Ward, Ohtani homer; Angels top White Sox, 5-1, in bullpen game after Syndergaard scratched due to illness
The Angels won their sixth straight game Friday evening, topping the Chicago White Sox on the road, 5-1.
They immediately jumped to an early lead, thanks to a leadoff homer from baseball's hottest hitter in Taylor Ward, who took the second pitch of the game 392 feet to left field.
Two hitters later and Shohei Ohtani would double that lead to 2-0, when he roped a 419-foot bomb to left centerfield for his fourth of the season.
Ohtani wound up scoring three runs in the contest, scoring in the sixth on an Anthony Rendon double - which gave the Angels the 3-1 lead - and again in the eighth on a Jared Walsh double.
They tacked their fifth and final run of the game on in the top of the ninth on Ward's RBI double, his third hit of the evening, bringing his season average to .404.
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (0-1, 2.57 ERA) was saddled with his first loss of the season, going six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out seven and walking one.
With starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard scratched from his scheduled start due to illness, the Angels resorted to a bullpen game, throwing seven different pitchers on the mound.
The White Sox got their lone run of the evening bottom of the first inning, when Tim Anderson came around to score on an error by Matt Duffy after doubling to start the inning.
Jimmy Herget got the start for the Halos, going 3.0 innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out two. They also got 2.0 innings out of Austin Warren and 1.0 inning each from Archie Bradley, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera.
Warren earned the victory after locking down the fifth inning.
Mike Mayers started the ninth inning, striking out the leadoff batter in Leury Garcia, before allowing another hit to Anderson, hitting Andrew Vaughn by a pitch and getting the hook for Angels closer Raisel Iglesias.
Despite striking out the first batter he faced, Iglesias suffered his own shaky performance, putting two men in scoring position on a wild pitch before walking Jose Abreu to load the bases. But, with two down in the inning, he was able to get Luis Robert to foul out, securing the Halos sixth-straight win and 14th this season.
David Fletcher returned from a brief stint on the 10-Day IL due to a hip injury, doubling twice.
The two teams will face off again on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. in the second game of the three-game series, with the Angels sending Jose Suarez (0-1, 5.54 ERA) against Chicago's Vince Velasquez (0-2, 6.75 ERA).
