Yusei Kikuchi pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Taylor Ward and Jorge Soler each homered and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Miami Marlins 7-4 Friday night in Anaheim, Calif., for their eighth victory in a row.
It is the Angels’ longest winning streak since a 10-game stretch from Sept. 4-13, 2014.
Kikuch (1-4), who signed a three-year, $63 million contract in the offseason, was winless in his first 10 starts before getting his first victory in the opener of a three-game set. He gave up seven hits, walked four and struck out four on a season-high 110 pitches, and got help from the offense and just enough from the bullpen.
Kenley Jansen, the last of four Los Angeles relievers, pitched a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (2-7) as Ward led off the second inning with a home run, picking up where he left off on the road trip.
During the 10-game trip against the Padres, Dodgers and Athletics, Ward hit .372 with six homers and 17 RBIs. His 15 home runs lead the club.
Ward also drove in the Angels’ second run, a sacrifice fly in the fourth that scored Nolan Schanuel, who had singled and went to third on a single by Yoan Moncada.
Logan O’Hoppe’s double later in the inning scored Moncada to increase the lead to 3-0.
Kikuchi held the Marlins scoreless on five hits through five innings before finding trouble in the sixth. The Marlins put runners on first and second with no outs, but Kikuchi got Nick Fortes to hit into a double play.
Kikuchi walked the next two hitters to load the bases and was done for the night. Hunter Strickland entered and got Liam Hicks to ground out and end the threat.
The Angels padded their lead in the bottom of the sixth with three runs, despite getting just one hit in the inning, to go up 6-0. The first run scored with Soler at the plate and the bases loaded when Nick Fortes was called for catcher’s interference. Travis d’Arnaud drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before Luis Rengifo hit a sacrifice fly.
Alcantara yielded six runs (five earned) on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Eric Wagaman led the Marlins offensively with three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Kyle Stowers added three hits and an RBI.
