The Angels returned to Anaheim with a number of active streaks. Seven wins in a row, all on the road. Consecutive road sweeps over the Athletics and Dodgers. More esoterically, their second 10-5 win, and third game in a row where the opposing team scored five runs.

And with an 11-5 record over the last 16 games, the Halos have been slowly creeping back to .500, with a record of 24-25 for the season to date.

Thus it was with great expectations that they hosted the Miami Marlins on Friday night to kick off the Memorial Day weekend festivities. 

Some of those expectations were due to the 14-1 drubbing the Marlins suffered at the hands of the Cubs three days earlier. Miami sitting at the bottom of the NL East with a 19-29 record, and the fifth-worst record in baseball for 2025, definitely helped contribute.

Thankfully for the Angels faithful, those expectations were met.

Taylor Ward got things going with a lead-off homer to start the second. The shot to right field made it nine straight games with an extra base hit for the left-fielder, tying the club record.

Ward struck again in the fourth, scoring first baseman Nolan Schanuel on a sac fly. Jorge Soler couldn’t keep the party going, but Logan O’Hoppe’s line-drive double brought Yoán Moncada home, putting the Angels ahead by 3.

But the real damage came in the bottom of the sixth. After Schanuel walked, Moncada doubled. Marlins catcher Nick Fortes was called for interference, allowing Schanuel to score and loading the bases.

They managed a force-out on Moncada off a O’Hoppe grounder, but Sandy Alcantara hit Travis d’Arnaud with a pitch, scoring a second run and keeping the bases loaded with just one out.

Lake Bachar took over for the starting pitcher, but another sacrifice fly, this time by Luis Rengifo, scored Soler to allow the Halos to double their lead.  The Marlins finally got out of the inning on a Matthew Lugo groundout back to the pitcher.

Well in the hole now, Miami saw a little daylight when Eric Wagerman hit a solo homer to center field, scoring with one out. Otto Lopez made that two, grounding out to Luis Rengifo, before Connor Norby got on base with a single.

Kyle Stowers brought him home with a line-drive double, and Nick Fortes put runners on first and third with a shot to right field. 

Perhaps smelling blood in the water, the Marlins brought in pinch-hitter Matt Mervis for Derek Hill, but he went down swinging to end the inning.

The Marlins made another stab it in the 8th, with Graham Pauley and Agustín Ramírez both getting on and forcing the Angles to bring Héctor Neris to the mound. The move didn’t have the expected effect, as both runners advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on a ground ball from Eric Wagaman.

Neris found the zone after that, and Otto Lopez and Norby both went down swinging to end the inning.

4-6 was apparently a little too close for comfort for Soler, who took the 0-2 pitch into the outfield topiary for a solo home run to start the bottom of the eighth. But that was all the damage the home team could put together, as O’Hoppe flied out, d’Arnaud went down swinging, and Rengifo struck out on a foul tip.

Miami had one last chance. Kyle Stowers got to first, then stole second after Nick Fortes lined out to center. Mervis struck out going for it a second time. Stowers made it to third on a balk which walked Jesús Sánchez, who then made it to second on a defensive indifference.

With two out, two on, and down by three, Pauley had a chance to tie it up, but his pop-up had three Angels players under it, and was easily caught to end the game.

The win was the first credited to Yusei Kikuchi since joining the club, his 11th start. Homer #15 for Ward has him tied for fifth in the MLB, sharing that honor with Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and taking the club lead. In addition to eight wins in a row, this is the seventh straight game the Halos have put up two homers or more, a new record.

The series continues on Saturday at 7:07PM Pacific.