Angels' Taylor Ward carted off after being hit in face in loss

Angels left fielder Taylor Ward is assisted by training staff and coaches after being hit in the face.

Staff Writer

July 29, 2023 Updated 4:55 PM PT

TORONTO — The Angels had lost their series to the Blue Jays, but all anyone could think about afterward was Taylor Ward.

The left fielder was hit in the face with a pitch and carted off the field during a 6-1 loss to Toronto on Saturday.

“Right now, the game is over. All we can think about is if Wardo’s gonna be OK or not,” first baseman Mike Moustakas said. “That’s where all of our heads are at. All we’re doing is thinking about him and sending him love and positive vibes and hoping everything’s gonna be OK.”

Moustakas was on deck in the top of the fifth inning when Ward was hit.

TORONTO, ON - JULY 29: Taylor Ward #3 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after being hit by a pitch.

Ward dropped to the ground and was bleeding after getting hit by a 92-mph pitch from Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah. Angels trainers and bench coach Ray Montgomery — serving as the Angels’ interim manager with Phil Nevin suspended Saturday — rushed out of the dugout to aid Ward.

Ward remained on the ground for several minutes as Angels players looked on. Toronto position players all took a knee. The Blue Jays athletic staff also came out to assist Ward. Manoah was visibly upset, putting his hands on his head as Angels trainers attended to Ward.

Ward, who was helped to his feet, got to a cart and was taken off the field as he received an ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd. He was transported to a hospital, but the Angels had no update on his condition after the game. Nevin said that he would head for the hospital to be with Ward after he was finished speaking with the media.

“Lot of tests to be run,” Nevin said. “You guys saw the replay. It got him pretty good. The room is, compound things [with] the loss, but thoughts right now are with him.”

Nevin wasn’t in the dugout Saturday after being suspended one game by Major League Baseball for getting into a confrontation with plate umpire Mike Estabrook at the end of Friday’s loss. Nevin yelled at Estabrook as the umpire walked down the stairs of the visiting dugout to the umpires’ room, and he had to be held back by Montgomery.

The Angels (54-51) dropped to 4 1/2 games behind the final wild-card spot in the American League and the Blue Jays (59-46) improved their wild-card positioning before the Houston Astros’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays concluded Saturday.

Ward was hit while the bases loaded, forcing in the game’s first run. The Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Angels starter Reid Detmers gave up a two-run home run to Santiago Espinal. Reliever Aaron Loup gave up a solo home run to Alejandro Kirk in the seventh inning. Kirk hit another homer — a two-run shot — in the eighth off Jaime Barría.

Detmers was in the dugout watching with his teammates when Ward was hit.

“You don’t want to see that. It’s scary,” Detmers said. “[You’re] just hoping and praying that he’s all right and that he gets up.

“Your mind is thinking about what’s going on with him,” Detmers added. “But you also have to go out and compete so you try to switch your mind back to going out there and getting outs. It’s hard but just part of the game. I know it wasn’t intentional. Manoah didn’t mean to hit him in the head. … Just gotta, I don’t even know how to word it, but just got to kind of flip the page. I know that doesn’t sound right, but that’s just how it is.”

Shohei Ohtani plays

Shohei Ohtani was back in the starting lineup after exiting early in games on Thursday and Friday because of cramps. After he was plunked in the first inning Saturday, he hit a double in the third and was intentionally walked in the fifth and sixth innings. He was left stranded all four times. He struck out in the ninth.

Nevin said he wasn’t concerned about Ohtani’s cramping issues.

“I trust him when he tells me about his body,” Nevin said. “Guys cramp up sometimes and obviously he’s done a lot of work in the last few days and really over the course of the whole season.”

Ohtani threw his first major-league complete game Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. He then hit two home runs in the second game. He started Friday’s game against the Blue Jays by hitting his MLB-leading 39th home run of the season.

“Everyone’s talking about an off day but we had one Monday,” Nevin said. “We had one Wednesday because of the rainout. He’s well rested. It’s just a matter of getting fluids in his body and get him checked out.

“If there was any hesitation in his voice, and I know what these games mean, I certainly would give him a day, but there’s zero hesitation. In fact, he’s adamant he wants to play.”

What about Zach Neto?

Back stiffness kept Angels rookie shortstop Zach Neto out of the starting lineup for the second straight day.

“Hopefully we can get this calmed down in a couple days,” Nevin said. “The good news is we’ve had it checked out and there’s no structural damage. It’s just something, like, we’ve all had a cranky back before.”

Neto said that he mainly feels uncomfortable when he swings, as his natural movement causes him to over-rotate.

“It’s just how my swing is. It’s a pretty violent movement. I’m trying to hit a home run every time I go up to bat,” Neto said with a smile.

Added Nevin: “That’s who he is. That’s what’s made him really good. That’s why he was drafted where he was. That’s why he’s in the big leagues before anybody from that draft.”

But the Angels need Neto, especially at this juncture of the season. Another lengthy absence would be another challenge for the Angels.

“I don’t think it’s a secret what an impact he makes on our team when he’s out there every day,” Nevin said. “So losing him for an extended period of time would not be good for us. We understand that. We got to get him right. And hopefully in a couple of days he’ll be right there taking those big swings that you guys like to see.”

Neto was limited to one game in last week’s series against the Pittsburgh Pirates because of back stiffness. He felt better earlier this week, but Nevin opted to hold him out for the first two games of the Detroit series.

“I mean, it felt good [after Thursday’s game],” Neto said “I kind of felt like myself, probably not 100%, but it’s close to as 100% as I’ve felt. I woke up the next day fine. It was just taking swings yesterday that kind of tightened it up a little bit again.”

Neto was initially set to start Friday before he experienced back tightness again while swinging in batting practice before the game.