Zach Neto makes Angels history in the cleanup spot against Orioles

BALTIMORE – Throughout this season, Zach Neto has been in the leadoff spot to middling success, but on Thursday in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, manager Kurt Suzuki had Neto batting cleanup for the first time in his career, and that made all the difference. 

Neto has had a down year this season, batting .228 with a .735 OPS, his lowest since his rookie season while marching toward the Los Angeles Angels' single-season strikeout record, but with the trade deadline passed and Neto's place on the Halos secure for at least another season, he could move forward with a little bit more confidence. 

That assurance, paired with his new spot in the lineup, seemed to pay dividends in the top of the third inning when Neto connected on a sinker from Orioles starter Brandon Young that hung in the zone and sent it 411 feet for a three-run home run to give the Angels a 3-0 lead. 

"It was awesome, I was kind of joking around in the clubhouse, just saying maybe we needed a fresh start. [The] four-hole was pretty comfortable," Neto said of his new spot in the lineup (via ABTV). "It's the same game. It's the same pitchers trying to go out there and get you out every single time, so it was just a matter of getting a pitch to hit and not missing it."

Halo History for Neto

With that home run, Neto entered rare territory by becoming the first Angels shortstop to have three consecutive 20 home run and 20 double seasons. 

"It means everything," Neto said after the game. "I try not to think about it as much, just go out there and play, not put too much pressure on my self. It's definitely an honor to be able to sit back and know that I'm one of those guys in history now."

Neto's three-run bomb would have been enough offense to hold the Angels' over after a one-run outing from Mitch Farris, who went 4.2 innings while allowing three hits, five walks and one earned run, followed by scoreless performances from the rest of the Halo bullpen that culminated in Samy Natera Jr.'s second save of the season. 

But Nolan Schanuel added one more run in the top of the seventh with a sacrifice fly to score Wade Meckler and improve the Angels to a 4-1 lead and eventually win the game. 

Neto on the rise

After a flurry of activity at the trade deadline, Neto stands out as the undisputed young cornerstone of the Angels moving forward and with that responsibility on his shoulders, it's imperative that Neto gets back to his old self and keeps looking like the franchise shortstop he can grow to be. 

Thursday's win was certainly a step in the right direction and now it remains to be seen if it can be the start of a second-half resurgence for the 25-year-old budding star.