The Angels’ Jo Adell runs after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/William Liang)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, celebrates with third base coach Bo Porter, left, after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/William Liang)
The Angels’ Zach Neto runs after hitting an RBI double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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The Angels’ Jo Adell runs after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/William Liang)
ANAHEIM — Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi didn’t appear like he’d stick around long enough to earn a victory on Monday night.
He needed 71 pitches to get through the first three innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, causing the bullpen to stir in the opener of the three-game series.
Kikuchi settled in over the next three innings, however, giving the Angels time to provide a comfortable cushion in the 5-1 victory at Angel Stadium.
“He had swing-and-miss stuff and, yet, they were fouling a lot of stuff off,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said of the first three innings. “It was odd when you watched the whole game. The first three innings were one way and the second three were completely different.”
Jo Adell gave Kikuchi a 2-1 lead with a two-run homer in the second inning, Taylor Ward padded the advantage with a two-run single in the third, and Bryce Teodosio and Zach Neto delivered back-to-back two-out doubles in the sixth to make it 5-1.
“Getting the third and fourth runs there was very big. I was able to pitch with a lead,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter. “I was able to attack the zone after that.”
Kikuchi (5-7) departed after allowing one run and four hits in the six innings, striking out seven and walking two on 105 pitches.
“I wasn’t tired at all or fatigued,” Kikuchi said. “The preparation leading up really helped.”
Ward, whose three-run walk-off home run ended the 8-5 victory on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox, opened the second inning with a single up the middle.
After a fielder’s choice ground out, Adell snapped an 0-for-16 stretch with a line drive into the Angels bullpen in left for a 2-1 lead.
“Jo keeps working at it,” Montgomery said. “He felt good coming out of BP today and then took it into the game.”
Tampa Bay starter Adrian Houser (0-1) hit Nolan Schanuel in the foot with the first pitch of the third inning. Mike Trout then laced a 113.4 mph line drive over the head of left fielder Jake Mangum that one-hopped the wall, putting runners on second and third.
Ward followed with a broken-bat single up the middle to drive in both runners and extend the lead to 4-1.
It also increased his career-high RBI total to 84.
“I’m glad (Kikuchi) was able to regroup and then get a little bit of time when we scored some runs,” Montgomery said. “Then he went back out there and you could tell, he was like, ‘I’m good.’”
Teodosio, playing in his third game since getting selected from Triple A-Salt Lake on Saturday, singled in his first two at-bats and then doubled over the head of right fielder Josh Lowe in the sixth.
He then came home on a double down the left-field line by Neto, stretching the lead to 5-1.
“I was absolutely thrilled to do what I did today but, overall, the team win was the best part,” said Teodosio, who was playing in his eighth MLB game.
Teodosio hit a hard line drive up the middle in his first at-bat, taking second on the play when center fielder Jonny DeLuca tried to throw out the lead runner at third.
Teodosio said that base hit lightened his load for the rest of the night.
“That one felt really good, just making solid contact,” said Teodosio, who went 0-for-4 in his first four plate appearances over the weekend with two strikeouts. “Kind of got me a little bit of confidence there.”
Kikuchi got ahead 0-and-2 to the first batter of the game, Yandy Diaz, but Diaz then lined a double into right-center field just out of the reach of a diving Teodosio.
Ha-Seong Kim followed with a line-drive single to right to put runners on the corners, and Junior Caminero brought Diaz home with a sacrifice fly to center for a 1-0 lead.
“The first inning could have gotten away from us there,” Montgomery said. “To come away only giving up one is pretty impressive, and then to grind through the first three innings like (Kikuchi) did and then push us into the sixth, but he was getting stronger as he went along.”
Angels reliever Brock Burke pitched around a leadoff double in the seventh on his 29th birthday.
Ryan Zeferjahn walked Tampa Bay’s leadoff batter in the eighth, but retired the next three batters, and Connor Brogdon closed the ninth.
Originally Published: August 4, 2025 at 8:53 PM PDT