ANAHEIM, Calif.—Griffin Canning pitched six innings of one-run ball, Nolan Schanuel hit his first career leadoff home run, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped their three-game losing streak with a 7–2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, May 15.
Willie Calhoun had three hits, including an RBI double during the Angels’ four-run first inning, while Zach Neto and Taylor Ward homered later in the Angels’ seventh win in their past 26 games.
Kevin Pillar had his fourth consecutive multi-hit game for Los Angeles, which pounded out 14 hits while salvaging the finale of a 2–5 homestand against Missouri’s two major-league teams.
“We just kept the line going from top to bottom,” Neto said. “That’s what we’re all about as a team. We just play the game right, and we get the rewards. When we do the little things right, good things happen.”
Canning (2–4) had another sharp start, finishing the homestand with 11 2/3 innings of one-run ball over two outings. St. Louis managed five hits and three walks off Canning, but the right-hander stranded six runners and held the Cardinals scoreless for his first five innings.
“To be able to go out there with a lead that early in the game just allows you to be on the attack from the start,” Canning said. “It was awesome.”
Paul Goldschmidt homered in the sixth for the Cardinals, whose three-game winning streak ended. St. Louis still hasn’t swept a series this season.
“I still like what we saw today out of a lot of the guys—a lot of the at-bats, the defense,” Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol said. “Still some positives out of a series win, but unfortunately we couldn’t sweep.”
Lance Lynn (1–2) gave up four runs and eight hits with two walks over five innings for St. Louis. The veteran has allowed at least four earned runs in all three of his starts in May.
Schanuel, the Angels’ 22-year-old first baseman, hit his fourth homer of the season into the short porch in right field on Lynn’s third pitch. Calhoun added an RBI double moments later before scoring on Pillar’s infield single.
Pillar, who eventually scored on a wild pitch, went 2 for 3 to improve to 10 for 16 with eight RBIs in his past four games with the team that signed him May 1 after the Chicago White Sox designated him for assignment.
“That first inning ... there were some oddities there, but [Lynn] kept it to four runs and gave us a shot,” Mr. Marmol said. “Overall, we had an opportunity.”
Goldschmidt led off the sixth with his fourth homer and the latest sign of improved form at the plate. The 2022 National League most valuable player has two homers in his past four games after hitting only two while largely struggling through his first 37 games this season.
Neto hit his fourth homer in the sixth off Nick Robertson. Ward also got his eighth homer off the reliever in the seventh before Calhoun doubled and scored on Mickey Moniak’s single.
Trainer’s Room
Angels: Infielder Luis Rengifo plans to return Friday from a viral infection that caused blisters on his feet. ... Infielder Miguel Sanó is headed to the spring-training complex in Arizona to continue his recovery from left-knee inflammation. He hopes to be back in a week.Up Next
Cardinals: Kyle Gibson (2–2, 3.67 earned-run average) takes the mound Friday against Boston to open a nine-game homestand.Angels: Tyler Anderson (3–4, 2.92) is set to start Friday at Texas against longtime Angels starter Andrew Heaney and the Rangers. Mr. Washington will be returning to face the team he managed to two World Series appearances.
