Taylor Ward delivered a decisive two-run home run. Nolan Schanuel added a solo shot as the Los Angeles Angels earned a narrow 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. The win marked the Angels’ fourth consecutive victory, opening a four-game series between the American League West rivals.
Prior to the game, sportsbooks listed the Angels as slight favorites with moneyline odds near -115, while the Athletics were posted at -105. Based on recent performances, this reflected a closely contested matchup.
Los Angeles took control early, as Schanuel launched a solo home run two batters into the game. The long ball was his third of the season and came off Athletics starter J.T. Ginn, who was making his first appearance since April 24 after being sidelined with elbow inflammation. Schanuel finished the game with three hits, scored twice, and helped set the tone for the Angels’ offense.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Athletics responded by loading the bases with no outs against Angels starter José Soriano. Lawrence Butler doubled, followed by a walk and a hit batter. Brent Rooker grounded into a double play to bring in one run, and Shea Langeliers added an infield single to give Oakland a 2-1 lead.
The Angels quickly answered in the third. Zach Neto and Schanuel opened the inning with hits, leading to a run on Yoán Moncada’s groundout. Ward followed with a two-run homer to left, his 13th of the season, giving Los Angeles a 4-2 advantage. Ward has been a consistent power presence for the Angels and continued his productive stretch at the plate.
Oakland closed the gap in the fifth inning. Tyler Soderstrom doubled with two outs and scored on Rooker’s RBI single, trimming the deficit to 4-3. Rooker extended his hitting streak against the Angels to 15 games, inching closer to the franchise record of 17 games set by Bill North during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
Soriano pitched six innings and gave up three runs on six hits and four walks. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third by striking out Langeliers and Nick Kurtz to preserve the Angels’ lead.
Ginn, making his fourth start of the season, exited after throwing 79 pitches across four innings. He allowed four runs on six hits while striking out seven. Despite the loss, it was a serviceable outing following his stint on the injured list.
Kenley Jansen secured the win with a tense ninth inning. He allowed a two-out single to Jacob Wilson, whose pinch-runner Max Schuemann advanced to second on a stolen base. However, Jansen struck out Soderstrom on three pitches to record his ninth save in as many opportunities.
The series continues Tuesday, with the Angels scheduled to start right-hander Kyle Hendricks (1-5, 5.18 ERA) against Athletics right-hander Gunnar Hoglund (1-1, 3.78 ERA), who will be making his fourth career start.
