Angels edge Pirates for first series win in 5 weeks

Jo Adell celebrates in the Angels’ dugout after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Pirates on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

By Jeff Fletcher | jlfletcher@scng.com | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: May 8, 2024 at 12:18 p.m. | UPDATED: May 8, 2024 at 10:09 p.m.

The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe, right, is greeted by teammate Zach Neto after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Willie Calhoun off of Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis L. Ortiz during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The Angels won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar throws his helmet after arguing a strikeout with home plate umpire Jonathan Parra during the first inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, top, rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez (54) during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, celebrates with third base coach Eric Young Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, is greeted by third base coach Eric Young Sr. as he rounds third after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, is greeted by Zach Neto after hitting a solo home run off of Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, celebrates with teammate Zach Neto after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Jo Adell celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martín Pérez throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Alika Williams, left, gets off the throw to first over the Angels’ sliding Zach Neto to complete a double play on the Angels’ Ehire Adrianza during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz doubles off of Angels starting pitcher José Soriano, driving in three runs during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz hits a three-run double during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds, right, scores on a three-run double during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds (10) is greeted by Joey Bart (14) and Andrew McCutchen after all three scored on a double by Oneil Cruz off of Angels starting pitcher José Soriano during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds, right, celebrates after scoring on a three-run double during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano, right, reacts next to catcher Logan O’Hoppe, left, after giving up four runs during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Connor Joe, right, celebrates with first base coach Tarrick Brock after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano reacts after giving up four runs during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz, right, scores in front of Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe on an RBI single during the fifth inning on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz (15) is greeted by Rowdy Tellez (44) after scoring on a single by Connor Joe off of Angels starting pitcher José Soriano during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano (59) hands the ball to Manager Ron Washington, left, as he is removed after giving up four runs during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano (59) walks off the mound after handing the ball to Manager Ron Washington (37) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano walks off the field after being removed after giving up four runs during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Willie Calhoun hits a sacrifice fly during the sixth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe, right, is congratulated by teammate Jo Adell after scoring on a sacrifice fly during the sixth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe, left, celebrates after scoring on a sacrifice fly during the sixth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis L. Ortiz reacts after giving up the lead during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Willie Calhoun returns to the dugout after driving in a run with a sacrifice fly off of Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis L. Ortiz during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The Angels won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels relief pitcher Matt Moore throws to the plate during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels third baseman Cole Tucker, right, makes the catch behind catcher Logan O’Hoppe on an infield fly hit by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The Angels won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estévez celebrates getting the final out of a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto celebrates getting the final out of a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto, left, and outfielder Jo Adell celebrate after their 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, right, and hitting coach Andy Haines, left, stand on the dugout steps during a game against the Angels in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The Angels won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — It took more than a month, but the Angels finally did it.

The Angels beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4, on Wednesday afternoon, winning their second game in a row and taking the three-game series.

The Angels hadn’t won consecutive games or won a series since they swept the Miami Marlins from April 1-3.

“They’re resilient,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “They’ve just got to go through the experiences that they’re going through to figure out what it takes to be successful. And today, in the sixth, when we made our little comeback, that’s what I’ve been talking about all year, trying to string some stuff together and see what happened.”

The Angels (14-23) have had difficulty sustaining rallies for most of the season, leaving them unable to put together big innings when they need them. This time they needed to rally because starter José Soriano had just allowed four runs in the fifth, after beginning the game with four scoreless innings.

The Angels erased that 4-2 deficit quickly in the sixth.

The first four hitters of the sixth – Taylor Ward, Kevin Pillar, Logan O’Hoppe and Brandon Drury – delivered hits. Willie Calhoun then hit a sacrifice fly to push home the third run of the inning, putting the Angels ahead, 5-4. That restored the lead they had initially built on Jo Adell’s third-inning homer and his fifth-inning RBI single.

“Nobody went to up there trying to do more than the situation indicated that needed to be done,” Washington said, referring to the rally in the sixth.

Drury doubled off the left field fence in the middle of the rally, but the way he gingerly ran out of the box indicated that something was wrong. He had been battling hamstring issues for weeks, and he aggravated the injury when he was sprinting to stretch a single into a double in the fifth inning.

Drury remained in the game for one more inning of defense, but then the hamstring became too tight for Washington to leave him in the game.

“I just wasn’t going to take a chance on him going back out there to try to play defense and make a move and now we’re in more trouble,” Washington said.

Drury said after the game that he “was hurting pretty good” and he’s going to have it evaluated Thursday morning when back in Southern California.

After the Angels reclaimed the lead, the bullpen was able to lock it down, retiring all 13 hitters it faced.

Right-hander Adam Cimber finished the fifth and struck out the side in the sixth. Left-hander Matt Moore picked up four outs in the seventh and eighth, with right-hander Luis Garcia getting the next two.

Closer Carlos Estévez pitched the ninth to pick up the save.

Angels pitchers were good all day, with the exception of the hiccup in the fifth.

Soriano started brilliantly, striking out six, walking none and needing just 56 pitches to get through his four scoreless innings.

At that point, the Pirates and their fans were certainly lamenting the fact that they had let Soriano go. The Pirates took him from the Angels in the Rule 5 draft in 2020, after he had Tommy John surgery. The Pirates let him go back to the Angels after he underwent the procedure for a second time in 2021.

Soriano’s success against the Pirates came to an abrupt end, though.

The bottom of the Pirates’ order was due in the fifth. Soriano retired two of the first three hitters of the inning. Then the lineup turned over and hitters were seeing him for the third time.

Soriano walked Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds and then Cruz went down and golfed a curveball into the gap in right-center, unloading the bases to put the Pirates ahead, 3-2. Connor Joe followed with an RBI single into right field, ending Soriano’s day.

“I just thought he wasn’t finishing,” Washington said. “Early in the game, he was finishing his offspeed. Early in the game, he was finishing his fastball. And then when we got there in that fifth inning, it looked like he wasn’t finishing. It could have been that he ran out of gas.”

Soriano said he was not tired. It was just a brief lapse when he lost his command.

“Things happen,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “I got out of control with my pitches in the zone. I’ve just got to learn from that and turn the page and be ready for the next start.”