Taylor Ward hit a two-run double in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Anaheim, Calif., on Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak.
Kevin Pillar hit a home run and starter Griffin Canning gave up three runs over five innings for the Angels, who had lost six of their previous seven home games. Pillar had three hits and Luis Rengifo had two hits and two runs.
After Los Angeles’ Willie Calhoun singled off Luke Weaver (3-1) to open the bottom of the eighth inning, Rengifo reached base on a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo with two outs. Ward then ripped the first pitch from Clay Holmes to the wall in left field to score Mickey Moniak, who pinch-ran for Calhoun, and Rengifo to put the Angels ahead 4-3.
Juan Soto hit a first-inning home run and Anthony Volpe extended his hitting streak to 20 games as the Yankees dropped back-to-back games and fell to 2-2 to open a nine-game California road trip.
Left-hander Nestor Cortes gave up two runs over 5 1/3 innings as the New York starting staff became the first in major league history to go at least five innings while yielding two runs or less in 15 consecutive starts. Yankees starters have a combined 2.73 ERA in 316 innings this season.
Two batters into the game, Soto gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead with his 15th home run of the year. The Angels had a quick response, as Rengifo singled in the bottom of the first and Pillar hit a two-out, two-run homer for a 2-1 lead.
Pillar has five home runs in 17 games for the Angels since he signed with the team as a free agent on April 30.
Volpe, who had two hits for the game, extended his hitting streak with a second-inning single. It is the longest hitting streak by a member of the Yankees since Robinson Cano’s 23-game run in 2012. Volpe’s streak is also the third longest by a New York player aged 23 or younger.
New York tied the game in the fourth inning when DJ LeMahieu walked, Volpe singled and Soto made it 2-2 with an RBI single. In the fifth, the Yankees took a 3-2 lead on an Austin Wells run-scoring double.
Carlos Estevez earned his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Matt Moore (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win.
–Field Level Media