Taylor Ward’s 9th-inning slam carries Angels past Padres

Taylor Ward’s ninth-inning grand slam capped a six-run rally that led the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 9-5 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Ward pulled a 2-2 sweeper from Alek Jacob an estimated 350 feet down the left field line for his ninth homer of the year, pinning the loss on closer Robert Suarez (0-1).
Entering the ninth inning with 15 straight saves to start the year and 18 dating back to last September, Suarez fanned the first hitter he faced, gave up a single to pinch hitter Luis Rengifo and then totally lost the strike zone. Suarez issued four consecutive walks, including run-scoring passes to Nolan Schanuel and Yoan Moncada to tie the game 5-5.
Jacob entered and struck out Jorge Soler before Ward connected.
Brock Burke (4-0) got the win despite allowing an eighth-inning run on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly. Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up seven hits and four runs, two earned, in six innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Kikuchi found two-out trouble in the third when Luis Arraez, Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill hit consecutive singles, with Merrill’s knocking in Arraez. Kikuchi induced a comebacker from Bogaerts but bobbled the ball on the transfer and then hurried a throw wide of first for a two-run error that gave the Padres a 3-2 edge.
Fernando Tatis Jr. upped the margin to 4-2 in the fifth with a leadoff homer to center, his 10th of the year. Los Angeles drew within 4-3 in the sixth when Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth pulled a throw wide of first on a potential double-play ball off Ward’s bat.
Merrill gave San Diego a 5-3 lead in the eighth when he led off with a triple down the right field line, then scored on Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly to center.
Zach Neto initiated scoring for Los Angeles in the third by lining a two-run homer to left, his fifth of the year, with Tim Anderson aboard after a one-out double.
Padres starter Michael King yielded four hits and three runs, two earned, over 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and fanned eight.