Mickey Moniak homers as Yankees lose another game to Angels

ANAHEIM — Aaron Boone listed several reasons for pitching to the red-hot Shohei Ohtani during the seventh inning of the Yankees’ Monday night loss to the Angels. The one that raised the most eyebrows was Mickey Moniak.

“The guy hitting behind him is really good, too,” Boone said of Moniak before Tuesday’s contest while reflecting on Ohtani’s seventh-inning at-bat, which resulted in a game-tying homer. “That guy’s in the middle of a really kind of burst on the scene year where the guy’s hitting .330 and well over a .900 OPS.”

While Moniak, the first overall pick in 2016, is enjoying a breakout campaign, the mention of his name drew criticism because he’s hardly an established force like Ohtani. A career .239 hitter on his second team, this season has been Moniak’s first extended look in the majors, and his campaign hasn’t even reached 50 games yet.

Boone, also citing the situation, chose to challenge the superior player, and it cost them.

On Tuesday, however, Moniak outdid Ohtani and validated Boone’s praise, crushing the night’s biggest blast in a 5-1 Angels win. His two-run homer off Domingo German gave the Halos a first-inning lead that they never relinquished, and his fifth-inning single, which deflected off DJ LeMahieu’s glove, provided a welcomed insurance run.

Moniak is now hitting .336 with a 1.014 OPS.

While Moniak had the better night, Ohtani didn’t exactly cool off at the plate. He hit an RBI triple down the right field line in the fifth, which made it a 4-1 ballgame.

The Angels scored their third run on a wild pitch from German, who allowed five earned over six frames despite striking out nine. He also allowed four hits and three walks over 106 pitches.

Meanwhile, Angels starter Patrick Sandoval kept the Yankees quiet for the second night in row by allowing just two hits and one earned run over 7.1 innings. The southpaw struck out seven while walking three over 99 pitches.

The Yankees’ only run came on a Gleyber Torres longball in the third.

The Angels began the game with the seventh-worst rotation ERA in the majors, but the Yankees only managed three runs off Sandoval and Griffin Canning in the first two games of the series.

Having lost yet another set to a team that was under .500, the last-place Yankees will try to end their disappointing road trip with a win on Wednesday when Carlos Rodon takes the mound.