Neto's 411-Foot Bomb Buries Baltimore as Angels Win 4-1

Zach Neto crushed a 411-foot three-run homer to center in the third inning, swinging Baltimore's win probability from 61% to 35% in a single swing. Los Angeles never looked back, handing the Orioles a 4-1 defeat on August 6.

The game turned on one at-bat. With Wade Meckler and Nolan Schanuel on base in the third, Neto unloaded a 411-foot shot to center that cleared the bases and put the Angels up 3-0. Baltimore's win probability cratered from 61% to 35% on contact — that's the kind of swing that doesn't just change a scoreline, it changes a dugout's entire posture. Neto finished 2-for-5 with a homer, 3 RBI, and a run scored, and the story of the night was his ability to do maximum damage in a single moment.

Baltimore answered immediately. Yohel Pozo launched a 397-foot solo shot to left center in the same inning to cut it to 3-1, and for a moment it looked like the Orioles might claw back into it. They didn't. The Angels' offense added an insurance run in the seventh when Schanuel hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Meckler — who crossed the plate twice on the night going 2-for-5 — and pushing the lead to 4-1. Meckler, Vaughn Grissom (2-for-4), and Jose Siri (2-for-3) all contributed to what appears to have been a well-distributed offensive effort, even if Neto was the clear headliner.

On the mound, neither starter was sharp. Ryan Johnson worked 4.2 innings for the Angels, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits but issuing 5 walks — a control performance that looks like it kept the Angels' bullpen on a short leash all night. Brandon Young gave Baltimore 4.1 innings, surrendering 6 hits and 3 earned runs with 4 strikeouts. The Angels' Luke Murphy was arguably the most efficient arm on either side, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief with 3 strikeouts and no hits allowed. Albert Suarez covered 2.0 innings for Baltimore without allowing an earned run, but the damage was already done. Los Angeles takes this one 4-1.