Rookie shortstop Zach Neto’s two home runs lead Angels past Mariners

Zach Neto has continued to impress in his first season in the major leagues.

The Angels shortstop logged his first career multi-home run game Sunday in a 9-4 win over the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium.

Both of his home runs were solo shots that made their way well over the left-field wall. The first one happened in the bottom of the second inning against starter Logan Gilbert and gave the Angels a 3-0 lead. His second shot came in the eighth off reliever Chris Flexen, a hit that plopped into the visitor’s bullpen before bouncing into the Angels’ bullpen.

Taylor Ward got the Angels’ offense started with the third leadoff home run of his career and second this season.

Mike Trout emerged from his slump Sunday, scoring a run and contributing a run batted in. Trout went one for three, snapping a 0-for-14 streak. In the third inning, Trout singled to right field, moving Shohei Ohtani into scoring position.

Both were driven on a double by Matt Thaiss.

Trout helped the Angels score another run in the fourth. After Ohtani singled to load the bases, Trout sent a ball 362 feet into the outfield. It was caught for an out, but the sacrifice fly allowed Neto, who reached on J.P. Crawford’s fielding error at shortstop, to score.

Griffin Canning had a decent day on the mound, throwing 101 pitches. He pitched five innings and faced two batters in the sixth, but did not record an out that inning, his final line including seven hits, four runs, three earned runs and seven strikeouts.

Shohei Ohtani scores for the Angels in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Angel Stadium.

(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Those three earned runs came on home runs by Teoscar Hernandez, a two-run shot in the fourth, and Mike Ford, a solo home run in the fifth.

The Angels improved to 36-31 with their sixth win in seven games.

Rendon sits

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was out of the lineup on a planned off day, though he was available off the bench.

Manager Phil Nevin explained that the plan for Rendon coming off the injured list was to go through a pattern of playing two days, then getting a day off. He is expected to play all four games against the Rangers, when the Angels play them beginning Monday.

“I fully anticipate him playing each game in Texas, I’ll look at what Kansas City looks like,” Nevin said. “But this is kind of the plan we had going in, up until those two off days around that Dodgers series.”

If all goes well and Rendon feels good into the All-Star break, Nevin said Rendon would dictate more of his own load management.

“I told him, ‘We get to the All-Star break and you feel good after all these things, I’ll let you dictate some days off for a while,’” Nevin said.

Also not in the starting lineup Sunday was Gio Urshela, who Nevin said had a “tiny tweak in his back.” Nevin said he not worried about Urshela and said he was also available off the bench.

Injury updates

Veteran reliever Matt Moore (Grade 2 oblique strain) threw from about 60 feet on the field before Sunday’s game. He will travel with the team on the trip through Texas and Kansas City.

Also traveling with the team will be Ben Joyce (ulnar neuritis), who will continue his work with the team’s trainers.