Angels vs Rays Recap: Meckler, Trout power Angels in 14-3 win

The Angels came to Tampa Bay looking to bounce back. They'd lost the night before, 8-5, but today was different. Reid Detmers took the mound for Los Angeles, facing Drew Rasmussen and the Rays at Tropicana Field. But the Angels didn't wait around. In the very first inning, Wade Meckler crushed a fastball over the right field wall—a towering 397-foot blast that cleared the bases. Mike Trout and Vaughn Grissom raced home, and Jorge Soler scored too. That single swing gave the Angels a 4-0 lead before Tampa Bay even got its first at-bat. Yandy Diaz answered back with a solo shot to left, making it 4-1. But the Angels had set the tone early: they were here to dominate.

The game was already slipping away from Tampa Bay. In the fourth inning, Donovan Walton doubled to right, and Meckler scored to make it 5-1. Then came the fifth, and Mike Trout stepped up. The superstar hammered a 417-foot home run to left field off Casey Legumina. That made it 6-1 and had you on your feet. Tampa Bay scratched back with two runs in the fifth inning. Junior Caminero doubled, and Jonathan Aranda came in to score. Then Ryan Vilade grounded out, driving in another run. It was 6-3 now. But the Angels were far from done. By the seventh inning, a wild pitch from Ian Seymour brought Zach Neto across the plate. The score was 7-3, and the Rays were running out of time.

By the ninth inning, the Angels weren't finished yet. Andrew Wantz threw for the Rays, and Los Angeles loaded up the runs. Vaughn Grissom got hit by a pitch, driving in Sebastian Rivero. Then Jose Siri grounded into a force play, but Adam Frazier scored anyway. The real damage came from Jo Adell. The outfielder ripped a 431-foot home run to center field. Two more runs crossed the plate. Then Oswald Peraza launched a 380-foot shot to right-center for another run. Sebastian Rivero doubled to center, bringing Walton home. When the smoke cleared, the Angels had blasted 14 runs across the board. The Rays managed just 3. The final score was 14-3. Los Angeles improved to 24-36 and grabbed its second straight win.