Denzer Guzman’s late surge fuels another home run as the Angels keep their offense alive

WEST SACRAMENTO is no longer only about what Denzer Guzman has shown in the minors, it is starting to look like what he can do in the majors, too. On Sunday afternoon, Guzman delivered one of those swings that changes how late innings feel, cracking a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth inning. It was the kind of extra-base impact the Angels have been waiting to see consistently as his rookie profile continues to take shape.

The timing mattered. A late-inning, multi-run blast is leverage-heavy baseball, because it forces pitching changes and resets the at-bat plan for everyone coming up behind you. Guzman’s homer did that, not just by adding runs, but by erasing the immediate advantage the opponent had been trying to protect. For a developing hitter, it is also a moment that validates that the approach carried over from Triple-A into higher-stakes pitching.

According to MLB’s game coverage, Guzman’s recent production was already trending upward. After what had been described as a slow start, he had been heating up at the plate, and the eighth-inning blast marked his third straight game with a home run. That is a meaningful stretch for any rookie, and it is especially significant when the narrative entering the moment was that he was still finding his timing.

There is a reason that streak reads like more than just a hot week. MLB noted that the power Guzman displayed on Sunday is the same eye-popping profile he had shown in Triple-A. That connection, from a high-minors sample to a current major-league runway, matters for evaluating whether the recent homers are repeatable, or simply a short-term alignment of mechanics and matchups.

For the Angels, the benefit is twofold. First, a hitter who can change the score late gives the team a tool it can use regardless of how the earlier innings develop. Second, it changes how opponents treat the bat in consequential situations, because pitchers cannot fully ignore a batter who is already proving he can turn an inning around with one swing.

Guzman’s surge also fits a broader pattern that often defines the early career of power prospects: the transition from grinding in smaller parks and against developing arms to navigating MLB’s command, pitch quality, and tactical pitching. A “slow start” followed by a sustained homer run suggests he is learning the strike zone and pitch sequencing quickly enough to translate his raw strength into outcomes.

What to watch next is whether this becomes a new baseline rather than a temporary peak. One inning can tell a story, but three homers in a row can also be a bridge to something longer. The Angels will likely look for consistency in contact quality, not only for more extra-base power, but for the ability to stay dangerous even when the pitch selection is less favorable.

If Guzman can extend this stretch and keep his power from becoming tied to one specific type of pitch or one specific situation, it gives the Angels a clearer answer about how to build around their rookie core. In the meantime, Sunday’s eighth-inning swing stands as a reminder that the season can shift quickly when a young hitter finds the form that was always supposed to be there.