ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mickey Moniak hit a go-ahead double in the sixth inning, Logan O’Hoppe snapped an 0-for-29 slump with a tying home run in the fourth, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Friday night to stop their three-game losing streak.
Moniak, who was 1-for-11 on the homestand when he came up to bat, narrowly missed a home run when he drilled Pierce Johnson’s curveball off the wall in right field. That drove in Nolan Schanuel, who drew a walk from Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach (4-6) leading off the inning.
“Every time they get a ball close to him, he does some damage,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We needed what he gave us tonight. Both teams were stretching to score runs, and we scored more than them.”
Brock Burke (1-0), the third of six Los Angeles pitchers to take the mound Friday, earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Ben Joyce got five outs for his second save of the season.
“We had to piece that together, especially after (starting pitcher José) Soriano ran out of gas,” said Washington, in his first season leading the Angels after spending the past seven seasons as a coach on Atlanta’s staff. “Everyone came in and did a good job. We needed the bullpen to step up, and they did.”