Zach Neto drives in 7 as Angels erupt for season-high 18 runs

HOUSTON — Starved for clutch hits for more than a month, the Angels gorged themselves on Thursday night.

And Zach Neto took the most trips through the buffet line.

Neto drove in seven runs on five hits in the Angels’ 18-3 victory over the Houston Astros, as the Angels won a road series for the first time since May.

Neto’s RBIs and hits were both career highs. No Angels player had driven in seven runs in a game since Shohei Ohtani had eight RBIs in a 2022 game.

“We’ve been on the other side of it a couple times this year and it’s not that fun being on that side,” Neto said, “so finally being on the good side of it, it’s definitely a relief.”

The Angels (51-77) had been struggling to even score four runs most nights since the All-Star break, averaging just 2.7 over that span. They scored six runs in their previous four games combined.

They had more than that by the fourth inning on Thursday, on their way to their highest scoring output since a 2023 game at Coors Field.

“It was nice,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I think it was just quality at-bat after quality at-bat. Guys weren’t trying to do too much, and they still hit the ball out of the park. I think it was definitely good for everybody’s confidence. They’ve been working hard, the hitting (coaches) have been working hard with them, so it was nice to put it all together.”

The only downsides to the night were first baseman Nolan Schanuel leaving the game with right side soreness and outfielder Wade Meckler coming out after he was hit in the head by a pitch. Meckler was still being evaluated for a concussion after the game. Schanuel will be re-evaluated in the morning.

Besides those injuries and a sloppy bottom of the first inning when an error, two walks and a wild pitch led to two runs, the Angels started running away with the game in the second inning.

Moisés Ballesteros, who had been in an 0-for-15 slump, led off the inning with a double, his first extra-base hit with the Angels.

The Angels used some strong fundamental baseball to get three runs in the inning, including a perfect squeeze bunt from Tyler Heineman and Josh Lowe’s nice slide to get around a tag at the plate.

From there, the Angels just started pouring hits all over the field, in a six-run fourth and a four-run fifth, which included Neto’s three-run homer. It was his 21st of the season.

Neto, who was hitting .190 since the All-Star break, said he’s been trying to be more under control at the plate.

“Just a matter of not being too aggressive and jumping out of my swing,” Neto said. “Just kind of staying in my legs and let the ball come to me. I’ve got quick enough hands to react to anything, so just let my God-given talent do its work and just chill up there.”

For the night, the Angels were 9 for 22 with runners in scoring position. Six of those hits came with two outs, including four from Neto.

Vaughn Grissom drove in three runs with three hits. Ballesteros, Lowe and Adam Frazier had two hits apiece.

The Angels scored their final two runs on a Denzer Guzman homer against outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. in the ninth.

Not to be lost amid the run-scoring barrage, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez also pitched one of his best games of the season, giving up just two unearned runs in seven innings.

Rodriguez walked the first two hitters of the game, throwing balls with 10 of his first 11 pitches. He then gave up a hit to load the bases. The Astros ended up scoring two runs, but both were unearned. Grissom, the third baseman, made a bad throw on what should have been a home-to-first double play.

Rodriguez, who grew up a couple of hours from Houston and saw his first major league game in this ballpark, said he had plenty of friends and family in the stands, so he was a little nervous at the start of the game.

After the first, he said the nerves calmed down, and having a big league helped.

Rodriguez threw just 16 more balls among his next 88 pitches, sailing through the seventh. He did not walk another batter, and he struck out six.

“Obviously, you don’t want to give up runs or homers, with a lead like that, you just have to go out there and pound strikes,” Rodriguez said. “You just have to be as efficient as possible to try to keep the bullpen out of it.”

Rodriguez faced just two hitters over the minimum in his last six innings.

It was the second time in his 14 starts that he finished six innings. Over his last five starts, he has a 3.33 ERA, with 31 strikeouts in 27 innings.

“Making progress,” Rodriguez said. “It seems like every start there’s a different battle to fight. We’re starting to piece some good outings together. Some not-so-good outings. You learn from the bad ones and then you take outings like today and really let it boost your confidence to go into the next one. I knew this year was going to be an uphill battle. Just trying to not really think too much about the lows, but also not really ride the highs. Just trying to make each start, I think, is a goal for me.”