Taylor Ward finished a single shy of hitting for the cycle, helping lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif.
Ward doubled leading off the first inning, hit a grand slam in the second, walked in the fourth and tripled in the sixth. With a chance to complete the cycle, Ward flied out in the seventh.
The Angels’ offense, however, was much more than Ward.
Los Angeles had 14 hits in all, six of them for extra bases, en route to its fourth consecutive win. Mike Trout had two doubles and Shohei Ohtani had three hits, including a double.
Ohtani also picked up the victory on the mound, giving up only a first-inning, two-run home run to Jose Ramirez during his five-inning stint. Ohtani (2-2) gave up five hits and one walk while striking out four and making 86 pitches.
Cleveland, which has lost six in a row, finished with 11 hits, including another two-run homer by Ramirez in the eighth inning.
The Guardians broke through against Ohtani at the outset, Myles Straw leading off the game with a walk and then scoring one out later on Ramirez’s homer.
Los Angeles responded in its half of the first against Guardians starter Zach Plesac (1-2). Ward doubled and scored on Trout’s double. Trout came home on Anthony Rendon’s two-out single, tying the game at 2-2.
The Angels opened it up in the second inning, loading the bases when Jack Mayfield reached on an error, Max Stassi singled and Tyler Wade bunted for a single.
Plesac got ahead in the count 0-2 to Ward but then left a slider up in the zone, and Ward hammered it into the seats in right-center for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.
Plesac got through the third inning unscathed, but in the fourth the Angels loaded the bases with two outs, and he was replaced. Left-hander Sam Hentges entered to face the left-handed-hitting Jared Walsh, who singled home a run for a 7-2 Angels lead.
Ohtani and Trout had back-to-back RBI doubles in the sixth inning for the Angels’ final two runs of the game.
Plesac yielded seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two.
–Field Level Media