Angels' Seventh Shutout
Los Angeles Angels Shut Out Athletics 7-0, Led by Pitcher Walbert Ureña
The Los Angeles Angels shut out the Athletics 7-0 in West Sacramento on Saturday, June 20, ending a rough stretch with their seventh shutout of the 2026 season. Rookie starter Walbert Ureña held the A's scoreless over five innings, and a six-run sixth inning broke the game wide open, according to AP News.
The win moves the Angels to 2-4 on their current road trip. It also offered redemption after Friday's stunning collapse, when Los Angeles blew a seven-run lead and lost 12-11 in 10 innings, Field Level Media reported.
Ureña Matches a 42-Year-Old Franchise Record
Walbert Ureña, a 22-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic, allowed just four hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked nobody. It was a sharp performance from a pitcher who had walked five batters in a single start earlier this season against Houston.
According to AP News, Ureña has now allowed three or fewer earned runs in 10 straight starts of at least five innings. That matches a franchise record set by Ron Romanick all the way back in 1984. Ureña improved to 5-5 on the season. Three relievers — Samy Natera Jr., Ryan Zeferjahn, and Kirby Yates — combined to allow just one hit over the final four innings, with Yates striking out two in a perfect ninth, Field Level Media reported.
A Six-Run Sixth Inning Puts the Game Away
The Angels held a quiet 2-0 lead through five innings. Jo Adell had doubled to start the second, and Donovan Walton drove him in with a single. A Jose Siri sacrifice fly added the second run. But the game truly broke open in the sixth, according to Newsday.
Zach Neto hit a two-run double down the left-field line. Nolan Schanuel followed with another two-run double, pushing the lead to 6-0. Then in the seventh, Denzer Guzman crushed a solo home run to left off reliever Geoff Hartlieb to make it 7-0, ktvb.com reported. The Angels finished the game with 13 total hits.
Guzman and Neto Lead the Angels' Youth Movement
Denzer Guzman was only recently called back up to the majors for his second stint. The Angels signed him as their top international target in 2021 for a $2 million bonus. He has grown from a defensive specialist into a power threat, according to Baseball America.
Zach Neto, 25, added a two-run double and a walk. Nolan Schanuel also drove in two runs. Baseball America noted that the Angels are leaning more and more on their young core — Neto, Schanuel, and Guzman — as they move away from relying on veteran Mike Trout, who has been limited by injuries.
Angels Remain Deep in the AL West Cellar
The win was a bright spot, but the Angels' bigger picture is still grim. They sit at 31-47 on the season, nine games back in the AL West, CBS Sports reported. A Wild Card run would need a historic streak in July to become realistic, according to StatMuse.
The Athletics were also missing star third baseman Zack Gelof, who had to sit out after being hit in the head by a pitch on Friday. Gelof had been riding a 23-game hitting streak — the longest active streak in the majors — before the injury, Field Level Media reported. The series continues Sunday in West Sacramento.
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