Adell drove in the tie-breaking run with an eighth-inning single, but he also made a leaping catch at the fence, saving at least an extra-base hit in a 4-3 victory over the A’s.
ANAHEIM — Phil Nevin seemed to be well aware of the contradiction even as he was saying it.
“Consistent at bats, in one place, which, quite frankly, he hasn’t had a lot of that in his entire career,” Nevin said. “He just needs to play. He really just needs to play, as a lot of young players do. Think about how young he is still . He came up at a time where, if you look back, he was rushed. It’s been another learning curve for him to get to this point. But the work he’s put in the effort he gives every day is something that I really appreciate from him.
The Angels had dropped him into a platoon with left-handed Mickey Moniak. Because most pitchers are right-handed, Moniak had been getting the bulk of the playing time, including all three starts over the weekend in Minnesota. Nevin said he wanted Adell to start on Tuesday, even though they were facing another righty, so he wouldn’t sit for so long.