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The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel celebrates with teammates after a walk-off walk during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers on Monday in Anaheim. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Travis d\u2019Arnaud knows Jacob deGrom better than any other catcher in baseball. He caught the hard-throwing right-hander 60 times when they played together with the New York Mets, the most frequent backstop the former Cy Young Award winner has thrown to in his career.<\/p>\n
That familiarity did d\u2019Arnaud and the Angels<\/a> well en route to their 6-5 victory over the Rangers (44-47) on Monday night, in which Nolan Schanuel walked off their American League West foes in the ninth inning by drawing a bases-loaded, RBI walk.<\/p>\n The veteran catcher ambushed deGrom in the second inning for a two-run home run, just hitting the ball hard enough \u2014 97.4 mph \u2014 over the left-field wall.<\/p>\n D\u2019Arnaud\u2019s home run broke deGrom\u2019s Rangers franchise-record streak of 14 consecutive starts with two or fewer runs given up \u2014 and provided the Angels (44-46) with an early 3-2 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting lucky to hit a homer against any Cy Young winner is really special,\u201d said d\u2019Arnaud, who went two for four with three RBIs.<\/p>\n Later, with deGrom in line for the win, d\u2019Arnaud tied the score during a two-out rally in the sixth against relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong, lining a double to deep left-center field to score Luis Rengifo, who reached base on a single.<\/p>\n The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe douses Nolan Schanuel with a cooler of sports drink after he delivered a walk-off walk against the Texas Rangers Monday at Angel Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in every game right till the end, in every single game in Toronto, and so it showed we were still going to fight to the last out,\u201d d\u2019Arnaud said, when asked about not being able to come through as a team with three, one-run losses against the Blue Jays, \u201cand today we were able to prevail, which is a huge step for us.\u201d<\/p>\n A batter later, pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. channeled the \u201cThrowback Week\u201d theme at Angel Stadium, reverting to the clutch hitting that earned him the nickname \u201cLate Night LaMonte\u201d in San Francisco. The 31-year-old, wearing the ’70s-style Angels uniform, singled to center to give the Angels a 5-4 lead.<\/p>\n Interim manager Ray Montgomery, who was ejected in the seventh inning arguing balls and strikes after Mike Trout looked at an inning-ending strike three call, said Wade waited for his opportunity to make an impact \u2014 even with limited at-bats after Jorge Soler\u2019s return from injury creating a log jam in the outfield.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime off the bench you can get some sort of feeling and get some reps, it\u2019s good, and you hope it carries over,\u201d said Montgomery, who watched the remainder of the game from the clubhouse. \u201cHuge at-bat by him.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:The Angels have used only five starting pitchers this season. Why that’s significant<\/a><\/p>\n DeGrom didn\u2019t flex the ace-caliber stuff he often tests foes with. On Monday, he gave up three earned runs and five hits across five innings, striking out five and walking two.<\/p>\n Yusei Kikuchi, coming off Sunday\u2019s announcement that he earned an All-Star berth (his second of his career), didn\u2019t live up to the pitcher\u2019s duel billing either. The Japanese left-hander labored through an almost-20-minute first inning \u2014 in which he gave up a two-run home run to Corey Seager \u2014 and never settled down during his five innings.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t have my best stuff, but the team really picked me up today,\u201d Kikuchi said in Japanese through an interpreter.<\/p>\n Before d\u2019Arnaud\u2019s tying double, Kikuchi was bound to be the losing pitcher, giving up four runs on six hits, struggling to accrue the same strikeout success he\u2019d achieved as of late. He struck out just four, tied for the second-fewest he\u2019d tallied in 2025 and the first time he\u2019d done so since late May against the Yankees.<\/p>\n But none of that mattered when Schanuel came to the plate with the bases loaded, after Zach Neto was intentionally walked, washing away an 0-for-4 night with his walk-off walk.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t need a hit,\u201d Schanuel said. \u201cI put my pride aside.\u201d<\/p>\n Reliever R&R<\/p>\n The Angels placed veteran right-handed relief pitcher Hunter Strickland on the 15-day injured list because of right-shoulder inflammation on Monday afternoon. Strickland, who had pitched 22 innings in 19 games to the tune of a 3.27 earned-run average for the Angels, said he felt his arm get stiff before pitching against the Blue Jays on Sunday.<\/p>\n During his outing, in which Strickland struck out one batter in a scoreless inning, the 36-year-old said the stiff sensation in his arm got worse, causing the IL stint. Cuban right-hander V\u00edctor Mederos was called up from triple-A Salt Lake City in his place.<\/p>\n Read more:Angels’ Ron Washington will remain on medical leave for rest of season<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe’re just hoping for the best and see what they say,\u201d Strickland said, adding that he will get an MRI exam on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Robert Stephenson (stretched nerve in right bicep) said he began throwing again on Monday \u2014 soft toss \u2014 after soft-tissue recovery helped \u201cfully heal\u201d the nerve.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t think it’s gonna be a quick process, but at least I can start building up,\u201d said Stephenson, who is in the second year of a three-year, $33-million contract with the Angels.<\/p>\n Stephenson has thrown just one inning as a member of the Angels, hurting himself in his second appearance back from Tommy John surgery on May 30.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8f9388523d7234251d64be238bc95737.jpeg\"\/)
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