'We're some dogs': Halos extend win streak to 7 behind Ward's 7th-inning slam

WEST SACRAMENTO -- With the way the offense has been going for the Angels, they can’t be counted out of any game.

They completed yet another late comeback on Thursday, with a red-hot Taylor Ward delivering a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to lift the Angels to a 10-5 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. It was Ward’s eighth consecutive game with an extra-base hit, making him the first Angels player to accomplish the feat since Tim Salmon did it from July 28-Aug. 5, 2000.

“I feel like I can hit anything, to be honest,” said Ward, who tied a career high with five RBIs. “The game is slow right now. And luck is on my side as well.”

But it was another all-around team effort for the Angels, who have won seven straight games for the first time since Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2022. It was also their second consecutive road sweep after they also swept the Dodgers over the weekend, giving the Halos their first back-to-back road sweeps since Sept. 27-Oct. 2, 2022, against the A’s and Rangers. They’re also 11-5 over their past 16 games, with an average of 5.9 runs per game over that span.

“We’re some dogs,” shortstop Zach Neto said. “That’s the best way to put it. We’re sticking to our approach. Talking about it in hitters' meetings and enjoying each other and trusting in each other. Just knowing if you don’t get it done, the guy behind you can get it done.”

Additionally, Los Angeles' seven-game road winning streak is its longest since winning a franchise-record 11 in a row away from home from March 30-April 24, 2018. It was also the club's first four-game sweep on the road against the A’s since July 10-13, 1997, in Oakland.

Ward’s go-ahead slam was the big blow, but Neto also went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, Nolan Schanuel went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored and Logan O'Hoppe connected on a solo homer in the seventh after Ward's grand slam.

Neto said with the way the offense has been going, they feel like they’re not out of any game despite the score. And they’ve been good about tacking on insurance runs, including three in the ninth to put the game away.

“There’s no panic in this team,” Neto said. “We’re having a lot of fun out there, so it makes it a lot easier knowing that whenever we have the bat in our hands, the game could be tied or we take the lead at any point.”

It was O’Hoppe’s third consecutive game with a homer and his fourth long ball of the series. Ward and O’Hoppe are tied with 14 homers on the year. Their 14 home runs are tied with Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez for the sixth most in the Majors. Thursday also marked the club’s sixth straight game with at least two homers, tying a franchise record accomplished in 1961 and 2019.

“I'm seeing a kid that's growing,” manager Ron Washington said of O’Hoppe. “All the work he put in last year, all the work he's been putting in since Spring Training, all the work he's been putting in since we've been in the season, it's starting to pay off, and his confidence is growing. And that's why you see him what he's doing, because he is capable of it.”

The offense helped bail out starter Tyler Anderson, who uncharacteristically walked six and allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings. But relievers Hunter Strickland, Reid Detmers, Ryan Zeferjahn and Conner Brogdon combined to throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings while the offense did its thing.

“It’s incredible, honestly,” Anderson said of the way his teammates picked him up. “And our guys never give up. That was huge. It was awesome to see.”

The Angels now head home to host the Marlins (19-29) and Yankees (30-19) after a 10-game road trip against the Padres, Dodgers and A’s. They’ve improved to 24-25 and are tied with the Rangers for third place in the AL West with their win streak, which they will look to build on during their homestand.

“We were on the road for 11 days, so we want to go home,” Washington said. “We know we're not going to pull that [kind of win all the time], but I think we're in position where we'll do enough to keep ourselves in ballgames, and hopefully we can pull them off.”