Griffin Canning had his best start of the season, Taylor Ward homered and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1 on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Canning was winless in his previous six starts, with his latest victory coming on May 15 against the St. Louis Cardinals. But he turned things around with his longest outing of the season — seven innings — while allowing a solo shot to Tyler Nevin to account for the only run he surrendered.

Canning (3-8) gave up five hits, walked one and struck out five while throwing 97 pitches. Only two Athletics baserunners got as far as second base against him — Nevin on his home run and Miguel Andujar on a sixth-inning double. Canning promptly picked off Andujar, thwarting a potential Oakland rally.

The Angels had eight hits, including two apiece from Luis Rengifo, Willie Calhoun and Zach Neto.

The Angels took a lead in the first inning against A’s starter Luis Medina when Rengifo was hit by a pitch and scored on Ward’s two-run homer, his team-leading 13th blast of the season.

Oakland got one run back in the second inning on Nevin’s fifth homer of 2024, slicing the Angels’ lead to 2-1.

Los Angeles loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning, then scored its first run of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Logan O’Hoppe. Medina struck out Neto for the second out, but the Angels scored again when A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom couldn’t handle a line drive by Mickey Moniak, with the ball deflecting off Soderstrom’s glove for an error and the Angels going up 4-1.

Medina (1-3) was finished after three innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks. He struck out four and threw 79 pitches.

The Angels increased their lead to 5-1 in the sixth after back-to-back doubles by Neto and Moniak.

–Field Level Media