The Los Angeles Angels clinched a series victory on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 8-2. Jose Soriano delivered a quality outing on the mound, while Taylor Ward’s three-run double in the second inning provided the offensive lift Los Angeles needed to secure the win.
Soriano, who improved to 7-7 with the victory, pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out five. The right-hander gave up an RBI single to Rafael Marchan in the second inning and a solo home run to Otto Kemp in the sixth, but otherwise, Philadelphia’s offense was quiet. Soriano remained efficient throughout his outing, working out of occasional traffic and limiting the Phillies to just two runs over his 91-pitch performance.
Philadelphia’s starter, Ranger Suárez, struggled in the early innings. The left-hander gave up five runs in the second inning and was charged with six earned runs across 4 1/3 innings. The Angels capitalized on Suárez’s command issues and defensive lapses behind him, with three of their runs in the second inning coming after a critical full-count walk to Mike Trout with the bases loaded. On a borderline pitch, home plate umpire Steven Jaschinski ruled the delivery a ball, forcing in a run. Ward followed by clearing the bases with a double to the gap, giving the Angels a 5-1 lead.
Earlier in the inning, Zach Neto had driven in a run with a single. LaMonte Wade Jr., who entered the game in the first inning after Nolan Schanuel left with a wrist injury from a hit-by-pitch, added a solo home run in the sixth to extend Los Angeles’s lead.
The Phillies continued to struggle defensively, with Kemp, filling in at third base for the injured Alec Bohm, committing two errors. He has now recorded three errors in six starts at third base, while having committed only one error in 24 combined appearances at first base and left field. Philadelphia could not recover from the early deficit, generating six hits in total and scoring only on Marchan’s single and Kemp’s home run.
The Angels, who improved to 46-53 with the win, finished the game with 11 hits and took advantage of three Philadelphia errors. They also made the most of their opportunities with runners in scoring position, an area where the Phillies fell short.
Ahead of the game, the Phillies were favored slightly with moneyline odds around -120, while the Angels entered as underdogs near +100. The over/under was set at 8.5 runs, a mark passed in the sixth inning.
The Angels will now head to New York on Monday night to begin a three-game series against the Mets. Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA) is scheduled to start for Los Angeles, opposing Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.39 ERA) for the Mets. The Phillies will begin a three-game home series against the Boston Red Sox. Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36 ERA) is expected to start for Philadelphia, going up against Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.12 ERA).
