Taylor Ward went deep, Kenley Jansen closed out his 475th career save, and the Los Angeles Angels held off the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night to avoid a series sweep.
Yusei Kikuchi (7-11) was sharp, striking out six and allowing just one hit over five innings before exiting with a left forearm cramp. Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth inning to earn his 28th save of the year.
The Angels struck first in the second inning when Luis Rengifo doubled and later scored on Oswald Peraza’s groundout. Ward followed with a 320-foot solo homer in the third, making him one of only three players this season with at least 35 homers, 100 RBI, and 30 doubles.
Kansas City starter Stephen Kolek (5-7) allowed five hits and three runs across six innings. His throwing error in the fourth inning on a pickoff attempt at second base allowed Peraza to score, giving Los Angeles a 3-0 lead.
The Royals trimmed the deficit on Randal Grichuk’s solo homer in the fifth and Carter Jensen’s run in the seventh, but they couldn’t complete the rally.
The win snapped a rough stretch for the Angels, who had lost 10 of their previous 12 games and entered the night with the majors’ worst save percentage (51%) and the AL’s highest bullpen ERA (4.87).
Key Moment:
Second baseman Christian Moore made a diving stop in the seventh, throwing out the runner at first to end the inning and preserve the Angels’ slim 3-2 lead.
Key Stat:
The Royals, one of MLB’s steadiest defensive teams this season, committed three errors after entering the night averaging just 0.37 per game — third-lowest in the majors.
Up Next:
The series concludes Thursday with Angels rookie LHP Mitch Farris (1-2, 6.52 ERA) facing Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (6-11, 4.70).
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