Thor hammers Rangers with 8 strong innings in Halos' 5-3 win

Noah Syndergaard allowed one run over eight strong innings of four-hit ball in his longest appearance since returning from elbow surgery, and Jared Walsh homered in the Los Angeles Angels' 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Luis Rengifo and Tyler Wade had RBI singles during a four-run fourth inning for the Angels, who have won three straight following a four-game skid that began with three losses in Texas last week.

Syndergaard (4-2) rebounded impressively from a poor outing at Texas last week by retiring the first 13 Rangers he faced at Angel Stadium. He shut out the Rangers until Jonah Heim's leadoff homer in the eighth, and he fell just short of his first complete game since May 2019 when he was pulled before the ninth.

"[Syndergaard] wanted to prove a point after his last start against [the Rangers]. I thought he was outstanding," said Angels manager Joe Maddon. "He had a good energy about him. He was on a mission tonight."  

Texas has lost three straight, but it rallied against Los Angeles' bullpen in the ninth.

After Mitch Garver homered off Aaron Loup, Adolis García got credit for a two-out RBI double off closer Raisel Iglesias when Angels right fielder Tyler Wade couldn't hold on to his sinking fly ball. Iglesias coolly struck out Heim to finish his 11th save.

Dane Dunning (1-3) struck out eight while persevering into the eighth inning for the Rangers despite yielding 11 hits.

The performance was another highlight in the strong return from Tommy John surgery by Syndergaard, the imposing right-hander known as Thor.

After the Mets made little effort to re-sign him last winter, Syndergaard landed a lucrative one-year deal in Orange County, where he has re-established himself as an elite starter, pitching into the sixth inning in six of his seven outings.

Syndergaard struck out five with impressive control and a fastball topping out at 95 mph. He got help from left fielder Brandon Marsh, who leaped at the wall and robbed Garver of a possible homer to end the fourth.

García and Heim broke up the perfect game bid with back-to-back singles in the fifth, but Syndergaard escaped the jam.

Los Angeles scored four runs on five hits and two defensive misplays by Texas during a ramshackle fourth-inning rally that began when García and Kole Calhoun allowed Jared Walsh's leadoff fly ball to land between them. Wade drove in a run with a bunt single, and Max Stassi doubled and scored on Andrew Velazquez's flyout.

In the fifth, Walsh added his ninth homer — his fourth off Texas this season, and his third in the last two games against the Rangers.

Heim finally got Texas on the board with his third homer against Los Angeles this season.

Slugging Angels outfielder Taylor Ward missed his third straight game with the aftereffects of a stinger incurred by running into the outfield wall last Friday. Ward is pain-free and improving, but the Angels won't play him in the field until his strength returns.