ANAHEIM — After showing signs of filling his immense potential with a strong start offensively through the first month of the season, Angels outfielder Jo Adell found himself in a slump to open May, going 1-for-20 in six games.
But unlike previous years, when things continued to spiral, Adell has righted the ship and has been returning to form. He stayed hot and displayed his power by crushing a three-run shot — his third homer over his last four games — to help lift the Angels to a 9-3 win over the Royals on Saturday night at Angel Stadium.
Adell has been a bright spot for the Angels this season. His three-run blast in the second off Royals starter Cole Ragans provided a major spark. The Angels went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position in their frustrating 2-1 loss on Friday, but Adell came through on Saturday by smacking a 1-2 slider from Ragans to left-center field for his seventh homer of the year .
It helped get the offense going against Ragans, who entered with a 3.38 ERA and is considered a top young arm. The Angels scored twice in the third, keyed by three straight singles from Cole Tucker, Taylor Ward and Kevin Pillar and a run-scoring wild pitch. Pillar later added a two-run single in the seventh off reliever Nick Anderson and went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Adell, 25, has batted .264/.324/.549 with three doubles, a triple, 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 33 games. One primary reason for his success is improving his contact rate and reducing strikeouts. Adell struck out in 40.3 percent of his plate appearances last year but it’s down to 25.5 percent this year.
Adell’s homer helped starting pitcher Tyler Anderson turn in another strong start. He gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He’s posted a 2.92 ERA through eight starts this season after he put up a 5.43 ERA in 27 outings (25 starts) last year.
