ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Taylor Ward’s two-run double into the left-center gap scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, Kevin Pillar had a two-run homer among his three hits and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun led off the Angels’ eighth with a base hit before being lifted for pinch-runner Mickey Moniak with two outs. Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo kept the inning alive when he mishandled Luis Rengifo’s ground ball, setting the stage for Ward.
After Clay Holmes replaced Luke Weaver (3-1), Ward’s double, which rolled to the left-field wall brought in Moniak and Rengifo. It also marked just the second time in 29 games the Angels have won when trailing after seven innings.
Matt Moore (1-1) got the win and Carlos Estévez retired the side in the ninth for his eighth save.
Yankees’ slugger Juan Soto homered for the fifth time in seven games and Anthony Volpe had a pair of base hits to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. It is the longest by a Yankees’ hitter since Robinson Canó’s 23-game run in 2012.
Cortes had not allowed an earned run in 15 2/3 innings until Pillar’s had a two-run homer in the first, which just cleared the short fence in the left-field corner.
Austin Wells made it 3-2 in the fifth with a double off the wall in right-center to drive in Rizzo. Gleyber Torres tried to score from first, but was easily tagged at the plate by Angels’ catcher Logan O’Hoppe after the relay throw from second baseman Kyren Paris.
Soto’s solo shot in the first was his 15th of the season, tied for sixth in the majors. He crushed an elevated fastball from Griffin Canning on a full count two-thirds of the way into the lower-deck stands in the right field corner.
Soto then tied it at 2-all in the fourth with a base hit to drive in DJ LeMahieu, who made his season debut after missing the first two months due to a non-displaced fracture of his right foot.
Nestor Cortes allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings. In his last three starts, the left-hander has given up three runs (two earned) in 17 1/3 innings.
Canning allowed three runs, nine hits and had five strikeouts in five innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow soreness) will throw another batting practice session at the team’s complex in Tampa on Thursday. Manager Aaron Boone said Cole would likely begin a rehab assignment if all goes well. … RHP Ian Hamilton was reinstated from the seven-day COVID-19 injured list.
Angels: INF Michael Stefanic (left quad strain) played all nine innings in a rehab game for Triple-A Salt Lake at Reno.
UP NEXT
In Wednesday’s middle game of the series, the Yankees will go with RHP Luis Gil (6-1, 2.11 ERA), who is tied for second in the AL in wins. LHP Tyler Anderson (5-4, 2.52 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels.
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