Griffin Canning returns to mound as Angels beat Nationals

Griffin Canning pitched five innings of five-hit ball in his first big league appearance in 22 months for the Angels, and rookie Logan O’Hoppe drove in the tiebreaking run in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday at Angel Stadium.

Brett Phillips scored an early run, drove in another with a bases-loaded walk and stole a probable homer from Keibert Ruiz in center field during his eventful first start for the Angels, who took two of three from Washington.

The game was a milestone in the lengthy comeback of Canning, who hadn’t pitched in the majors since June 2, 2021. The Gold Glove-winning right-hander and Orange County native had a back injury that eventually scuttled the rest of the 2021 season and then kept him off the field entirely in 2022.

Canning started with three innings of one-hit ball, but Washington got four consecutive hits to start the fourth. Joey Meneses had an RBI single before a run-scoring groundout by Luis García in his return from a four-game absence because of hamstring tightness.

Matt Moore (1-0) pitched the sixth, and José Quijada worked the ninth for his second save.

Ruiz and Jeimer Candelario had two hits apiece for Washington, which went 3-4 on its trip. MacKenzie Gore yielded four hits and four walks with six strikeouts while pitching into the fourth inning for the Nationals.

Shohei Ohtani had the day off after pitching seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball Tuesday night. Mike Trout went 0 for 3 in Ohtani’s spot as the designated hitter, putting the three-time AL MVP in an 0-for-14 skid.

So the Angels got unlikely offense from Phillips, their journeyman outfielder.

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After drawing a walk in the third, he stole second before stealing third and quickly scoring on Ruiz’s throwing error. Phillips then drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded in the fourth to tie it.

Phillips made a leaping catch on Ruiz’s drive at the wall in center to end the sixth, prompting Ruiz to spike his batting helmet in frustration.

O’Hoppe, the Angels’ promising rookie catcher, got his team-leading 11th RBI in the sixth, driving in Brandon Drury with his single off Mason Thompson (0-1).