Jorge Soler lined a double into the left-field corner with the bases loaded to drive in three runs in the ninth inning and lift the Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Trailing 4-2, the Angels loaded the bases with no outs against Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman (3-1) when Kyren Paris drew a four-pitch walk and Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel singled.
Hoffman struck out Taylor Ward for the first out, but Soler drove a ball that rolled into the corner and past left fielder Jonatan Clase for the comeback win.
The Blue Jays opened the seventh with five straight hits, including Myles Straw’s go-ahead RBI single and Bo Bichette’s two-run single, to take a 4-1 lead.
Toronto starter José Berríos gave up two runs — solo homers by Paris and Yoan Moncada — and five hits in six innings, striking out nine, walking five and inducing 18 swinging strikes.
Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up one run and five hits in six innings. Brock Burke (3-0), the Angels’ fifth pitcher, got the win with one scoreless inning.
With the score tied at 1, Ernie Clement opened the seventh with a double off Reid Detmers. Andrés Giménez beat out a sacrifice bunt for a single and Straw singled home Clement to give Toronto a 2-1 lead. Bichette singled in two runs to make it 4-1.
Paris homered in the seventh off Berríos to pull the Angels within 4-2.
Key moment
With two on and one out in the eighth, Moncada made a diving backhand stop of Straw’s grounder down the third-base line, got up, stepped on the bag and threw to first to complete an inning-ending double play and preserve a 4-2 deficit.
Key stat
The Angels have given up nine bunt hits this season, tied with Miami for the most in the majors.
Up next
Chris Bassitt (2-2, 2.95 ERA) will start Thursday’s series finale for the Blue Jays against Jose Soriano (2-4, 3.83 ERA).