Deadspin | Angels turn to sizzling Jose Soriano in rubber game at Reds 
Apr 6, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano (59) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels are sending the right man to the mound against the host Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, when they’ll rely on new-found ace Jose Soriano to try to win the finale and the three-game series.
The Angels’ bats cooled off after Friday’s 10-2 blowout win as they dropped Saturday’s game 7-3, setting up the Sunday showdown.
Enter Soriano, who’s been one of the surprises of MLB so far in 2026 after allowing just one run over his first three starts. The right-hander is 3-0 and ranks second in the majors with a 0.45 ERA going into Sunday’s games.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki praised Soriano for his composure after his last outing, yielding one run and three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in eight innings against the visiting Atlanta Braves on April 6.
“When you see him lose a couple arm-side or up or down or whatever, he gets right back in it and refocuses and starts pounding the zone,” Suzuki said.
“I think his adjustments are quick, and that’s what you like to see.”
Soriano is an unlucky 0-1 all-time against the Reds in three appearances with a 0.00 ERA, as he took the loss without giving up an earned run in his lone start at Cincinnati on April 21, 2024.
It will be a battle between one of the league’s hottest pitchers and a Cincinnati offense still looking for answers despite finding success in its last game. The Reds enter Sunday with the second-fewest runs scored in the league (48).
They got a spark on Saturday from Nathaniel Lowe, who had a bases-clearing double in the first inning of the win.
Lowe won an American League Silver Slugger as a first baseman for Texas in 2022, but he hadn’t showcased much of that hitting prowess since signing with the Reds on a minor league deal in the offseason. Before the big hit on Saturday, Lowe had recorded just one extra-base hit and two RBIs.
In a postgame interview on the Reds’ broadcast, Lowe credited the hitters further up the order for setting up his bases-clearing double, saying, “I thought we got great at-bats in front of me and, thankfully, I got a pitch to handle.”
“It’s real early,” he continued. “This offense still needs to find its rhythm and figure out how we’re going to be the best version of us, but I thought today was a pretty good showing.”
One offensive standout for Cincinnati has been rookie infielder Sal Stewart, who has four home runs, 17 hits, four doubles and 13 walks — all team highs. Manager Terry Francona is finding ways to make sure Stewart stays in the lineup, playing him at second base for the first time in his short MLB career on Saturday. He also has played first and third as well as been in the lineup as the designated hitter.
Andrew Abbott (0-1, 3.18) will be the starting pitcher for the Reds on Sunday. He was the team’s Opening Day starter this year and earned a spot on the National League All-Star roster in 2025. The left-hander is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in one previous start against the Angels in August 2023.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Angels #turn #sizzling #Jose #Soriano #rubber #game #Reds
Apr 6, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano (59) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels are sending the right man to the mound against the host Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, when they’ll rely on new-found ace Jose Soriano to try to win the finale and the three-game series.
The Angels’ bats cooled off after Friday’s 10-2 blowout win as they dropped Saturday’s game 7-3, setting up the Sunday showdown.
Enter Soriano, who’s been one of the surprises of MLB so far in 2026 after allowing just one run over his first three starts. The right-hander is 3-0 and ranks second in the majors with a 0.45 ERA going into Sunday’s games.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki praised Soriano for his composure after his last outing, yielding one run and three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in eight innings against the visiting Atlanta Braves on April 6.
“When you see him lose a couple arm-side or up or down or whatever, he gets right back in it and refocuses and starts pounding the zone,” Suzuki said.
“I think his adjustments are quick, and that’s what you like to see.”
Soriano is an unlucky 0-1 all-time against the Reds in three appearances with a 0.00 ERA, as he took the loss without giving up an earned run in his lone start at Cincinnati on April 21, 2024.
It will be a battle between one of the league’s hottest pitchers and a Cincinnati offense still looking for answers despite finding success in its last game. The Reds enter Sunday with the second-fewest runs scored in the league (48).
They got a spark on Saturday from Nathaniel Lowe, who had a bases-clearing double in the first inning of the win.
Lowe won an American League Silver Slugger as a first baseman for Texas in 2022, but he hadn’t showcased much of that hitting prowess since signing with the Reds on a minor league deal in the offseason. Before the big hit on Saturday, Lowe had recorded just one extra-base hit and two RBIs.
In a postgame interview on the Reds’ broadcast, Lowe credited the hitters further up the order for setting up his bases-clearing double, saying, “I thought we got great at-bats in front of me and, thankfully, I got a pitch to handle.”
“It’s real early,” he continued. “This offense still needs to find its rhythm and figure out how we’re going to be the best version of us, but I thought today was a pretty good showing.”
One offensive standout for Cincinnati has been rookie infielder Sal Stewart, who has four home runs, 17 hits, four doubles and 13 walks — all team highs. Manager Terry Francona is finding ways to make sure Stewart stays in the lineup, playing him at second base for the first time in his short MLB career on Saturday. He also has played first and third as well as been in the lineup as the designated hitter.
Andrew Abbott (0-1, 3.18) will be the starting pitcher for the Reds on Sunday. He was the team’s Opening Day starter this year and earned a spot on the National League All-Star roster in 2025. The left-hander is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in one previous start against the Angels in August 2023.
–Field Level Media
![Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/gettyimages-2183567424.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier")
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