Neto nets 3-hit game, finishes a triple shy of the cycle

ATLANTA -- Zach Neto entered the series finale against the Braves 0-for-13 in his past five games.

The hitless streak ended quickly.

Neto led the game off with a single and he didn’t stop there, as he went 3-for-5 with a single, a double and a home run to help the Angels to a 5-1 win over Atlanta on Thursday night at Truist Park.

Neto was kept out of the starting lineup for a week after injuring his surgically repaired right shoulder on a headfirst slide against the Red Sox on June 24. He went 0-for-9 in his first two games back in the starting lineup against the Braves on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I’m trying to get back into my regular routine,” Neto said. “I’m trying to get back into the mix of things. Having those off-days is enjoyable, but you kind of get mixed up with some things. It felt good today. I got back on track and hopefully I’ll do the same thing tomorrow.”

Thursday's performance was Neto’s fifth three-hit game of the season.

“It’s tough if you take time off in any capacity,” said interim manager Ray Montgomery. “He sets the tone, gets the hit early.”

Neto tallied a hit in his first three at-bats, all off Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder. Neto’s first two hits were off Elder’s slider and his home run was off a sinker.

“[I was] just being aggressive,” Neto said. “It’s been my game the whole year. It’s just a matter of getting my pitch and not missing it. Once I fall deep into the count, that’s where I tend to get into some trouble. [It was just about] being able to get him early and that’s what I did.”

The Angels tagged Elder with four runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings. Neto was one of six Angels to record a hit.

“That’s what we talked about in Spring Training, not just one guy winning the game for us,” Neto said. “It’s one through nine. When one guy doesn’t have their day, the next eight guys will pick them up. That’s a true testament about what this lineup is about. [We] pick each other up. If one [or two guys] don’t have a good game, you do the little things to hand the next guy the baton and let him do the work."

Neto’s first-inning single -- followed a couple batters later by a Taylor Ward walk -- set the table for Jo Adell, who tallied a two-out RBI single that gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. The Angels forced Elder to throw 34 pitches in the first inning.

“[It was good] getting the pitcher [to] 34 pitches in the first inning,” Neto said. “[We got] to their bullpen early. We knew they were short in the [bullpen] there. It was just a matter of battling our tails off [against] Elder.”

“Getting out early on anybody is a big help,” Montgomery said. “Obviously it helps our pitcher. The patience in the first inning was kind of a theme in this series. We put some guys on the ropes early. It was good to get going early on.”

Nolan Schanuel hit a two-run home run in the top of the second with Neto on base, before Neto’s solo home run in the top of the fourth put the Angels ahead, 4-0.

Neto was a triple away from the cycle by the fourth inning, but he wasn’t thinking about a triple in his final two at-bats.

“I was just trying to hit the ball,” Neto said. “If it happened, it happened. If it didn’t, so be it. I was just trying to keep the same confidence that I was having the whole game and just keep it going.”

After Neto’s first-inning single, he stole second base -- and made sure to slide feet-first.

“I should have taken the base with me,” Neto said. “I think that was my first [stolen base with a feet-first slide]. It was weird. Every time I run, I’m gonna have to get used to it.”