ANAHEIM, Calif.—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 Los Angeles’ 3–2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, April 12.
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….