In a season that has been filled with ineptitude at the plate for the Angels, few have been as inept as Matt Joyce.
The former Tampa Bay Ray has not had a stellar start to his career with the Angels.
But on Monday, perhaps a turning point.
When the Angels, much like the rest of Major League baseball struggled against Felix Hernandez, it was Joyce who came up to put an end to King Felix's hope of a shutout with a blast that carried over the wall in right field in the Angels 3-2 loss to Seattle on Monday night.
The home run was Joyce's first as an Angel.
Joyce entered Monday night hitting .141 on the season getting the majority of the starts left behind by the now traded Josh Hamilton in left field.
Of the Angels regulars, only Chris Iannetta is hitting worse for the Angels.
To help in that area, the Angels called up catcher Carlos Perez on Monday and designated Drew Butera for assignment. Perez, who is hitting .361 and slugging .556 with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, is expected to make his Major League debut on Tuesday.
But, back to Joyce.
Be it the heat of the moment with a big hit off of one of the game's most dominant pitchers or simply the thrill of a potential comeback, Joyce's teammates were just as thrilled as he was to see the ball go off of his bat and over the fence.
Did we hear a ?? @sweetswingin20 earns his wings with his 1st homer as an Angel. Watch: http://t.co/E75wtYYYBM pic.twitter.com/MF2wxfSMrK
— Angels (@Angels) May 5, 2015
Mike Trout was the first to greet him at the top of the steps of the Angels dugout.
"That was great," Joyce said. "These guys have been awesome, really one of the best group of guys that I've ever worked with."
Added manager Mike Scioscia: "Everybody in that room is pulling for each other."
From a confidence perspective, if Joyce said he was lacking in that department, could you blame him with the start he's had to the season?
He's kept his head high, however, leaning on an experience from his time in Double-A when he had a rough start similar to this season.
"Probably one of the most important things I learned is trying harder doesn't always necessarily lead to better results," said Joyce who was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk on Monday. "That along with using the whole field.
"I'm putting in extra work every day to try to make the necessary adjustments and find something that felt comfortable, and sometimes it takes a little bit for you to get that feeling. It's frustrating for a lot of people. It was nice to have some good at-bats today."
Joyce is hopeful Monday's results will "kick start things" for him and the Angels.
