Bright spot for the Angels

Phil Gosselin’s RBI single in the eighth inning is the game-winner as Angels beat Rockies 8-7.

A sky of an Angels lineup, once blinking with All-Stars, has gone dim with injuries. It’s missed the brilliance of threetime MVP Mike Trout since his May 17 calf strain. It’s missed the on-base stability of Anthony Rendon, who’s been sidelined multiple times and hasn’t looked like himself on the field. And most recently, it’s missed the run-producing pop of first baseman Jared

Walsh, who was put on the 10day injured list Wednesday because of a muscle strain.

But Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton are still up there. There’s still two All-Stars hitting for the Angels. And in the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s game over the Colorado Rockies, they shone bright enough to power the Angels to an 8-7 victory.

“There’s still a lot of good names in that lineup,” manager Joe Maddon said before the game.

The biggest name at the moment — in all of baseball, really — struck first. After already scoring the first run of the game in the first inning off a Jose Iglesias single, designated hitter Ohtani walked to the plate in the fourth with the Angels down 3-1, looking to complete a two-out rally.

Things had started off innocuously enough. Outfielders Adam Eaton and Juan Lagares both took a strike three looking, leaving the Angels with nobody on and two outs. The surprising Jack Mayfield then proceeded to foul off three pitches before hitting a single in an eight-pitch at-bat. After second baseman David Fletcher was hit by a pitch, Ohtani stared down Rockies pitcher Jesus Tinoco with MVP chants breaking out across Angel Stadium.

As if he were acknowledging the crowd, Ohtani sent a 2-1 fastball from Tinoco well over the right-field fence for his 37th homer. In one crack of the bat, the Angels had a 4-3 lead.

But the two-out festivities didn’t end there. After a single by first baseman Phil Gosselin,

Upton launched a two-run shot just over the short fence in the left-field corner.

Max Stassi hit a solo shot, his ninth on the year, on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth to extend the Angels’ lead to 7-3.

Andrew Heaney, who drew the start for the Angels, was shaky at first, giving up a tworun homer to Rockies shortstop Trevor Story in the first inning. Yet he quickly settled down, using an array of wellplaced fastballs and power curveballs to work out of jams.

In the top of the fifth, Heaney found himself in a dangerous spot with runners on first and second and two outs against Rockies cleanup hitter Elias Diaz. On a 2-2 count, he blew a high 93-mileper-hour fastball by Diaz to finish the inning. Heaney ended his night with eight strikeouts and three runs allowed over six innings of work.

But after Heaney was removed to start the seventh inning, Steve Cishek — one of the Angels’ most reliable relievers all season — ran into trouble after Rockies left fielder Raimel Tapia hit a tworun double.

After a walk of third baseman Brendan McMahon, booing broke out within the stadium. Catcher Elias Diaz hit a grounder that seemed like bad news before Mayfield dived to make an incredible play and throw McMahon out at second, but a throwing error by second baseman David Fletcher on the doubleplay attempt scored Tapia to narrow the Angels’ lead to 7-6.

The next inning, a single by

Rockies second baseman Brendan Rogers brought home Joshua Fuentes to tie the score 7-7. Angel Stadium had gone quiet.

Yet the Angels had one final push in the tank. Maddon said before the game that given the absence of Trout, Rendon and now Walsh, his team would have to manufacture runs and “take advantage of moments.”

Gosselin, a journeyman who’s suddenly hitting near .300 for the Angels, certainly took advantage of his. After a David Fletcher single and Ohtani walk, Gosselin knocked a pitch into left field for the eventual game-winning single.

Closer Raisel Iglesias then set down the Rockies 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth inning to close out the win.