Taylor Ward hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and Jose Soriano won for the first time since April 10 as the Los Angeles Angels notched a 4-3 victory over the Athletics on Monday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Ward has homered in three consecutive games and four of his past five, with his latest giving Los Angeles a 4-2 lead in the third inning. Nolan Schanuel also homered among three hits while helping the Angels win the opener of the four-game series and match their season best of four straight wins.
Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker had RBIs for the Athletics, who have lost a season-worst six consecutive games and 10 of their past 12. Jacob Wilson had two hits.
Soriano (3-4) allowed three runs and six hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked four to halt a six-start winless stretch.
Ryan Zeferjan pitched a scoreless seventh, Hector Neris worked a perfect eighth while Kenley Jansen finished up in the ninth for his ninth save.
Seth Brown put a scare into Jansen to start the inning with a high drive to right that Jo Adell caught two feet in front of the wall. Jansen then retired Lawrence Butler on a grounder before Wilson drilled a single to center.
Pinch runner Max Schuemann stole second before Jansen struck out Tyler Soderstrom to end it.
The Athletics’ J.T. Ginn (1-2) allowed four runs and six hits over four innings in his first major league start since April 24. Ginn, who had been sidelined due to elbow issues, matched his career best of seven strikeouts and walked none.
Schanuel drilled a one-out solo homer to right center in the first inning to get the Angels started.
The Athletics answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Rooker grounded into a run-scoring double play with the bases loaded, and another run crossed when Langeliers barely beat out an infield hit to third, driving in Wilson.
Zach Neto singled and Schanuel doubled to start the Angels’ third before Yoan Moncada’s groundout scored Neto. Ward then came up and ripped a two-run blast to left to give the Angels a 4-2 lead. Ward has gone deep in seven of his past 13 games, and he has 13 long balls on the year.
The Athletics moved within one in the fifth when Soderstrom doubled with two outs and Rooker followed with an RBI single.
–Field Level Media
