ANAHEIM, California – Taylor Ward hit a grand slam to help the Angels erase an early 6-0 deficit, and Los Angeles beat the Oakland Athletics 8-6 on Sunday to avoid a four-game sweep.
Ward’s fourth-inning hit in the Oakland bullpen in left field by Osvaldo Bido (2-2) was the fourth of his career and the fourth by an Angel this season. His previous grand slam was on May 4, 2022, also against Oakland. He has 16 homers this season.
“It’s one of the most incredible feelings in baseball, other than maybe hitting a grand slam,” Ward said.
Brent Rooker hit a bases-clearing double in a six-run third inning for the A’s, who had won eight of 10 and had already secured their fourth consecutive series victory.
Luis Garcia, assumed to be the closest to Los Angeles after Carlos Estevez was traded to Philadelphia a day earlier, he retired the team on nine pitches in the ninth for his fourth save.
Roansy Contreras (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Bido walked Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Luis Rengifo before Ward hit him with two outs, putting the Angels ahead 7-6 and ending his day. Bido allowed seven runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
“We came out and swung the bats well in the third. I have a six-run lead,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “It was a long entry. Our entrance was stopped for a while. Leadoff hit by Neto and he hits (Jo) Adell. A similar game happened to us in Oakland where you let them get back into the game. Offensively, we couldn’t do anything else for the rest of the game. We were a swipe away. We put a slider on Ward and that changed the outcome of the game.”
Willie Calhoun had a two-run single that put Los Angeles up 6-3 in the third.
Angels starter José Siriano was suspended after allowing four hits and a walk in the third. He was charged with six runs, three earned, in 2 2/3 innings.
A fielding error by Angels second baseman Brandon Drury on a grounder by Miguel Andujar allowed Oakland’s first run to score.
“I was attacking the zone and I kept attacking the zone,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “We made a mistake, but that cannot be done and that is part of the game. I continued doing my things.
NEXT
Athletics: LHP JP Sears (7-8, 4.81 ERA) will make his 22nd start as a team-best starter on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. He has won three of his last four starts and has a career winning record.
Angels: RHP Griffin Canning (3-10, 2.91) will start Tuesday against Colorado. Canning is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in two career starts against the Rockies.
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