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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani follows through as he hits a two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani avoids a close pitch during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero breaks his bat as he hits into a fielder’s choice during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani avoids a broken bat after the Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero hit into a fielder’s choice during the second inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Boston Red Sox’s Alex Verdugo, left, is tagged out by Angels catcher Max Stassi while trying to score on a fielder’s choice hit by Franchy Cordero during the second inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Boston Red Sox’s Alex Verdugo, left, waits for the call after being tagged out by Angels catcher Max Stassi while trying to score on a fielder’s choice hit by Franchy Cordero as starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani watches during the second inning on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, right, reacts as he stands with catcher Max Stassi after avoiding a broken bat when the Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero hit not a fielder’s choice during the second inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Bobby Dalbec during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani checks the back of his shoe after the Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Bobby Dalbec during the fifth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, left, talks with catcher Max Stassi after the Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Bobby Dalbec during the first inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani drops his bat as he hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run as Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers looks on during the fifth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, right, celebrates with teammate Juan Lagares after hitting a two-run home run as Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez stands at the plate during the fifth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani receives the celebratory cowboy hat from teammate Tyler Wade as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani wears the celebratory cowboy hat as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. Ohtani held the Red Sox to one run in his seven innings with six strikeouts. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates after the third out in the sixth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates after the third out in the sixth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura throws to the plate during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Andrew Velazquez hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Andrew Velazquez hits a three-run home run as Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez watches during the sixth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura yells as the Angels’ Andrew Velazquez hit a three-run home run during the sixth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura, right, watches after the Angels’ Andrew Velazquez, left, hit a three-run home run during the sixth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Andrew Velazquez, right, scores after hitting a three-run home run as Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez watches during the sixth inning on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura throws to the plate during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates after the third out in the seventh inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, waits to hit as interim manager Phil Nevin stands by during the eighth inning of a their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias gestures after the Angels defeated the Boston Red Sox, 5-2, on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias, right, hugs catcher Max Stassi after the Angels defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-2 in a baseball game Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, right, and catcher Max Stassi celebrate a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels interim manager Phil Nevin tries on a cap prior to their game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ANAHEIM — You certainly could have guessed that Shohei Ohtani would be one of the heroes when the Angels’ franchise-record losing streak finally ended.
You probably wouldn’t have picked Andrew Velazquez as the other one.
The Angels’ 14-game nightmare ended when Ohtani pitched seven innings and hit a two-run homer, and Velazquez added a stunning three-run homer, leading the Angels to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.
“Everything that could go wrong has been going wrong,” Velazquez said. “But tonight, Shohei kind of took matters into his own hands, and then we got the big hit tonight.”
Velazquez’s homer provided just enough insurance that the Angels didn’t have to sweat out the victory. Although Ryan Tepera gave up a run in the eighth, Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth to record the save in his first outing since giving up a game-tying grand slam on Sunday.
The Angels then spent a little extra time celebrating in the clubhouse.
“Man, it felt like we won a playoff game today,” Velazquez said. “It’s just a big relief. Big momentum. Take that like tomorrow’s a new season.”
The Angels (28-31) still have plenty of work to do, but because of the new playoff format they are just 2½ games out of the third and final American League wild-card spot, with 103 games to go.
Certainly, they’ll need to get some of their players back if they are going to win consistently. Mike Trout has been out with groin tightness for the past two games, although the three-time AL MVP said he’s hoping to play on Friday. Outfielder Taylor Ward and third baseman Anthony Rendon are on the injured list.
Without those players, the Angels’ offense has been particularly challenged. They went 18 innings without a run before Ohtani got the Angels on the board with a two-run homer – his 12th of the season – in the fifth inning.
The Angels padded that 2-1 lead an inning later. Jo Adell and Dillon Thomas each walked to start the inning. Two outs later, the Angels hadn’t even gotten a runner to third, and Velazquez stepped to the plate with one hit in his previous 30 at-bats.
He’d struck out in each of his first two trips on Thursday, and he’d just whiffed at two straight splitters from Hirozaku Sawamura. Velazquez then got a fastball over the outer half of the plate and he hammered it over the right field fence.
“He’s got the nastiest split I’ve ever seen,” Velazquez said. “So I figured I had a better chance with the fastball. I got lucky.”
Ohtani came back to the mound and worked a perfect seventh, finishing off an encouraging bounce-back start.
He had allowed nine runs in his previous two games, including a game last week in New York when the Angels suspected he was tipping his pitches because the Yankees made so much contact. The Yankees hitters whiffed on just three of their 45 swings against Ohtani, who gave up four runs in three innings at Yankee Stadium.
This time Ohtani got three whiffs in the first inning alone, and 18 in the game.
He worked his way out of some trouble in the second and third, when he gave up leadoff hits. In the third, he struck out Red Sox star Rafael Devers on a 101 mph fastball to strand a runner at third. It was Ohtani’s hardest pitch of the season and the hardest pitch for a strikeout in his major league career.
Ohtani allowed the first two hitters of the fifth to reach, on a walk and a single, but he got out of that with just one run scoring.
In the sixth, just after his homer put the Angels ahead 2-1, Ohtani gave up a one-out double to J.D. Martinez. He came back with a strikeout of Alex Verdugo, a walk to Christian Vazquez and then an inning-ending groundout by Franchy Cordero.
Interim manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani had a look from the first inning – on the mound and at the plate – that he was determined to deliver.
“I’m not saying it’s different sometimes, but it was a little different,” Nevin said. “You could see it in his face.”
Ohtani said he took pride in being able to improve after dropping two games earlier in the streak.
“Obviously I’m not the only one that was going through this,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “The team as a whole was struggling. I had a couple chances to stop the losing streak on the mound, but I wasn’t able to do that. I was glad to be able to do it today.”
Once Ohtani was done, the Angels’ bullpen inherited a four-run lead with six outs to go.
Although the Angels had blown leads in the seventh inning or later in six of the losses during their 14-game streak, they held this one.
After Nevin had his first managerial victory in the books, he said it was a relief to see the players finally able to smile after a game.
“They’ve come every day expecting to win,” Nevin said. “It’s been the same attitude. It’s been the same atmosphere in the clubhouse. It really has. And when you come in after the game, you see the pain on their faces, and I know it’s hurting them. And that means a heck of a lot to the staff, to myself. Because they care. They really do. These last two weeks were painful for them, painful for everybody. But when you see that care in your players, that means a lot. It certainly does.”
Putting on a complete Sho! pic.twitter.com/xeiv6YteqH
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2022
Ohtani 101
(MLB x @CueHealth) pic.twitter.com/Boq3DvvRL7
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2022
The Squid providing some insurance with his 3rd HR of the season
#GoHalos | @Angels pic.twitter.com/RwF9gLxET4
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 10, 2022
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