Anaheim, CA—- Mickey Moniak blasted a three-run homer, and Griffin Canning delivered 6 2/3 strong innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Taylor Ward continued his hot streak, hitting a home run for the third straight game, while rookie Niko Kavadas also homered as the struggling Angels notched their second win against the major league-leading Dodgers in their last 14 matchups. The teams split the four-game Freeway Series this season.
Shohei Ohtani went hitless in four at-bats, finishing his two-game return to Angel Stadium with a 1-for-8 performance, including an RBI triple and two runs scored on Tuesday.
Dodgers’ starter Bobby Miller (2-4) struggled, giving up seven runs on five hits, including three home runs, over five innings, despite striking out eight. He allowed three walks and continues to search for his rookie-season form.
Miller, reflecting on his performance, said, “It’s hard to explain, but I’ve been feeling really good lately. I still felt good today. There were just a couple of bad pitch selections and some good fastball hitters.”
Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts expressed disappointment in Miller’s outing but confirmed the young pitcher will start again next week. Roberts said, “I don’t think they sequenced well tonight. Bobby has to be better. You can’t put us in a hole like that.”
On the Angels’ side, Canning (5-12) delivered one of his best performances of the season, allowing just four hits and four walks while striking out seven. He held the Dodgers scoreless until the seventh inning, earning his first win since August 4.
“Canning was outstanding tonight,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “He had great command of his fastball and mixed in his off-speed pitches well.”
The Angels’ offense jumped on Miller early, with their first five batters reaching base and scoring. Anthony Rendon hit a two-run single, followed by Moniak’s three-run blast. Kavadas added his second major league homer in the second inning, extending the Angels’ lead.
Washington added, “It would be great to finish the season swinging the bats like that.”
Ward contributed further with his 21st homer of the season in the fifth inning, extending the Angels’ lead to 7-0. He also extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest current streak in the AL. Ward has homered in four of his last five games.
The Dodgers eventually pulled Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, and Miguel Rojas in the late innings, giving them some extra rest ahead of Thursday’s day off. Andy Pages finally got the Dodgers on the board in the seventh with an RBI single, ending Canning’s night.
The Angels capped their scoring with RBI singles from Ward, Jo Adell, and Zach Neto in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT:
Dodgers: No starter has been announced for the opener of a six-game home-stand Friday against Cleveland.
Angels: Jack Kochanowicz(2-3, 4.96 ERA) takes the hill on Thursday in Arlington for the opener of a four-game series with the Rangers.
