Ward, Detmers propel Angels to 4-1 win, sweep of Guardians

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels haven't won a playoff game in over 12 years, and they haven't finished with a winning record since 2015.

With a five-game winning streak and a wealth of confident players across their roster, the Halos are starting to believe this year will be different, even though it's not yet May.

“We're going to be good this season,” rookie left-hander Reid Detmers said.

Taylor Ward drove in two runs, Brandon Marsh had three hits and an RBI, and the Angels completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 4-1 victory on Thursday.

Detmers (1-1) pitched five innings of two-hit ball to earn his second career major-league victory for the Angels, while Ward and Marsh hit RBI singles in the third inning of Los Angeles' 12th win in 16 games.

The Halos are six games over .500 for the first time since late June 2018. That's no small achievement for a franchise that has wasted incredible years from Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani during its seven-year playoff drought.

“We've just got to keep this train rolling,” said Marsh, who's fourth in the AL with a team-leading 15 RBIs. “It was a great (series) for everyone in this locker room, and we've just got to keep this going.”

Orange County native Austin Hedges homered and had two hits for the Guardians, who have lost the first seven games of their 10-game road trip. Cleveland scored only seven runs in four games against Los Angeles, with five of those coming in Wednesday's blowout loss.

“It's definitely not fun,” outfielder Myles Straw said. “None of us want to be going through this, but it's a weird sport. I think we're going to come around, come together and be just fine.”

Detmers put together another strong start befitting one of the top left-handed prospects in baseball, walking one...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Ward-Detmers-propel-Angels-to-4-1-win-sweep-of-17135091.php