Taylor Ward hits grand slam, falls just shy of cycle in highlight performance for Los Angeles Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Taylor Ward came to bat in Wednesday's seventh inning having already accumulated a home run, a triple and a double. The thought of hitting for the cycle, Ward said, seeped into his mind and made him overly aggressive. It prompted him to swing immediately and produce a harmless fly ball to right field, ending his bid for only the ninth cycle in Los Angeles Angels history after just one pitch.

«It's something I've learned,» Ward said after the Angels' 9-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. «I'm gonna live and learn through this moment.»

Ward, 28, has done a lot of learning while navigating the path of a former first-round draft pick who is just now starting to make his imprint in the major leagues. His performance on Wednesday — a double down the left-field line in the first, a high-arching grand slam to right-center in the second and a line-drive triple off the center-field wall in the sixth — lifted his slash line to .395/.531/.816 through his first 11 games this season.

The Angels were so impressed with Ward during spring training that they designated Justin Upton for assignment five days before Opening Day, with $28 million remaining on the final year of his contract, to open up additional playing time. A mild groin strain forced Ward to the injured list to begin the season, but he has become one of the Angels' most productive hitters since his activation, playing right field on an everyday basis and settling into the leadoff spot of a lineup headlined by Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

«Honestly, it's something that I feel like should've already been happening,» Ward said when asked what it meant to be producing at this level in the major leagues. «But I'm here now. And I'm blessed to be here. I