Jose Soriano Is 3-0 With a 0.45 ERA and the Angels Are About to Unleash Him on Cincinnati

The Los Angeles Angels are sending their hottest arm to the mound on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, and honestly, the Reds should be worried. Jose Soriano has been nothing short of a revelation to start the 2026 season, and he's about to take the ball in a win-or-go-home finale to grab the series.

After trading punches with Cincinnati all weekend, the Angels are ready to close this thing out. They demolished the Reds 10-2 on Friday, but dropped Saturday's game 7-3. Now it comes down to Soriano, who's been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball through the first month.

Soriano Is Rewriting the Record Books Early

The numbers are legitimately insane. Soriano sits at 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA entering Sunday, which ranks him second in the entire majors. In his last start against Atlanta on April 6, he gave up just one run on three hits, walked nobody, and struck out 10 across eight innings. That's the kind of performance that has Angels manager Kurt Suzuki absolutely sold on what he's watching.

"When you see him lose a couple arm-side or up or down or whatever, he gets right back in it and refocuses and starts pounding the zone," Suzuki said. "I think his adjustments are quick, and that's what you like to see."

The only thing that stings? Soriano is 0-1 all-time against the Reds in three appearances, including a brutal outing on April 21, 2024 at Cincinnati where he gave up zero earned runs but still took the loss. He'll be looking to flip that script on Sunday.

Cincinnati's Offense Is Still Searching

The Reds are bringing Andrew Abbott, a left-hander who was Cincinnati's Opening Day starter this year and made the 2025 All-Star roster. But here's the thing: the Reds' offense has been a ghost story. They've scored just 48 runs so far, the second-fewest in the league.

There was a flicker of life on Saturday when Nathaniel Lowe crushed a bases-clearing double in the first inning, but Lowe had been struggling before that hit. The former Texas Ranger, who won an American League Silver Slugger in 2022, had recorded just one extra-base hit and two RBIs with the Reds before his outburst. "It's real early," Lowe said after the game. "This offense still needs to find its rhythm and figure out how we're going to be the best version of us, but I thought today was a pretty good showing."

Cincinnati does have one bright spot: rookie infielder Sal Stewart, who's been everywhere on the diamond and raking. Stewart leads the team with four home runs, 17 hits, four doubles, and 13 walks. Manager Terry Francona has been rotating him around the infield just to keep him in the lineup, and for good reason.

Sunday's matchup is straightforward. Can Soriano's dominance overpower a Reds lineup that's still trying to figure itself out? First pitch coming up.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.