Adell homers and gets hit by pitch in Angels' walk-off win

ANAHEIM, Calif.  - The bats were quiet for the Los Angeles Angels up until the final outs against the St. Louis Cardinals, but a baseball game has nine innings for a reason and the Angels made the most of theirs in a 3-2 walk-off win that all centered around Jo Adell. 

Before the ninth arrived, Adell had already been the Angels' biggest contribution to the box score when he ripped a solo home run to left field in the third inning for the Halos' first run of the game. 

It was also the Angels' only run until they were just two outs away from losing. 

Schanuel and Grissom Set the Stage

That's when Nolan Schanuel, who's been on a tear as of late and already had a hit and a walk on the day, singled again to put the tying run on base. 

"This is who he is. He gets line drives all over the field, has great at bats, Controls the strike zone, which is a huge thing for him," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of Schanuel. "He's just really consistent right now."

Jorge Soler wore an 81 MPH sweeper to earn his way to first base too, setting the stage for Vaugh Grissom to come up big. 

Grissom, typically a scrappy ground ball hitter, took hold of a sinker from Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien and drove it deep into right field. 

It hit off the right field wall for a double, just inches below the yellow home run line, but it was good enough to tie the game 2-2. 

"The guys never give up and that's something that I've said all year," Suzuki said. "I know the record is not where we want to be, but every night, every day, these guys come in, they show up, they prepare themselves, they enjoy each other and fight to the end."

The Cardinals intentionally walked Josh Lowe to set up a potential double play, but that set the stage for Adell to be the hero once gain. 

Jo Adell Takes One for the Team

He quickly worked his way to a 3-0 count, and while a walk would have done just as well, O'Brien lost control of another pitch and hit Adell square in the back to walk-off the game for the Halos. 

Adell was one of the Angels' top offensive players last season, but he's struggled so far in 2026, batting .240 but slugging just .393 with 55 RBIs. 

To be the guy that puts his team on the board with a solo home run and then wins the game by getting hit by a pitch isn't the most common of situations, but it could be the jolt needed to get Adell back to his usual slugging self. 

"It's been no secret. I've been struggling the past week," Adell said. "But just getting back to seeing pitches and not trying to do too much, I felt like my first at-bat was [an] example of just waiting it out and finding a pitch and really just trying to do that throughout the course of the game so good things happen." 

Soriano Surges Back

As great as the Angels' comeback effort was, it wouldn't have been possible without a stellar start from José Soriano, who had a return to form in his first start since the All-Star break. 

Soriano went seven strong innings, allowing just two earned runs, four hits and one walk while striking out seven. 

After a historic start to the season, Soriano had firmly come back to Earth by the time that the All-Star break rolled around, but Monday's performance was one of his best since the beginning of the season and is a great sign of what's yet to come for Soriano. 

"[I'm] just trying to keep my head up and never give up," Soriano said. "I know I had a tough time, but the last couple [starts], I feel like I started getting back and that's the goal. Try to get back to what I was at the beginning."