'I've definitely never seen that': Halos score 7 on solo HRs

ANAHEIM -- Two-way star Shohei Ohtani showed that his forearm is just fine, as he launched two homers and the Angels set a season high by going deep seven times against the A’s on Thursday.

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But it wasn't enough, as they were all solo shots and came in an 8-7 loss in the series finale at Angel Stadium. It set a dubious club record of seven homers in a defeat, topping the six homers in a loss to Oakland on April 23, 1985. It was also just the sixth time any club had seven homers in a loss, and the first since the Twins did it last year in a 17-14 defeat to the Tigers on July 28.

"I thought we swung it pretty good," said interim manager Phil Nevin. "We had seven solos and two other hits. I've definitely never seen that. I was thinking about that in the dugout. So we swung it good, and they say solo home runs won't beat you, but you feel like if you hit seven you might, but it didn't work out for us."

It also marked the first time dating back to 1900 that a club hit seven solo homers but didn’t score any other runs. The previous high was six runs all on solo shots, which the Blue Jays did against the D-backs on May 21, 2019, and the A's did against the Twins on Aug. 3, 1991. The seven homers tied a club record set on June 4, 2003, against the Expos in Puerto Rico, and the seven solo blasts also tied an MLB record that has occurred six times.

“When you hit seven home runs in a game, it’s a positive thing,” said Jared Walsh, who went deep in the sixth. “We would’ve liked to get the win, but the offense, we’ve been needing to pick it up, so it’s a positive sign.”

Ohtani was the first to go deep with a solo shot to left field in the first inning off right-hander Paul Blackburn. It was a good sign for Ohtani, who dealt with a forearm cramp on Wednesday after coming out of his start on the mound and was pinch-hit for by Kurt Suzuki in the seventh inning. He showed off his power to the opposite field, as it left the bat at 105.7 mph and went a projected 403 feet, per Statcast.

"He was fine last night, it was more of a precaution because he had trouble gripping the bat,” Nevin said. “But he was obviously really good today."

Ohtani added a solo shot in the seventh off lefty reliever Kirby Snead to give him 24 homers on the year, which is tied for the team lead with Mike Trout. Ohtani pulled an 0-1 slider that was way inside to deep right field to mark the 11th multihomer game of his career and his fifth this season.

Suzuki was the second to homer, connecting on a 1-0 cutter from Blackburn and pulling it down the left-field line for his third homer of the year. That gave the Angels a 2-0 lead. But it all unraveled with right-hander Janson Junk allowing six runs in the third inning.

The Angels tried to chip away with a solo homer from Taylor Ward in the third on a 1-0 sinker from Blackburn. It was Ward's 14th of the year and his first since July 24. But the momentum was quickly erased with right-hander Touki Toussaint allowing a two-run homer to Ramon Laureano in the fourth.

Jo Adell gave the Angels four homers in four innings when he smacked an 0-2 curveball from Blackburn for his fourth blast of the year. It was the first homer since April 24 for Adell, who is expected to get more playing time down the stretch -- along with Mickey Moniak -- after Brandon Marsh was traded to the Phillies.

Walsh made it a three-run game with his solo shot in the sixth on a 1-0 slider from lefty Sam Moll. It was the 14th homer of the year for Walsh but his first since June 21, as he has been scuffling at the plate for more than a month.

Moniak was the last to go deep, bringing the Angels within one run, 8-7, with a solo blast on a 2-0 fastball from right-hander Zach Jackson. It was the first hit and the first homer with the Angels for Moniak, who was acquired in a trade with the Phillies for Noah Syndergaard on Tuesday.

"Walsh’s came off a really tough lefty that doesn't give up much damage to lefties,” Nevin said. “I loved the way Mickey swung the bat, too. It was great to see him get that one. Sho, with both of them. 'Zuk swung it good as well. That third inning just got away from us a little bit."