ANAHEIM — On Monday night, the difference between victory and defeat was just a few inches.
The Toronto Blue Jays hit three balls just out of reach of all three Angels outfielders in the third inning to score the four runs they needed for a 4-2 victory in the opener of the three-game series at Angel Stadium.
The closest decision came with a two-run homer by Leo Jimenez, which closed the four-run third. Angels centerfielder Mickey Moniak jumped for the ball, but narrowly missed it and then threw his glove in the air in frustration.
“He made a great effort,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “I wish he would have brought it back, it would have been a different game.”
Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis did his part, limiting the Angels to one run and one hit in seven innings. Francis (5-3) recorded a career-high eight strikeouts and did not allow a single walk in his sixth major league start.
“We didn’t do anything that was dangerous,” Washington said. “When the kid got to the seventh inning, he wasn’t even sweating yet.”
The offensive stars of the game were two of the five rookies in Toronto’s lineup, second baseman Will Wagner and Jimenez at shortstop.
Wagner, the son of seven-time All-Star closer Billy Wagner, hit a double on the first pitch of his major league career before finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Blue Jays (55-64), who ended a two-game losing streak.
Wagner is the fourth player in franchise history to have at least three hits in his debut.
Jimenez’s home run was the first of his major league career.
Angels starter Davis Daniel (1-4) also made his sixth major league start and didn’t fare quite as well, allowing four runs and eight hits in five innings. The right-hander managed five strikeouts and two walks.
Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell both scored runs with their home runs for the Angels (52-67), who had just returned from a tour of the East Coast in which they had a 3-3 record with two losses in overtime.
“We had a chance to get back in the game, but we just didn’t get the offense going tonight,” Washington said. “We just have to bounce back tomorrow.”
The Blue Jays were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position through the first two innings before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a line drive with one out that just cleared left fielder Taylor Ward’s head and resulted in a double.
Spencer Horwitz then hit a line drive that landed just out of reach of Adell in the right field as he raced toward the line. The ball bounced over the fence and became a ground-rule double that put Guerrero up 1-0.
After getting a strikeout, Wagner threw a two-strike changeup up the middle for his first major league RBI and a 2-0 lead.
Wagner was acquired from the Houston Astros on July 29, along with right-hander Jake Bloss and outfielder Joey Loperfido, in exchange for experienced left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
After Wagner’s RBI single, Jimenez hit a 0-and-2 pitch that narrowly cleared the center field fence, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Angels got the first pitch out in each of the first three innings, and Francis retired the first ten batters before Moniak threw the second pitch he saw into the right-field seats, cutting the score to 4-1.
Francis then retired the last 14 batters he faced.
“We went out and tried to attack (Francis) too early and didn’t have a chance to see what he was doing,” Washington said. “In the third inning, he only had 20 pitches, so we attacked him too early.”
Moniak, who is 7-for-13 in his last three games and 11-for-25 for the month, scored at least one run in his fourth consecutive game for the first time in his MLB career.
Adell made a difficult catch in the ninth inning, denying Daulton Varsho a solo home run, and then hit an opposite-field home run in the second half of the inning to cut the score to 4-2.
Before hitting his team-leading 18th home run of the season, Adell hit a slider into the dugout on the field, signaling that he was coming too far forward.
“That was kind of a wake-up call for me that I needed to stay on the ball a little more,” Adell said. “I went the other way, got a fastball and was able to handle it.”
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who was in poor form at 3-for-39 in his last ten games, was substituted on defense early in the seventh inning due to soreness in his right knee.
Washington said he expects O’Hoppe to be available Tuesday.
“I can’t stand being taken out of games, but I’d rather be out three innings than jeopardize something,” O’Hoppe said. “Nothing took hold, I didn’t feel any popping or clicking or anything, just something that built up over time.”
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