The Angels' last series before the MLB trade deadline came against the Texas Rangers, and how LAA fared in those three games was going to dictate how Arte Moreno wanted Perry Minasian to operate the phones. In the opening matchup, Jacob deGrom took the mound opposite Jack Kochanowicz and Angels fans braced for the worst. In the third inning, Kevin Newman clubbed a 2-run home run off the future Hall of Famer and the Angels actually somehow went on to win 6-4 in that theoretically one-sided matchup (baseball is the best).
ESPN's Buster Olney suggested that victory over the Rangers, kicked off by Kevin Newman, convinced Moreno to encourage Minasian to buy at the deadline.