ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels mustered just three hits in their 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs Friday night, but two of them came in explosive fashion.
Angels first baseman Yoán Moncada brought the thunder with him, ripping two solo home runs in the game to tie the game at two apiece after the Angels fell behind early. It’s the first multi-home run game for Moncada as an Angel and the fifth of his career, with the most recent performance dating back to September 8, 2022 when he was still a member of the White Sox.
Moncada’s first shot came in the bottom of the fifth, a 105.8 MPH line drive that crashed straight into the right field pavilion big screen above the home run line. The hit blacked out a large section of the screen where impact occurred in the process, leaving a testament to Moncada’s mash.
Moncada’s second home run came in the seventh, tying the game, but that was the end of the run support the Angels pitching staff would receive. Still, it was a slick defensive play by Los Angeles center fielder Bryce Teodosio that kept the Angels competitive on the other side of the scorebook.
Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Angels infielder Yoán Moncada (5) celebrates after hitting a home run during the MLB game against the Chicago Cubs Friday August 22nd, 2025 at Angel’s Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
Bryce Teodosio takes flight
Defense is generally what Teodosio was brought up for, but few could have expected just how much of an impact the 26-year-old was going to have with his glove. On Friday night, he may have accomplished his most impressive feat yet.
The Angels were trailing 2-0 to the Cubs by the bottom of the fourth. Starting pitcher Tyler Anderson had mostly kept the Cubs at bay, but a series of very hard hit balls were spelling trouble for the Halo hurler. One of those balls was a 101.9 MPH rocket off the bat of Ian Happ that sailed toward the rocks of dead center field.
As the ball sailed through the hot August air Teodosio staggered toward the warning track and floated his way up against the wall. With his arm extended high above it, came back with a would-be solo shot in the web of his glove.
“You can’t think in those moments,” Teodosio said. “It’s trying to react off the bat as quickly as you can. It’s what we practice every day out on the field shagging BP. So, I try to take that super serious and that’s what helps me in those moments.”
Jansen falters in the ninth
Between the efforts of Moncada and Teodosio, the Angels had worked their way to the ninth with the tie game hanging in the balance.
Closer Kenley Jansen was called on to hold the line, despite it not being a save situation.
The even game went away quickly with Jansen’s second batter, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who got a hold of a middle-middle 92 MPH cutter from Jansen and sent it straight to the right field seats for a solo home run that restored the Chicago lead 3-2, good enough for the win.
Jansen has been nursing a recent rib injury, but he didn’t attribute poor health to his second blown save of the season.
“I feel fine, feel fine. Just terrible [the pitch]. I don’t like the way I looked today,” Jansen said. “Just terrible. Stink.”