Two young outfielders demonstrating the form that made them first-round draft picks will attempt to cap a productive series when the Los Angeles Angels and host San Francisco Giants wrap up a three-game set on Sunday afternoon.
The Angels have taken the first two games, 8-6 and 4-3, in large part due to the offensive contributions of center fielder Mickey Moniak, who already has four extra-base hits to show for the two road contests.
The first overall pick of the 2016 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, Moniak contributed two doubles and a triple to an 11-hit attack that produced Friday’s high-scoring win. He then chipped in with a home run in the second inning of Saturday’s come-from-behind effort.
For the series, the 26-year-old has gone 4-for-9 with a homer, triple, two doubles, three RBIs and two runs, raising his average 15 points to .194.
“Baseball is weird. It’s a tough game,” said Moniak, who was dealt to the Angels in 2022 after parts of three seasons with the Phillies in which he hit a combined .129. “At the end of the day, I’ve had success in this game and I’ve had struggles. I think the ones who stay for a while are the ones who know how to handle the ups and the downs.”
On Sunday, Moniak will take a seven-game hitting streak against Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison (4-3, 3.96 ERA), who got a no-decision after a two-game losing streak when he held the Houston Astros to one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-3 win Monday in 10 innings.
The 22-year-old Northern California native has not faced the Angels in his two-year career.
Right-hander Ben Joyce (0-0, 12.27 ERA) is in line to take the mound for the Angels as an opener. He has not started in 16 career appearance.
He faced the Giants on Friday, throwing to seven batters in relief. He walked two and struck out one over 1 2/3 scoreless innings in that game — his only career appearance against San Francisco.
Joyce walked 24-year-old outfielder Heliot Ramos on Friday in their only head-to-head meeting. Ramos has terrorized Angels pitching in the series to the tune of 5-for-8 with two homers, two doubles, six RBIs and two runs.
The 2017 first-round pick has multiple hits in 10 of his past 17 games, a stretch in which he’s hit .375.
“It’s not a week thing or a two-week thing. He’s been doing it for quite a while,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Ramos on Saturday. “Against good pitching early in the game … homers, big hits, everything. Not only that, he’s playing great defense. Fantastic baseball.”
But Melvin said Ramos can’t be a one-man wrecking crew.
“He needs some help, too. Knocked in all three runs today.”
–Field Level Media
