Taylor Ward hit a grand slam and Logan O’Hoppe added a solo homer in the seventh inning to spark the Los Angeles Angels a 10-5 come-from-behind win over the host Athletics on Thursday in West Sacramento, Calif.
The Angels swept the four-game series and have won seven straight. Ward was 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. He stretched his hitting streak to eight games while Zach Neto went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
It was the Athletics’ ninth loss in a row as Brent Rooker homered, was 3-for-4 and a triple short of the cycle.
Hunter Strickland (1-0) got the win in relief with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Ward’s grand slam and O’Hoppe’s solo blast in the seventh erased the Athletics’ 5-2 lead. Reliever Grant Holman (4-1) took the loss after allowing both blasts, which both came on 0-1, four-seam fastballs. Ward’s grand slam was estimated at 426 feet to center and came with one out. It was his sixth career grand slam and third against the Athletics.
After Jorge Soler fanned, O’Hoppe drove one to the opposite field, over the fence in right-center, for an estimated distance of 410 feet. It was the 14th home run for each this season.
Los Angeles added three in the ninth on Jo Adell’s bases-loaded walk, Yoan Moncada’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Kevin Newman.
Rooker gave the Athletics a 2-0 lead with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the first. It was his 11th home run.
Nick Kurtz’ sacrifice fly to center in the third made it 3-0 Athletics.
Ward’s RBI single in the fourth put the Angels on the board for a 3-1 game.
Neto’s run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth tightened Los Angeles’ deficit to 3-2.
Bases-loaded walks to Gio Urshela (by starter Tyler Anderson) and Jhonny Pereda (by Strickland) in the bottom of the fifth allowed the Athletics to stretch their lead to 5-2. Urshela left the game in the seventh with an unspecified left hamstring injury.
