The Angels’ Zach Neto is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel hits a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel begins to run the bases as he watches the flight of his solo home run during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels won, 3-2, to sweep the three-game series. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, left, and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. watch a ball hit by the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel clear the wall for a solo home run during the first inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel, right, gestures as he scores after hitting a solo home run as San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano watches during the first inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. makes a catch on a ball hit by the Angels’ Willie Calhoun during the first inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano throws to the plate during the third inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto fields a ground ball hit by the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar, leading to an out during the second inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, center, hits a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Zach Neto gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Zach Neto celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, center, celebrates with teammate Logan O’Hoppe, right, after hitting a two-run home run as San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano stands at the plate during the second inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Zach Neto celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth makes a throw to first for an out on the Angels’ Luis Rengifo during the third inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. makes a running catch for an out on a ball hit by the Angels’ Taylor Ward during the third inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano throws to the plate during the third inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado, center, speaks with Manager Mike Shildt (8) and members of the medical staff after he injured his leg running to first base during the fourth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado, right, talks with Manager Mike Shildt before being removed from the game with an injury during the fourth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado tosses his gum away after being removed from the game with an injury during the fourth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels center fielder Kevin Pillar makes a catch on a ball hit by the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar during the sixth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., right, celebrates with David Macias after an RBI single during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres’ Luis Campusano, right, celebrates after scoring a run on a throwing error during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher José Soriano makes a throw to first base for an out on the San Diego Padres’ Jake Cronenworth during the sixth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth, right, gets set to tag out the Angels’ Luis Rengifo as Renigfo tries to steal second during the sixth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe, right, dives back to first base under the tag of San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez during the seventh inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Matt Moore throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Matt Moore, right, reacts as he tags the San Diego Padres’ Jackson Merrill for an out at first base during the ninth inning on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, left, talks with umpire Dan Iassogna for an explanation after Jackson Merrill was ruled out at first base during the ninth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres’ Jackson Merrill reacts after he is called out at first base during the ninth inning of their game against the Angels on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, left, and relief pitcher Matt Moore congratulate each other after the the final out of the ninth inning of their 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto celebrates after their 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto, left, and left fielder Taylor Ward celebrate after their 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Injured Angels star Mike Trout watches from the dugout during their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM — The end of another academic year has arrived and with it, a sense of accomplishment that Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto know all so well.
Two years ago, it was Neto slamming a college textbook closed for life beyond academics. Last year, Schanuel did the same.
On Wednesday night, the young Angels infielders marked the occasion of another foray into summer with home runs one inning apart, turning study time into the mastery of the test at hand. The Angels then finished off a 3-2 victory and a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.
“It shows we can hang with any (team), it doesn’t matter how young our team is,” Neto said. “We have the right guys in this locker room to go out there every day and show what we’ve got.”
An Angels lineup without Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury will take power production from wherever it can get it. Schanuel delivered his sixth of the season, while Neto went deep for the seventh time.
Angels manager Ron Washington was lamenting the lack of power just before the game began.
“No we’re not that type of club,” Washington said when asked about finding ways to score without power. “We’ve got a few guys that can punch the ball out of the ballpark, but we don’t have a guy that’s known for punching the ball out of the ballpark in our lineup right now.
“So we’ve got to play the game of baseball. And the game of baseball is the fundamentals. And we’ve been preaching that since Day 1 in February.”
On Wednesday, Washington got the best of both worlds, outside of a Taylor Ward error, as the Angels pulled off the three-game sweep of their neighbors to the south. It was just their second three-game sweep all season and the first since the second series of the season at Miami. It was also the first time since last July against the Yankees that the Angels swept a three-game series at home. Coming into the series, the Angels had lost 21 of 28 games at The Big A, easily the worst home start in franchise history.
Adding to the Padres’ misery was the loss of All-Star Manny Machado in the fourth inning to a hip flexor strain.
Angels starter Jose Soriano continued his progression as a major league starter. The right-hander, who never started before this season, gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits in six innings with one walk and one strikeout.
“The plan was to make less pitches,” Soriano said about his lowest strikeout total since the start of May. “It feels great because I had a lot of ground balls to the infield with contact and my infield did the job.”
Schanuel got the Angels on the scoreboard, breaking out of an 0-for-18 slump with a home run in the first inning against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease. Neto’s home run came in the second after a Logan O’Hoppe single for a 3-0 lead.
It was the third time Schanuel and Neto hit a home run in the same game this season.
“That was pretty sick,” Neto said about becoming a home run partner with Schanuel again. “It’s not that we do it on purpose. We both had a pretty good plan today against (Padres starter Dylan) Cease and we both executed it. … It was a really good day.”
Soriano cruised into the sixth inning when he seemingly ran out of gas again.
The Padres scored twice in the sixth when Luis Arraez moved Luis Campusano to third with a double and Campusano scoring when Taylor Ward’s throw from left field went to nobody in particular and rolled all the way to the front of the Padres’ dugout.
The Padres then pulled within 3-2 on an RBI single from Fernando Tatis Jr.
After Adam Cimber pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Angels, Washington went to flame-throwing Ben Joyce in a key spot in the eighth for the right-hander’s 2024 debut.
Joyce gave up a leadoff single to Tatis and a wild pitch to move the tying run to second. But he escaped further trouble with a pair of ground outs and a fly ball into foul territory down the right field line by Jurickson Profar.
Joyce hit as high as 103.3 mph on the radar gun, had seven pitches over 102 mph and 12 that were thrown as hard as 101 mph.
“His first pitch, I think he got the nervousness out of him,” Washington said about Joyce’s fastball to the screen behind home plate. “And then he started finding the strike zone. He challenged them. He didn’t run from them. He just reached back and kept it in the strike zone: ‘Hit me if you can.’”
Far less intimidating but even more effective, Angels left-hander Matt Moore pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first save and did not throw a pitch above 94.4 mph. Moore was used in the save situation after closer Carlos Esteves earned the save in the first two games of the series.
“It was a great three games against a good team,” Washington said. “I think we proved we can play. Now, we’ve just got search for that consistency. I’m very pleased with the way we performed. All that hard work they’ve been doing since February, I hope it starts to pay off.”
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