list since May 6 with a forearm strain. He went 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA in four rehab starts in July. … LHP A.J. Minter was activated from the injured list earlier in the day after missing 12 games with shoulder inflammation. He faced three batters and gave up one hit in the seventh. … LHP Dylan Lee will throw a live batting practice session on Tuesday. If it goes well, Lee will head out on a rehab assignment. He’s been out since May 17 with shoulder inflammation.

UP NEXT

Braves RHP Spencer Strider (11-3, 3.73 ERA) faces LHP Patrick Sandoval (6-7, 4.13) as the teams play the second of a three-game series on Tuesday. Strider, a first-time All-Star, leads the majors with 199 strikeouts but seeks his first win since July 8.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb