Griffin Canning pitched six strong innings, allowing only one run, while Nolan Schanuel hit his first ever leadoff home run as the Los Angeles Angels ended their three-game losing streak with a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Willie Calhoun contributed with three hits, including an RBI double in the Angels’ four-run first inning, while Zach Neto and Taylor Ward added home runs later in the game, helping the Angels secure their seventh victory in 26 games.
Kevin Pillar continued his strong performance with his fourth consecutive multi-hit game for the Angels, who collected a total of 14 hits in the game, salvaging the final match of a 2-5 homestand against both of Missouri’s major league teams.
“We had contributions from everyone in the lineup,” Neto commented. “That’s what our team is all about. When we play the game the right way, good things happen.”
Canning delivered another impressive performance for the Angels, allowing just one run over 11 2/3 innings in his last two starts at home. Despite giving up five hits and three walks, Canning managed to strand six runners and kept the Cardinals scoreless for the first five innings.
“It feels great to pitch with an early lead,” Canning remarked. “It allowed me to attack the hitters right from the beginning. It was a fantastic feeling.” Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run in the sixth inning for the Cardinals, ending their three-game winning streak. St. Louis has yet to win a series sweep this season.
“I still see a lot of positives from many of the guys today – their at-bats, their defense,” said Cards manager Oliver Marmol. “Despite not sweeping, there are still some good takeaways from winning the series.”
Lance Lynn (1-2) allowed four runs and eight hits with two walks in five innings for St. Louis. In all three of his starts in May, the veteran pitcher has given up at least four earned runs.
Schanuel, the 22-year-old first baseman for the Angels, hit his fourth home run of the season into right field on Lynn’s third pitch. Calhoun followed with an RBI double, then scored on Pillar’s infield single.
Pillar, who later scored on a wild pitch, went 2 for 3, improving to 10 for 16 with eight RBIs in his last four games since joining the team on May 1 after being designated for assignment by the White Sox.
“In that first inning… there were some unusual things, but (Lynn) held it to four runs and gave us a chance,” Marmol commented. ” We had opportunities.”
