ANAHEIM -- Jo Adell pounded his chest as he rounded first base. It was the bottom of the eighth inning, and he had just tied the game up with one swing of the bat, pulling a slider down the left field line that just cleared the fence for his second home run of the game.
As he trotted around the bases, one thing went through Adell’s mind:
“We’re back in it.”
“We’re tied at that point. We got a chance,” he said. “It’s anybody’s game.”
The Angels' rally fell apart pretty soon after, as the Reds loaded the bases and scored the deciding two runs in the top of the ninth to cement the Angels’ 6-4 loss at Angel Stadium. But after trailing by as many as three runs earlier in the game, it was Adell’s heroics that gave them a fighting chance.
“It was pretty special,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “Jo continues to do what we’ve talked about. … When he’s at his best, it’s that type of swing. It’s not necessarily trying to hit the ball like that, I think it just comes off so well when he does.”
Even though Adell was fresh off a strikeout in his previous at-bat in the fourth inning, he still felt like he was in a rhythm. He was still looking to attack the next time he stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the bottom of the seventh.
That mentality paid off immediately.
Adell jumped on a first-pitch 98.9 mph fastball from Reds starter Hunter Greene and drove it 452 feet — the longest deep ball of his career — for a solo shot that sparked the Angels rally.
It was the 13th first-pitch home run of Adell’s career.
“That one felt good,” he said with a laugh. “Really, longest home run of my [MLB] career? I didn’t even know that. Definitely didn’t miss it. Got all of it.”
Travis d’Arnaud and Christian Moore kept it going with a double and single to put runners on the corners. Zach Neto lined a single into left field, scoring d’Arnaud and bringing the Angels to within a run.
Adell came to the plate again an inning later, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. This time, Adell was cognizant that he’s been susceptible to swinging away against late-inning relievers, so he was determined to keep Luis Mey on the plate.
He worked the count full, fouling off a sinker and a slider from Mey. On the sixth pitch, Adell saw a slider that started inside — a pitch he knew he could handle.
He put a swing on it, and tied the game.
“Just awesome fight from the boys,” Angels starter Kyle Hendricks said. “Fighting back in that game, putting some really good swings. Great game from Joey.”
It was the eighth multi-HR game of Adell’s career, four of which have come this season.
“It’s kind of one of those things where it feels like when I hit one, there could be another one coming,” Adell said. “That type of deal. But just the rhythm. I was in good rhythm all night. … Really just using that momentum when the game starts and if I’m feeling good, I’m trying to draw it out throughout the whole game.”
That momentum has served Adell well this season. He’s already surpassed his career-highs in home runs (28), RBIs (78) and hits (95). He’s also well on track to finish the season with an OPS above .700 for the third time in his career, and his current mark of .777 would shatter his career-high of .706 in 2023.
Adell’s 21 home runs since June 1 are tied for the sixth-most in the big leagues.
The Angels may have come up short in a deflating way on Tuesday, but Adell showed the kind of fight that's defined this team all season. That same resilience has kept the Halos competitive even in the toughest games, and it's what they'll need the rest of the season and, hopefully, into October.