Mickey Moniak hit his first-ever grand slam, and Taylor Ward also hit a home run in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-5 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.
Jo Adell contributed with an RBI double, and Logan O’Hoppe added an RBI single for the Angels, who have won three of their last four games, including two straight against Oakland.
Moniak completed the Angels’ five-run rally in the third inning by clearing the bases with his fourth home run of the season. His 375-foot shot just cleared the yellow line on top of the right field fence.
“It’s always a great feeling to put the team ahead,” Moniak said. “I’m focused on keeping things simple. Baseball has its ups and downs. The key is to stay consistent. I’m just trying to get back to that.”
As the former top overall pick, Moniak has faced challenges this season, often batting below .200 despite regular playing time in his first full season with the Angels. However, he has shown improvement recently with better plate discipline and a new mindset focused on processes rather than outcomes.
“He has been putting in a lot of effort, searching for that consistency,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “His big hit tonight was crucial. He needed it, and so did we.”
Brent Rooker hit his 14th home run and JJ Bleday had an RBI single for the Athletics, who remain in last place and have lost four consecutive games and 17 of their last 22. Oakland also extended their losing streak on the road to 10 games, marking their lowest point of the season with 24 games below .500.
Armando Alvarez achieved his first major league hit and RBI for the Athletics, marking the end of his long journey to reach this milestone.
Alvarez doubled in the third inning and drove in a run in the eighth with a single. The 29-year-old, a former 17th-round draft pick, played 700 games in the minors over eight seasons since 2016 before receiving his first major league call-up last weekend. He batted .311 with Triple-A Las Vegas before joining Oakland.
