Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Rays with 2nd straight scoreless outing – Orange County Register

ANAHEIM — The Angels have plenty of players looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons in 2023, and none of them have had more success so far than Tyler Anderson.

The left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings in a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

Anderson has not allowed a run in 14 innings this season. He became the first Angels pitcher since Hector Santiago in 2016 to throw at least seven scoreless innings in two consecutive games. The Angels had never seen a pitcher do it in his first two starts of the season.

It’s been an eye-opening start for a pitcher who posted a 5.43 ERA in 2023, the first season after the Angels signed him to a three-year, $39 million contract.

When Anderson left the mound in the eighth inning Monday, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

“It was awesome,” Anderson said. “We have a lot of great fans. I feel like last year I didn’t pitch well for them. So starting the year this way, when people are here, it always feels good.

Anderson got all the offensive support he needed from Mike Trout, who to a lesser extent is also looking to prove something this season. Trout tripled and hit his fifth homer of the season, tying the major league lead. He also singled. The three-time American League MVP is now hitting .297 with an OPS of 1.138.

Taylor Ward also drove in three runs with his three hits, including a single to Trout after his RBI triple in the first. That gave Anderson a 2-0 lead heading into the second inning, and then he ran through a Rays lineup that included nine right-handed hitters.

He needed just 91 pitches to record 21 outs, leaving to a standing ovation after allowing a leadoff hit in the eighth. He struck out three and walked one.

The only problem he faced came in the fourth inning.

Anderson walked Randy Arozarena, then Isaac Paredes hit a grounder down the third-base line for a double. Amed Rosario hit a sharp liner, but it was just to first baseman Brandon Drury. Curtis Mead then hit a fly ball that Trout caught on the warning track.

Anderson said the differences between last year and this year are in his mental approach and defense.

“I really think you just have to try to go from one pitch to the next, and not think too much,” Anderson said. “Just try to run as many as you can. And then really, our defense has been great the last two games for me, which is huge. I don’t get a lot of strikeouts. Our positioning was really good. Lots of things we talked about. The guys made some really good adjustments, our staff made some great adjustments. Having guys in the right place at the right time is huge.