Patrick Sandoval was shelled six days ago. On Thursday in Baltimore, he made his first Opening Day start of the season and gave up two walks and a single to the first three hitters he saw before getting an out and two runs scored.

Sandoval pitched just 1 2/3 innings, facing 14 batters and giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits while using 60 pitches. He only managed two strikeouts.

However, Sandoval recovered much as the Angels did after losing their opening two games of the campaign.

During his second start of the season, the southpaw struck out four batters in a row, retiring the first six he faced en route to 5 2/3 innings of Los Angeles’ 10-2 victory at loanDepot Park on Wednesday, capping a three-game sweep.

Manager Ron Washington declared, “He was outstanding.” “He was really, really effective early in the game. He came out, he pounded the strike zone, and he used all of his pitches. He continued to be driven, even when they had him labor a little. And it was crucial.

When the Marlins scored two runs in the third inning, Sandoval found himself in a bit of trouble. Sandoval’s comebacker off the top of his left foot during his second plate appearance of the inning did not help. Nevertheless, he held Miami to just two runs and recovered by getting Bryan De La Cruz to strike out for the third out. In the fourth inning, he faced the minimum and walked a batter before inducing a double play to escape with no further damage.

For Sandoval, that was the overall situation throughout the game. He had several jams to work through, but after the first two quick innings, he skillfully contained the damage, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Additionally, he struck out seven batters, including Luis Arraez, the current NL hitting champion, twice.

Sandoval remarked, “I felt a lot better about that [start].” “When the ball is placed in the zone, positive things occur. The majority of the time, the fastball was in the zone, which is typically a positive indicator.

The offense of Los Angeles excelled, in contrast to Opening Day. Before Sandoval took the mound, the Angels supported him, and they proceeded to wear down the Marlins’ pitching staff, just as they had done in the opening two games of the series.

Taylor Ward remarked, “It just shows what our offense can do.” “Playing behind Sandoval [when he’s pushing] is always a good idea because he’s one of the best pitchers in the league.”

 

On Wednesday, the runs came from all over the lineup. After Luis Rengifo opened the game with a double, Los Angeles scored two runs in the first and then more every other inning: In the third, fifth, and seventh innings, two, two, and three runs were scored. The Angels led by eight runs in the eighth inning thanks to a three-for-five Ward (3-for-5 with two RBIs) and a two-for-four Miguel Sanó (2-for-4) who blasted two doubles and walked twice.