Pavin Smith’s tiebreaking solo home run off the right-field foul pole helped lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Phoenix. Smith, who had struggled at the plate this season with a .103 batting average and spent much of the year on the injured list following elbow surgery, broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with his first home run in almost a year.

Ryne Nelson delivered a strong performance on the mound for Arizona, throwing seven innings of quality pitching to keep the Diamondbacks competitive throughout the game. After Smith’s go-ahead homer, Geraldo Perdomo extended the lead later in the seventh with an RBI double that pushed the score to 4-2.

Los Angeles rallied earlier in the game with slugger Mike Trout hitting his 16th home run, an opposite-field shot in the fifth inning that knotted the score at 2-2. However, the Angels were unable to take the lead, as Paul Sewald secured his 18th save in 19 opportunities by retiring Oswald Peraza with two outs in the ninth. Sewald did allow a solo home run to Donovan Walton with two outs in the final frame, but it did not impact the outcome.

The Diamondbacks’ win marked a close contest in which pitching and timely hitting proved decisive. The game was played on Monday night in Arizona and demonstrated Arizona’s resilience as the Diamondbacks maintained the lead despite challenges from a potent Angels lineup.