They’ve both struggled recently but bounced back in a big way against the Cardinals on Monday, as Soriano threw seven strong innings to boost his value while Adell went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk-off hit-by-pitch in a 3-2 victory in the series opener at Angel Stadium.
It marked the club’s first walk-off win via a hit-by-pitch since Hank Conger on April 11, 2014, and was the first time they won all season when trailing after eight innings — they were previously 0-48.
“That’s one of those where you don’t feel it getting hit right there,” Adell said. “Good stuff.”
Soriano allowed just two runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts, but the Angels headed into the ninth inning down by a run against All-Star closer Riley O’Brien. Nolan Schanuel stayed hot with a one-out single and Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Vaughn Grissom to rip a game-tying RBI double to right.
After an intentional walk, Adell was hit by a pitch to bring home the game-winning run. Adell previously hit a solo homer in the third inning to snap an 0-for-24 funk.
The Angels are hoping Adell’s night at the plate can get him going offensively after his recent slump. He’s slashing .240/.287/.393 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs in 100 games this year. He’s under team control through next year and could be a trade candidate despite his reduction in power this season after hitting 37 blasts in 2025.
“It’s been no secret I’ve been struggling the past week,” Adell said. “But just getting back to seeing pitches and not trying to do too much. I felt like my first at-bat was kind of an example of just waiting it out and finding a pitch, and really just tried to do that throughout the course of the game, so good things happened.”
It marked a second straight victory for the Angels and a much-needed solid showing from Soriano, who lowered his ERA to 3.43 in 21 starts this season. He’s considered a trade candidate along with lefty Reid Detmers, who is also under team control through 2028.
“I don’t try to think of that,” Soriano said. “I let my agent and GM work on that. Right now, I just try to focus to help the team the most I can and give my best every game.”
Soriano had a historic start to his season, posting a 0.84 ERA through his first seven starts through the end of April, but he posted a 5.14 ERA over his next 13 outings heading into the All-Star break. Soriano believes he’s getting back on track and knows the key is just throwing more strikes with his elite stuff.
“Just trying to keep my head up and never give up,” Soriano said. “I know I’ve had a tough time. But the last couple outings I feel like I started getting back and that’s that’s the goal. Trying to get back to where I was in the beginning [of the season].”
