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  Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani acknowledges the first base umpire after he was intentionally walked during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani runs to first after hitting into a fielder’s choice during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. Mickey Moniak was thrown out at first on the play and Ohtani was safe at first. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Matt Thaiss, left, and Zach Neto congratulate each other after they scored on a double by Mickey Moniak during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez celebrates after the Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in a baseball game Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels leads off first base after being intentionally walked in the fifth inning against Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Mickey Moniak of the Los Angeles Angels celebrate after hitting a two-run double to score teammates Zach Neto and Matt Thaiss during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Matt Thaiss of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a double off the bat of Mickey Moniak in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels steals second base ahead of the tag by Donovan Solano of the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates scoring on a double off the bat of Mickey Moniak in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels points to third baseman Gio Urshela after he turns a double play against the Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels leads off first base after being intentionally walked in the fifth inning against Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Gio Urshela of the Los Angeles Angels talks with third base umpire umpire Roberto Ortiz during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men and women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels shows his glove to third base umpire Roberto Ortiz as he walk off the mound against Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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  Relief pitcher Carlos Estevez of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates with starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels after they defeated the Minnesota Twins, 4-2, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM ― In eight games since making his 2023 debut, Mickey Moniak has displaced Taylor Ward as the Angels’ leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers, catalyzed the decision to designate outfielder Brett Phillips for assignment, and maintained a ridiculous .417 batting average.

Until this weekend’s series against the Minnesota Twins, however, he had not produced a big hit at a critical juncture in a game.

Now he has two.

Moniak’s two-run double in the seventh inning of a tie game lifted the Angels to an eventual 4-2 victory before an announced crowd of 42,138 at Angel Stadium. His fourth and fifth RBIs of the season allowed the Angels (25-23) to take two of three games from the American League Central-leading Twins (25-22).

“I don’t think my goal coming into every game is to get four hits, all the personal stuff,” Moniak said. “My goal is to do something to help the team win. To be able to do that today and Friday was huge, especially to do it in front of the Angels fans. It’s been fun.”

Moniak hit a game-tying RBI triple in the seventh inning of Friday’s victory.

After starting pitchers Shohei Ohtani and Pablo Lopez dueled to a 1-1 tie through six innings, the Twins brought in reliever Jorge Lopez, who promptly walked Matt Thaiss. The next batter, Zach Neto, shot a double into right field, sending Thaiss to third base.

That brought up Moniak, a left-handed hitter. After watching two straight curveballs that were called balls, Moniak clobbered a fastball over the plate into the right-center field gap. Thaiss and Neto both scored, and the Angels had a 3-1 advantage.

A home run by Alex Kiriloff in the eighth inning against Matt Moore brought the Twins within 3-2. Moniak nearly caught the ball on the run, but could not squeeze the ball in his glove as he collided with the short fence in left field.

The Angels got the run back in the bottom of the inning anyway.

Gio Urshela singled, stole second base, and advanced to third when catcher Ryan Jeffers’ throw to second was off-line and skipped into center field. Thaiss then hit a line drive into the left-field corner that allowed Urshela to score easily, giving the Angels a 4-2 lead.

Nine different players had one hit each for the Angels.

Ohtani was impressive in his sixth start of the season, allowing just two hits and one run over six innings. But he was forced to settle for a no-decision because Lopez was every bit his equal.

Ohtani only fell behind 2-and-0 once, when he ultimately walked Joey Gallo in the third inning. The next batter, Carlos Correa, drove in Gallo with a double, giving Minnesota an early 1-0 lead.

“I tried to throw the last pitch out of the zone but it stayed in the zone,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “Correa’s good. He’s a smart, good hitter. He made his adjustments.”

Other than that one blemish, Ohtani was splendid. He had no trouble inducing swings and misses; his 22 (on 99 total pitches) were a season high. At the plate, Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a single and drew the only intentional walk of the game.

Ohtani is 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA this season. In his four no-decisions, he has a 2.84 ERA with 35 strikeouts and only eight hits allowed across 19 innings.

The Angels’ only run against Lopez came in the fourth inning. Hunter Renfroe and Jared Walsh led off with back-to-back singles. For Walsh, it was his first hit of the season since returning from therapy to relieve headaches and insomnia Saturday.

A sacrifice fly by the next batter, Urshela, drove in Renfroe to tie the game 1-1.

Reyes Moronta was the first pitcher out of the bullpen, but he bequeathed a bases-loaded, two-out jam to Chris Devenski.

Devenski (2-0) then struck out Gallo, the only batter he faced, to end the inning.

“I was definitely going for the punchout there,” Devenski said.

Carlos Estevez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his 12th save, a new career high.

It would help if all three could stick around for a while.

Right-handers Jacob Webb and Reyes Moronta had their contracts purchased from Triple-A Salt Lake, and left-hander Aaron Loup was activated from the 10-day injured list. Three others – right-handers Jimmy Herget, Andrew Wantz and Zack Weiss – were optioned to Salt Lake.

Activating Loup gives the Angels three left-handers in their bullpen, along with Tucker Davidson and Matt Moore.

Webb, 29, spent spring training with the Angels as a non-roster invitee after signing a minor league contract in November. The Angels are his third team in the last year; he split 2022 with the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks, appearing in 34 Triple-A games.

The Riverside native was 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 16 games at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Moronta, 30, has pitched for six organizations in the last nine months.

“It’s not difficult,” Moronta said through an interpreter. “It’s the same baseball. The only thing that changes is the uniform.”

His odyssey began with the Dodgers, who designated him for assignment last August because he could not be optioned to the minor leagues. Moronta had a 4.18 ERA in 22 games with the Dodgers and was claimed by the Diamondbacks two days later.

Moronta appeared in another 17 games last year with the Diamondbacks, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He signed a minor league free agent contract with the Texas Rangers in January, but he was released in March. He then spent three weeks with the Diablos Rojos of the Mexican League before the Angels signed him to a minor league contract on May 11.

In 175 career games, all in relief, Moronta is 10-11 with a 3.02 ERA. He possesses a mid-90s fastball and a slider, and a changeup that he throws only to left-handed batters.

“He’s a hard worker,” said Manager Phil Nevin, who was the Giants’ third base coach in 2017 when Moronta was also in San Francisco. “Takes the ball any time. He’s the kind of guy who would bounce back real quick. He wants the ball all the time. He’s not afraid. He’s going to come right after you. Really good fastball. If you saw the video down in Salt Lake, he’s pitching the same way.”

For Wantz, it’s the third time he has been optioned to the minor leagues this season. Players can only be optioned five times in a single year, but Wantz has been on a perpetual shuttle to Salt Lake because he’s among few pitchers in the bullpen with minor-league options.

After allowing just one earned run in his first 10 appearances of the season, Wantz has now allowed seven runs, all earned, in his last four outings.

Their struggles have added to the growing difficulty the Angels have found getting the ball to Moore, their most reliable set-up man, and closer Carlos Estevez. Herget has a 4.38 ERA in 12 games. Weiss has allowed three hits and a run while recording only five outs.

“That’s where we’ve had some issues,” Nevin said. “The back end, obviously, has been very solid. We’re adding two guys who have pitched in the big leagues a lot.”

ROTATION SHUFFLE

Right-hander Chase Silseth will move back to the bullpen, Nevin said, after losing his only start of the season on Tuesday in Baltimore. Right-hander Jaime Barría will step into the rotation on Monday against the Boston Red Sox, with a chance to stay in the role for the remainder of the season.

Barría, who was primarily a starter from 2018-21, has thrived pitching out of the Angels’ bullpen the last two years. In that time he is 4-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 102 ⅓ innings across 45 games – all but one of which came in relief.

“Jaime’s throwing the heck out of it,” Nevin said. “He’s started before. We like what his fastball’s been doing lately. I’m going to send him out there and let him go as long as he can.”

Nevin also felt Barría was better suited to pitching with extra days off between appearances than Silseth, whose fastball averaged more than 96 mph in his first two relief outings this season, but was 2 mph slower in his lone start.

“When I told (Barría) he had a big smile on his face,” Nevin said. “He’s ready to go. Silseth was the same way. He enjoyed coming out of the ’pen. I used him in some high-leverage spots as soon as I got him and I’ll continue to do that.”

UP NEXT

Boston Red Sox (RHP Tanner Houck, 3-3, 5.48 ERA) at Angels (RHP Jaime Barría, 1-1, 1.96 ERA), Monday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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  Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels watches his home run ball clear the right field wall against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels pitches in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Joey Gallo of the Minnesota Twins points to the sky after as Matt Thaiss of the Los Angeles Angels looks on after he hit a home run in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Joey Gallo of the Minnesota Twins get a fishing pole and vest after he hit a home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is given a Samurai helmet by the bat boy after he hit a home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is given a Samurai helmet by the bat boy after he hit a home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins stands at third base while playing the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Zack Weiss of the Los Angeles Angels pitches against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Hunter Renfroe of the Los Angeles Angels warms up before playing the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Louie Varland of the Minnesota Twins pitches in the first inning abasing the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels in the dugout before playing the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to striking out in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins is congratulated after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Shohei Ohtani and Gio Urshela of the Los Angeles Angels have a conversation before playing the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Kyle Farmer of the Minnesota Twins ruins past Matt Thaiss of the Los Angeles Angels to score a run in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels walks to the dugout after allowing the Minnesota Twins to score three runs in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Angels fans attend a game against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 20, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Major League Baseball honored military service men, women in commemoration of Armed Forces Day by wearing camouflage items during games. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM ― The Angels kicked off their “Country Weekend” theme on a high note Friday.

Saturday, they found themselves in a low enough place to make friends with Garth Brooks.

The Angels went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base, losing 6-2 to the Minnesota Twins before an announced crowd of 35,688 at Angel Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani homered, but a troubling start by Patrick Sandoval (3-3) combined with a punchless offense made for a long evening.

Sandoval struggled mightily in his ninth start of the season. His fastball, which normally averages 94 mph, was sitting at 89 mph in the first inning. Not coincidentally, the Twins were able to send seven batters to the plate and score three runs before the Angels came to bat.

The left-hander recovered well enough to last 4⅔ innings, but he did not get enough help from his offense to overcome the shaky start.

Sandoval said he had been battling an illness after his last outing, in which he threw a season-high 7⅔ innings in Cleveland on May 14 but came up on the short end of a 4-3 loss.

“You’ve got to play with what you have,” Sandoval said. “I did what I could.”

Donovan Solano began the evening by sending a screaming line-drive single into left field. Sandoval fell behind Carlos Correa 3-and-0 before ultimately walking him to end an eight-pitch at-bat. With one out, back-to-back singles by Kyle Farmer and Kyle Garlick drove in both runners. Farmer then scampered 90 feet to score on a Willi Castro bunt.

The Angels were entrenched in a 3-0 hole from which they could not recover.

On the other side, Minnesota Twins starter Louie Varland did most of the heavy lifting. The right-hander didn’t allow a runner past first base until the fourth inning, when Hunter Renfroe singled and went to third base on a double by Chris Drury – a ball that landed a few feet shy of a home run off the right field fence.

Jared Walsh, playing his first major league game since August of last year, grounded out to score Renfroe with the Angels’ first run. But the Angels could do nothing with a runner on third base and one out, as Gio Urshela grounded out and Matt Thaiss popped out to end the inning.

Sandoval pitched into the fifth inning, when he eclipsed the 100-pitch mark. His velocity had ticked up to 92 mph by then but it was too little, too late. At 4⅔ innings, the outing was Sandoval’s shortest since a four-inning start against the Yankees on April 20.

All three runs on Sandoval’s ledger were earned. He saw his ERA rise to 3.47. It would have been worse had Weiss not retired Willi Castro on a 108 mph lineout to right field to end the inning.

Sandoval does not believe his velocity will be an issue again.

“I should be good to go for the rest of the season,” he said.

A home run by Joey Gallo extended Minnesota’s lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning. Ohtani answered with his 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth, a moonbeam to right field that narrowed the deficit to 4-2.

The Angels got no closer. After Ohtani’s homer, Renfroe singled and Brandon Drury was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with none out. Left-hander Jovani Moran relieved Varland with a left-handed hitter, Walsh, in the batter’s box.

In a surprise, Walsh tried to bunt the runners over. He lined out softly to third base instead.

“It’s a tough assignment to have to bunt right there, but he’s a good bunter,” Nevin said of Walsh. “He’s done that in the past. I asked him as he came back to the dugout. … He told me he’d been working on it still. To me, you get the runners in scoring position, Gio coming up, then whatever we do with (Matt Thaiss) there.”

With one out, Urshela grounded out. Rengifo (a switch hitter) pinch hit for Thaiss, another left-handed hitter, and struck out. It was a sequence ripe for second-guessing.

“We still have four innings of offense to work with, when at the time there’s nobody out,” Nevin said. “There’s still a lot of game left. Not saying I’m not going to use my players at that point. I’m going to try to win a game at that point, and I felt like that was the best chance.”

The game only slipped further away. With Andrew Wantz on the mound in the seventh inning, Farmer singled, then scored on a triple by Trevor Larnach. When the relay throw from Drury, the Angels’ second baseman, overshot third base, Larnach was able to score the Twins’ sixth and final run.

Walsh said the decision to have him bunt against Moran was a “great call” by Nevin, considering it was his first game back after dealing with unsettling neurological symptoms since last year. He had practiced bunting daily against a machine – seven to 10 times a day “with pretty significant velocity,” he said. Saturday, the human element might have thrown him off.

In any event, Walsh was more encouraged by his final swing, a 96 mph flyout to center field to end the eighth inning.

“I want to build off that, keep barreling balls and hope they find a hole,” he said.

Yet the occasion was hardly a minor one for Walsh. It was his first regular-season game since Aug. 24 of last year, and his first in an Angels uniform since a spring training game in Arizona on March 22. The intervening months were a slog through a unique rehab process from headaches and insomnia, and a host of neurological issues Walsh believes he now has under control.

“I’m happy with how it all went,” he said.

Walsh is not entirely free of the symptoms that have been plaguing him last year – what he described as a “general fogginess,” trouble fixating his eyes on a target, and “not really having a great idea where my body was in space.”

His rehab process, such as it was, involved re-training his mind and body with the help of neurologists, neuro-optometrists, and vestibular therapy. After undergoing outpatient therapy at a Utah clinic, Walsh played seven rehab games with Triple-A Salt Lake, batted .440 with a .576 on-base percentage, and declared himself fit to return.

Walsh said the specialists have informed him that he can be free of the symptoms, “hopefully sooner than later.”

“This is something I’m going to continue to work on,” Walsh said. “Compared to last year I do feel significantly better.”

Walsh followed up his breakout 2021 campaign by hitting. .215 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs in 118 games last season. He was also dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, a diagnosis that ultimately required surgery last September.

In 2021, Walsh’s first full season, he batted .277 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs, enough to earn a place on the American League All-Star team. The Angels are hoping he can be closer to that version of himself after his brief stint in Triple-A. He also batted .400 with a .512 OBP in 14 spring training games.

The combination of Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela and Jake Lamb (who has since been optioned to Triple-A) batted .256 with a .286 OBP and a .390 slugging percentage in Walsh’s absence.

“We planned on (Walsh) being our first baseman, it just wasn’t that way for the first month and a half,” Nevin said. “We had plenty of guys who worked over there, filled in, and did a fine job. (Walsh) has been our guy. We expect him to be that. It’s just going to be a comfort level of having him over there. Ask the infielders, they’ll tell you the same thing.”

Nevin said Walsh’s condition is not one that should prevent him from playing as much as any other healthy player.

Walsh’s goal is more modest than making another All-Star team: “Just keep getting better every day. I know it’s cliché, but I really believe it in my circumstance. I’ve been chomping at the bit to get back playing baseball again.”

PHILLIPS OUT

To make room for Walsh on the active roster, the Angels designated outfielder Brett Phillips for assignment.

Despite being on the Angels’ active roster every day this season, Phillips appeared in only 19 games and got 16 plate appearances, drawing three walks and collecting one hit. Phillips, 28, signed a one-year, $1.2 million free agent contract in January.

The emergence of left-handed hitting outfielder Mickey Moniak, and the presence of another left-handed hitter (Livan Soto) on the bench made Phillips, also a left-handed hitter, particularly expendable. Phillips could not be optioned to the minor leagues.

Nevin said Phillips’ endearing influence on the Angels’ clubhouse made the decision difficult despite the outfielder’s relative lack of production on the field.

“Brett’s an awesome teammate, an awesome guy,” Nevin said. “Those are some of the things we consider, certainly.”

ALSO

Nevin said he maintains contact with infielder David Fletcher, who is hitting .304 with a .381 OBP and a .348 slugging percentage at Triple-A. “Talking to (Keith Johnson, the Salt Lake Bees’ manager), he’s been a big part of that room, he’s gone down there and done the right things,” Nevin said of Fletcher. “What that means right now, I don’t know. Our roster is where it is right now. I feel like we’re getting good production out of the infield.” … The Angels are awaiting the return of third baseman Anthony Rendon (groin strain). Nevin said Rendon has been working out inside but cautioned that his timetable to return will be “based on how he feels (and) what the test results are doing.”

UP NEXT

Minnesota Twins (RHP Pablo Lopez, 2-2, 4.00 ERA) at Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 5-1, 3.23 ERA), Sunday, 1 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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  Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is shown in western garb during his as-bat as the Angels celebrate their Country Weekend promotion during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani prepares to hit during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani avoids an inside pitch from Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani stands in the dugout during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Taylor Ward hits a sacrifice fly during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Zach Neto, right, scores on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Ward as Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan stands by during the third inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, congratulates Zach Neto after he scored during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Taylor Ward is congratulated in the dugout after driving in a run with a sacrifice fly during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hits a foul ball during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani yells after hitting a foul ball toward the Minnesota Twins dugout during the third inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe scores a run as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers takes a late throw during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe scores a run as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers takes a late throw during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, left, scores on a double by Brandon Drury as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers applies a late tag during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, left, scores on a double by Brandon Drury as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers applies a late tag and pitcher Joe Ryan reacts during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Luis Rengifo, left, steals second base as Minnesota Twins second baseman Willi Castro falls after missing the throw from home during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels’ Brandon Drury scored on the play and Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was charged with a throwing error on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Luis Rengifo, left, steals second base as Minnesota Twins second baseman Willi Castro falls after missing the throw from home during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels’ Brandon Drury scored on the play and Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was charged with a throwing error on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  Angels relief pitcher Tucker Davidson throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro celebrates at home plate after hitting a home run as Angels catcher Chad Wallach looks on during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro handles a fishing pole in the dugout as sunflower seeds fly through the air after he hit a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro puts on a fishing vest after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro handles a fishing pole in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels center fielder Mickey Moniak catches a ball in front of the wall to rob the Minnesota Twins’ Michael A. Taylor of a home run in the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. Moniak also had three hits as the Angels rallied for a 5-4 win. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Taylor Ward, right, scores on a single by Hunter Renfroe as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers waits for the ball during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani looks toward the scoreboard after drawing a walk during the seventh inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani acknowledges members of the Minnesota Twins in the dugout after drawing a walk during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez celebrates after the final out of their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez gestures after the final out of their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani, left, congratulates relief pitcher Carlos Estevez after their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

ANAHEIM — On the opening night of what is being billed as “Country Weekend,” the Angels’ Hunter Renfroe might as well have been swinging an acoustic guitar.

Renfroe’s softly hit dunker into shallow left field in the seventh inning on Friday ended up being sweet music, driving in the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory the Angels first looked to have in hand before being forced to rally late.

Just when the Angels seemed ready to craft a tale of loss, they picked up the tempo late against the Minnesota Twins to win the opener of a three-game series and nine-game homestand.

Mickey Moniak had three hits, falling a home run shy of the cycle, and Reid Detmers took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as the Angels came out on top without Mike Trout, who was given a day of rest following a 2-4 road trip to Cleveland and Baltimore.

“We’ve had a few of those,” Manager Phil Nevin said of the tight game. “I feel like we play the same game every night. You guys are probably tired of writing the same story. It’s probably not good on the heart for the manager but (it’s) resilience. We take really good at-bats against the toughest guys.”

Detmers brought back memories of last May against the Tampa Bay Rays when he fired a no-hitter in his 11th career start. Detmers matched a career high with 12 strikeouts, including the first two batters of the sixth inning, but never made it out of the frame.

He was chased from the game as the Twins scored three times to tie it. When Minnesota took a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning on a Willi Castro home run, it looked to be another night of woe for the Angels, who led for the 38th time in 46 games but were still about to fall to .500.

That all changed in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Angels stood up for themselves.

The momentum shift actually started in the top of the seventh, two batters after Castro’s home run, when center fielder Moniak robbed Minnesota’s Michael A. Taylor of another homer by reaching over the wall for an out.

In the bottom of the seventh, rookie Zach Neto singled with one out against Griffin Jax (2-6) and scored on a Moniak triple into the right field corner. Moniak was thrown out at home on a Taylor Ward grounder, but after Shohei Othan walked to put two aboard, Renfroe hit just the right note with his soft single to left that brought home Ward from second base.

“It feels incredible and I think that is the ultimate goal, to just be here and help the team win,” said Moniak, who was playing in his sixth game since being recalled for the first time this season. “I feel like I have been able to do that the last week being up here and just focusing on one step at a time.”

Angels right-hander Carlos Estevez struck out two in the ninth inning, including Joey Gallo to end it and earn his 11th save. Zack Weiss (1-0) recorded one out in the seventh inning to earn the win.

Detmers gave up three runs on two hits with two walks in 5-2/3 innings and 105 pitches, while his 12 strikeouts matched his total from a July 31 outing against the Texas Rangers last season.

“My stuff tonight felt really good and it felt like I had all four pitches going,” Detmers said. “… It was kind of my mindset, just attack, attack, attack. I was just going to go as long as I could. I knew the pitch count was getting up but other than that I felt really good.”

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Neto singled, went to second on a double from Moniak and scored on a fly ball to center field from Ward.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth inning as Brandon Drury drilled an RBI double off the left field wall, went to third on a Gio Urshella line out then scored when Luis Rengifo stole second base and twins catcher Ryan Jeffers threw the ball into center field.

Even as his pitch count soared, Detmers was in control until he opened the sixth with a pair of strikeouts. Carlos Correa walked before Byron Buxton ended the no-hitter on a single to left field. Kyle Farmer followed with an RBI single to chase Detmers.

“Obviously your stuff has to be good that day but it’s also an approach, setting up guys the way you want to,” Detmers said of his double-digit strikeout game. “You just have to get ahead.”

Minnesota pinch hitter Alex Kirilloff greeted Angels right-hander Jimmy Herget with a two-run double to right field to tie the score at 3-3.

ROBBERY @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/VC2X0AKYHU

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 20, 2023

MICKEY@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/LV4WbxzqfL

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 20, 2023

THE HALOS LEAD@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/b0MpzdyDqV

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 20, 2023

Manager Phil Nevin discusses tonight's W@Angels | #AngelsLive | @EricaLWeston pic.twitter.com/rMJ62sKPAV

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 20, 2023

Walsh could be set to make his season debut Saturday after a neurological disorder that caused headaches and insomnia sidelined the Angels first baseman at the end of spring training and put him on the injured list in advance of Opening Day.

Walsh was set to play his seventh game for Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday during a highly productive rehab assignment. He was 10 for 20 through his first six games with a home run, five RBIs and seven walks. He also had a .643 on-base percentage and an obscene 1.343 OPS.

The Angels have been as patient as possible with Walsh’s recovery. The 29-year-old worked with specialists in Utah to help an issue that Manager Phil Nevin has described as a “quality-of-life” pursuit.

“Hopefully (his return) is sooner than later, but it will be on Jared’s time,” General Manager Perry Minasian said. “The biggest thing is we’re happy for the other side, right? Sleeping better, he’s healthier and he’s in a good place mentally and physically, obviously. We all know how good of a player he is.”

Walsh played in just 118 games last season because of thoracic outlet syndrome, struggling to a .215 batting average and a .642 OPS with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs. In spring training, he showed that a big season could be ahead by going 14 for 35 (.400) with two home runs and six RBIs in 14 Cactus League games.

Then came his troublesome diagnosis.

Nevin said he spoke to Walsh on Friday morning.

“We brought up coming back (Friday), but he wanted to do the back-to-back and we’re totally fine with that,” Nevin said about Walsh wanting to get the feel of playing in the field on consecutive nights. “In fact, I even mentioned that if you feel good in two or three at-bats, hop out of there, get on a plane and get back here.”

Nevin said that if Walsh does elect to leave his rehab assignment after Friday’s game, he would put him in the starting lineup Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.

TROUT RESTS

The Angels continued their pattern of giving Mike Trout days off in connection with long travel. The All-Star center fielder was not in the starting lineup for Friday’s opener of a nine-game homestand.

It was the fourth time Trout has been held out of the starting lineup this season, including an April 21 home game against the Kansas City Royals that was two days after the Angels took a long flight home from New York. The three-time American League MVP also missed a May 4 game at St. Louis that was the same day as a flight back to the West Coast.

“We’ve had a very difficult schedule early with the amount of games we’ve played in a row (and we’ve had two East Coast trips already,” Minasian said. “We want to win every game, don’t get me wrong, but it’s May and it’s a long season and we have to take care of our guys. Phil and his staff do a great job of that.”

AROUND THE BASES

Third baseman Anthony Rendon continues to get treatment for a groin strain that landed him on the IL on Monday but he still has not started baseball activities. … Left-handed reliever Aaron Loup (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Friday, implementing some mechanical adjustments in an effort to recover from a start that has left him with a 7.00 ERA in 11 appearances. He might face live hitters as early as Monday. … Saturday’s home game against the Twins is scheduled to start at 7:07 p.m. to stay out of the FOX national broadcast window.

UP NEXT

Twins (RHP Louie Varland, 1-0, 4.30 ERA) at Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 3-2, 3.22), Saturday, 7:07 p.m. Bally Sports West, 830 AM

• 

  The Angels’ Mike Trout hits a home run during the third inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani follows through on his swing after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels star Mike Trout hits a two-run home run during the third inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left, celebrates with Mike Trout after Trout hit a home run during the third inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels star Mike Trout celebrates in the team’s kabuto after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the third inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles left fielder Austin Hays catches a ball hit by Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson shows his frustration after striking out during the fourth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels shortstop Zach Neto throws out the Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan McKenna during the fourth inning on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells throws to the plate during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles center fielder Ryan McKenna, left, second baseman Joey Ortiz (65), and right fielder Anthony Santander can’t catch a ball hit by the Angels’ Mickey Moniak during the fifth inning on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Anthony Santander hits a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Fans in the Bird Bath Splash Zone celebrate a home run hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Anthony Santander during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels left fielder Mickey Moniak catches a ball hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle during the fifth inning on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  The Angels’ Luis Rengifo scores during the sixth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Adley Rutschman, center, celebrates with Ryan Mountcastle (6) and Austin Hays (21) after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Austin Voth throws to the plate during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left, bumps fists with first base coach Damon Mashore after hitting a single during the eighth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Frazier is tagged out by Angels shortstop Zach Neto while trying to stretch a single into a double during the ninth inning on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels shortstop Zach Neto, left, tags out the Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Frazier as he tries to stretch a single into a double during the ninth inning on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez, left, celebrates with catcher Matt Thaiss after their 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels center fielder Mike Trout, left, celebrates with shortstop Zach Neto after their 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with teammates after their 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels star Mike Trout signs autographs for fans before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels star Mike Trout, left, and the Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman talk before their game on Thursday in Baltimore. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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  Angels star Shohei Ohtani smiles in the dugout before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

BALTIMORE — The person in the Angels’ clubhouse who seemed to be the least impressed with Hunter Renfroe’s game-saving throw was Hunter Renfroe.

“I wouldn’t say it was one of my favorite throws,” Renfroe said. “I wouldn’t say it was not not difficult, but he was out.”

With the Angels clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth inning of a rollercoaster game, Renfroe cleanly fielded the carom directly off the wall, and he spun and threw Adam Frazier out at second base, recording the penultimate out of the Angels’ 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

“I was able to get a good carom off the wall and get my feet set and take my time to make a strong throw to second,” said Renfroe, who threw out Frazier, his former Mississippi State teammate, by a few feet.

It was Renfroe’s fifth assist of the season, continuing a career-long trend for him.

“People still running on Renfroe?” center fielder Mike Trout shrugged. “He said in the beginning of the spring he’s got one of, if not the best, arms in the league. And he’s backing it up.”

Manager Phil Nevin, who had been a third base coach against Renfroe at several stops throughout their careers, added: “That’s one of the better throws I’ve seen him make. I’ve seen him make a couple against me, sending guys home and walking back to the dugout after he’s thrown them out. It’s nice to have them on my side for once.”

The throw was the capper to a thrilling afternoon that ended with the Angels pulling out the split of a four-game series against the Orioles, who have the second-best record in the American League as well as a knack for pulling out any game that’s close late.

They were on their way to saddling the Angels with a crushing loss after young star Adley Rutschman hit a two-run homer against Chris Devenski to give the Orioles a 5-4 lead in the seventh.

The Angels, for all of their flaws, have also shown a little late-inning magic. The Angels have won three games when trailing after eight innings, including against Cleveland Guardians star closer Emmanuel Clase on Friday night.

This time they got the job done before the Orioles could get electric closer Felix Bautista into the game.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Luis Rengifo punched one of his three hits into center field. Zach Neto followed with a walk, and then Gio Urshela singled to tie the score. Taylor Ward struck out and Trout was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Shohei Ohtani. He yanked a sharp grounder to the right side. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle made a diving stop, but couldn’t beat Ohtani to the first-base bag, and the go-ahead run scored.

Ohtani had also driven in the Angels’ first run of the game in the first inning, with his 10th homer, and two innings later Trout hit his 10th, a two-run shot that was further evidence he’s pulling out of his two-week slump.

“Just taking the confidence and positive results into the next game,” Trout said. “It’s been a grind, it felt normal today.”

Trout’s homer made it 3-0, but starter Tyler Anderson couldn’t hold the lead. He got through four scoreless innings, admittedly without his best stuff, but he gave up three runs in the fifth, two on an Anthony Santander homer.

That’s when the rollercoaster really began.

The Angels re-took the lead in the next inning, on Neto’s two-out opposite-field RBI single, and then they lost it in the seventh when Devenski threw Rutschman a fastball on the inside corner and he yanked it over the right field fence.

The Angels had the final rally, though, led by the bottom of the order. The Angels had six hits and three walks out of the bottom three spots in the order.

“You need consistency throughout,” Nevin said. “It’s not just always Mike and Sho.”

Left-hander Matt Moore then worked a perfect eighth and right-hander Carlos Estévez worked the ninth, picking up his 10th save with a big assist from Renfroe.

“As soon as I saw that, I was thinking double,” Estévez said. “Then I saw the bounce. And he read it great. I got to back up second because he’s going to throw him out. As soon as I saw the throw, I was like ‘oh, he got him.’ That guy is amazing.”

The importance of the throw was magnified because Estévez then gave up a double to Cedric Mullins. The Angels intentionally walked Rutschman – putting the go-ahead run on base – before Estévez struck out Mountcastle on three pitches to end the taut game.

“It felt great,” Estévez said. “We had the lead and we lost it. We kept fighting. We kept fighting till the last out.”

The Angels (23-22) needed the victory to remain over .500, and also to prove that they can play with a good team. They still have not won a series against a team with a winning record, but at least they didn’t lose this one.

“We’ve been playing pretty good baseball, but not our best baseball yet,” Renfroe said. “We’ve been having some bad luck. We hit some balls really hard today in this series, and just kind of hadn’t had a whole lot of good luck. Moving forward, we’re gonna be playing our better baseball and it’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch for the fans and obviously be part of.”

Ohayō gozaimasu! Shohei sends one out at Camden @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/a73EubhUEW

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 18, 2023

Deja vu @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/UfqdojEEh5

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 18, 2023

Gonna have to change his name to Hunter Renthrow @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/WvmkEZscIy

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 18, 2023

“I definitely think I need to throw more fastballs, to get back to doing what I’ve done my whole career,” Loup said this week. “Outside of that, just better pitches. Whatever it takes to get outs.”

Loup, who is expecting to be activated within a week, has been on the injured list with a relatively minor hamstring injury that has provided him an opportunity to step back and re-evaluate what has gone wrong so far this season. He allowed seven earned runs in nine innings over his first 11 games.

Loup said he realizes that poor execution of pitches has been a problem, but he also continues to believe that what he describes as a “consensus effort for us a group” to throw more off-speed pitches didn’t work for him.

In 2020-21, Loup threw his two fastballs – a two-seamer and a cutter – more than 80% of the time. He had a 1.43 ERA over 89 games in those two seasons, including an 0.95 ERA in 2021 that earned him a two-year, $17 million deal with the Angels.

Last season, Loup’s pitch usage was similar, but his ERA still jumped to 3.84. This year, the fastball rate is down to a career-low 63%, including 37% for his two-seamer.

Loup said the Angels determined that throwing more off-speed and breaking pitches would help get more swings and misses, which was preferable in a game with infield shifts prohibited.

“I get my share of punchouts, but I’ve never been a strikeout guy,” Loup said. “I don’t have the velo some of these other guys have, mid-90s, upper-90s, but I have to get a hitter to stay honest about having to honor the fastball. That’s what makes the rest of my stuff better. If I want to get a guy out on a changeup, I have to navigate that at-bat to where I set it up so when I use it, I get the result I want. I can’t just go changeup, changeup, changeup, changeup. If a guy has seen it four times, when I need it to work, it’s not going to work.”

Manager Phil Nevin said there was more to Loup’s struggles than simple pitch selection, which Loup also concedes.

“The idea of throwing more fastballs is fine, as long as he’s locating them well,” Nevin said. “When he was kind of struggling there for a little bit, he was not locating the fastball as well as he has in the past. He’ll tell you the same thing. If he can get consistency locating and repeating pitches, the fastball is a very effective pitch for him. He’s got three very effective pitches, and it’s just a matter of getting the consistency and repeating pitches like he has in the past.”

NETO’S DEFENSE

A month into his major league career, shortstop Zach Neto has surpassed the defensive expectations Nevin had for him.

“He’s a better defender than I thought,” Nevin said. “When I saw film of him in college before the draft, we felt like there were some things he needed to get better at and shore up. Our player development guys and coaching staff down there have done a phenomenal job with him. A few quick adjustments with his feet, with his throwing. At the end of the day, he’s got really, really good hands. His instincts are very good for a young player, as we’ve seen. Really excited about what the future looks like for him. He’s fun to watch play.”

This trip has been filled with spectacular plays for Neto, including catching a pop-up while running into left field on Wednesday night.

Nevin said it was the best play he’d ever seen for a shortstop on that type of play.

NOTES

Mike Trout is expected to get the day off Friday. The Angels have been trying to avoid having the three-time American League MVP play immediately after a cross-country flight because he’s been injured in the past in that situation. His calf injury in 2021 was the day after a flight from Boston to Southern California. In 2022, he was hurt twice within a couple of days after flights from the East Coast. …

The Angels began play Thursday with a 22-22 record, the 10th time this season they have been at .500.

UP NEXT

Twins (RHP Joe Ryan, 6-1, 2.16 ERA) at Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 0-3, 4.89 ERA), Friday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

• 

  Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Anthony Santander hits a single during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Angels center fielder Mike Trout catches a ball hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins during the first inning on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson hits a triple during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Angels left fielder Taylor Ward attempts to catch a triple hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson during the second inning on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Mr. Splash, lower right, sprays fans with water after a triple hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  A Baltimore Orioles fan cheers after Gunnar Henderson hit a triple during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle hits an RBI single during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson hits a single during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Angels’ Mike Trout runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish looks on after surrendering a solo home run to the Angels’ Mike Trout, left, during the fourth inning on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels star Mike Trout celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. The Angels scored just one run in 6-2/3 innings against Bradish, who was an Angels minor leaguer when they traded him to the Orioles for Dylan Bundy. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani flies out during the fourth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Austin Hays, right, is greeted by third base coach Tony Mansolino after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Fans seated in the Bird Bath Splash Zone are sprayed with water as they celebrate a home run hit by the Baltimore Orioles’ Austin Hays during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish throws to the plate during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani stands on deck as the pitch clock winds down during the sixth inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish is greeted by teammates after being removed from the game by Manager Brandon Hyde during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Danny Coulombe throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Angels relief pitcher Jaime Barria throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  The Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle shatters his bat and flies out during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Yennier Cano throws to the plate during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani grimaces after swinging at a pitch thrown by Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista during the ninth inning on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, left, and relief pitcher Felix Bautista celebrate after their victory over the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  From left, the Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Frazier, Joey Ortiz, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins celebrate after their victory over the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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  Young fans attempt to catch a ball thrown into the stands by Baltimore Orioles left fielder Austin Hays during their game against the Angels on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels infielder Luis Rengifo warms up before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels star Mike Trout stretches during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels infielder Gio Urshela throws a weighted ball during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon looks on during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels infielder Gio Urshela warms up before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels star Mike Trout looks on during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels manager Phil Nevin looks on during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels infielder Luis Rengifo warms up before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

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  Angels infielder Gio Urshela looks on during batting practice before their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

BALTIMORE — Back in December 2019, the Angels sent four minor league pitchers to the Baltimore Orioles for Dylan Bundy.

They saw one of them on Wednesday night.

Kyle Bradish, who had only moderate success in his brief time in the major leagues, flummoxed the Angels during their 3-1 loss to the Orioles.

“He’s got really good stuff,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “He didn’t throw anything in the middle of the plate. We didn’t hit a lot of balls hard but he didn’t give us many chances to either. Our guys did a good job grinding out at-bats but he was really good tonight.”

Slumping Mike Trout hit a homer in the fourth inning, and that was all the Angels managed in 6-2/3 innings against Bradish. They had three other hits – all singles – and didn’t have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position.

Bradish, 26, cut his ERA from 4.56 to 3.90. At the time the Angels traded the former fourth-round pick, he was not considered a top prospect, and he’d posted a 4.28 ERA in his only season in the Angels’ farm system.

A year before the Angels picked Bradish, they picked Griffin Canning. His career was derailed by a season and a half lost to a back injury, and he’s still trying to find his way back.

Sharing the mound with Bradish on Wednesday, Canning gave up three runs in 5-1/3 innings. He has a 6.14 ERA in six starts. Each game has included flashes of what the Angels hope he can be. On Wednesday, he averaged 96.0 mph on his fastball in a scoreless first inning, throwing 10 of his 11 pitches for strikes.

“I think I just felt good with my stuff today and feel like I was on the attack the whole game,” Canning said. “I continue to feel like I’m getting better, I’m just not getting the results.”

Asked what he needs to do to get better results, Canning deadpanned: “I need them to hit them at our guys.”

The Angels’ “guys” didn’t even handle the balls that were hit at them in this game, though.

In the first inning, a blooper dropped in right field when there seemed to be a miscommunication between right fielder Hunter Renfroe and second baseman Brandon Drury.

In the second, left fielder Taylor Ward dove for a ball and it got past him for a triple. It would have been a tough catch, but Ward could have at least held speedy Gunnar Henderson at first if he’d simply played it on a hop. Third baseman Gio Urshela then misplayed a bunt.

Canning got out of that jam with a double play and a strikeout.

He couldn’t escape after that, though, allowing single runs in the third, fourth and fifth. A leadoff walk and then back-to-back two-out hits cost him in the third. In the fifth, he got ahead of Austin Hays 1-and-2 but he couldn’t put him away. Bradish hit a 369-foot fly ball that dropped just over the fence in right field.

The fourth-inning run scored after the Angels failed to turn a double play because shortstop Zach Neto’s throw pulled first baseman Matt Thaiss off the bag.

“I thought he was good,” Nevin said of Canning. “Really, if you look at it, it very easily could have been six innings and only two runs.”

“It’s something to build off,” Trout said after he hit a home run in the Angels’ 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. “Obviously the last few weeks I’d been missing pitches. Felt better tonight. It’s baseball.”

Trout’s ninth homer of the season came after a 14-game stretch in which he’d hit .185 with a .526 OPS, with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 60 plate appearances.

“If I could pinpoint it, I could fix it by now,” Trout said before Wednesday’s game. “Some at-bats I feel good and some I’m just under balls.”

Trout, a three-time American League MVP who is headed for the Hall of Fame when his career is over, added that he might be pressing, too.

“It’s frustrating because you’re getting a lot of chances and you’re not coming through for your team,” Trout said. “That’s what it comes down to. As a competitor, you want to go out there and do your best and be your best. Sometimes things aren’t right. It’s tough.”

This has been a rare slump for Trout.

Outside of when he first debuted in the big leagues as a 19-year-old in 2011, Trout has had just one 14-game stretch in which his OPS was this low, and that was sandwiched around his back injury last year. (His career-worst 0-for-26 slump last year spanned just seven games, and he did fine immediately before and after it.)

Trout, 31, insists there is nothing physically wrong with him now, which is partly because the Angels have been giving him days off to keep him fresh.

“Actually this is the best I’ve ever felt,” he said. “It’s a little frustrating because you feel like you’re getting a lot of opportunities and you’re not coming through. But it’s baseball. It’s a long season. Things will turn around.”

One of the most puzzling parts of Trout’s slump is the trouble he has with fastballs.

“I’m just a tick under them or a tick late,” Trout said.

Entering Wednesday’s game, Trout had whiffed on 28.6% of his swings at fastballs this season, which is the highest rate of his career. Last year was the first season that Trout was ever higher than 20%. The major league average whiff rate on fastballs is 20.1% this season.

During Trout’s current slump, his whiff rate at fastballs is 29.3%, which is only slightly worse than what he was in April. The difference is that he’s seen more fastballs. Pitchers have thrown him a fastball 70.7% of the time in May, compared with 64% in April.

Trout was hitting .247 with a .484 slugging percentage on at-bats that end with a fastball, compared with the major league averages of .268 and .442.

Trout’s performance against breaking balls (.292 and .521) and offspeed pitches (.375 and .438) has been better than average, which has helped him stay afloat.

All of that raises the question of whether Trout is simply losing the ability to catch up to fastballs that get harder every year.

Manager Phil Nevin said the Angels’ measurements of Trout’s bat speed have shown no decline.

“The only slight difference might be the bat angle, but those are things we can work on mechanically,” Nevin said.

Fastballs nowadays are not what they were even a few years ago. Pitchers now have a better understanding of how spin can make it tougher for hitters to get the bat on fastballs up in the zone, which is where Trout has always had some trouble.

“Everybody has a weakness,” Nevin said. “His are smaller than anybody’s in the game. Pitchers are getting better and better. They find some things here and there, but if they miss by a small margin, he’s gonna get it when he’s right.”

Trout, whose homer on Wednesday was against a fastball, said flatly that he is not concerned about this slump having long-term implications.

Even with this slump, he still has an .870 OPS. He ranks third in the majors in OPS among all players who have played 75% of their games in center field.

As recently as April 29, before this slump began, Trout had an OPS of 1.020. He hit his sixth and seventh homers of the season in that game, which at that time put him on a pace for more than 40 homers.

“It’s just like any player,” Nevin said. “You get some ups and downs and highs and lows in a season. Mike’s no different than the others. It’s just the fact that his highs are so impressive. He’s what many people say is the best player in the world so when he has a couple of weeks stretch like everyone in the world does, a lot of people want to know what the heck’s wrong. My best answer is nothing.”

RENDON UPDATE

The Angels were encouraged by the MRI results on third baseman Anthony Rendon, who is on the injured list with a strained groin.

“There are a few different spots where it’s at,” Nevin said. “Hopefully they all heal at the same time and it won’t be too long.”

Nevin said Rendon will begin doing some baseball activity when the Angels return home this weekend, and they’ll re-evaluate him then.

WALSH UPDATE

First baseman Jared Walsh told Nevin after his three-hit game on Tuesday that his “timing is coming along quicker than he thought.”

Walsh, who has missed the first quarter of the season because of treatment for headaches and insomnia, is 7 for 17 with a home run in five games at Triple-A.

Nevin said Walsh is expected to play first base for Salt Lake on Thursday and Friday, and then they will have the conversation to determine the next step.

NOTES

Right-hander Jaime Barría hasn’t pitched in 11 days, but Nevin and Barria both said the pitcher has been fine. He has warmed up a few times during the stretch. …

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) no longer needs to keep his arm in a sling. O’Hoppe said so far he’s right on schedule. He’s still hoping to make it back four months after surgery, which would be mid-August. …

Right-hander Davis Daniel (right shoulder strain) has been on the injured list since early in spring training, but he has begun throwing, Nevin said. He is still “a long way away,” Nevin said. …

The Angels are planning to discuss what to do with the rotation on Friday, but Nevin said they are still leaning toward having Chase Silseth start again on Monday. Nevin said a normal between-starts routine should help Silseth maintain his strength deeper into the game than when he gave up four runs in 3-1/3 innings on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 1-0, 5.26 ERA) at Orioles (RHP Tyler Wells, 3-1, 2.68), Thursday, 9:35 a.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM