ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels started the week in Tampa Bay to take on the Rays in a four-game series, the first game of which featured a compelling pitching duel early on.
Patrick Sandoval delivered his best start of the season on Monday, throwing five innings of one-run ball. The southpaw has continued to improve after a rough start to the season, however he was handed a no-decision, as the Angels offense couldn’t muster any run support against the Rays RHP Zach Eflin. The right hander hurled 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out five and scattering six hits.
The Rays bullpen took over after Eflin departed and in the top of the eighth, the Angels offense exploded, scoring five runs in the frame. The highlight of the offensive explosion was a Mike Trout two-run homer that gave the Angels a comfortable lead. The Angels allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but responded right away in the top of the ninth, scoring two more and ultimately winning with a final score of 7-3.
The second contest of the four-game set was a marathon, as it took 13 innings to complete, when the Rays walked it off in extra innings. RHP Jose Soriano got the start for the Angels and his stuff looked overpowering, mixing a sinker that routinely sat in the upper 90s and even touched 101 with a low 90s wipeout slider. In five innings of work, he struck out six and only allowed one earned run. Soriano struggled with command at times as he walked five, but he mitigated the damage early on in the ballgame.
RHP Aaron Civale was on the hill for the Rays and dealt early on. It took until the sixth inning, where OF Mickey Moniak and C Logan O’Hoppe hit back-to-back home runs to put the Angels up 3-1. RHP Carlos Estevez came in for the save but the Rays managed to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and send the affair to extra innings. The two teams went back and forth until the Rays faced a one-run deficit heading into the bottom of the 13th. RHP Carson Fulmer entered the game and surrendered a game-tying double and eventually a walk-off single to SS Amed Rosario.
Looking to rebound, the Angels turned to the red-hot LHP Reid Detmers, who possessed a stellar 1.04 ERA heading into Wednesday. The lefty wasn’t quite as sharp, but he still tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits and striking out four.
The bats started strongly in the bottom half of the first against RHP Zack Littell, with Trout slugging his eighth home run of the year. The Rays put themselves right back in the mix in the bottom of the second. Jose Siri hit a sacrifice fly but the Angels responded, plating a run in both the fifth and the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Detmers allowed another run before giving way to the Angel bullpen.
In the bottom of the seventh with RHP Adam Cimber on the bump for the Angels, Yandy Diaz lined a ball softly to Zach Neto, who made the catch and dove to tag second for a crucial inning-ending double play.
RHP Hunter Strickland took over in the eighth and surrendered a go-ahead two-run homer to Amed Rosario, as the Angels bullpen continued to struggle with going late into games.
Down to their last opportunity, the Angels rallied off of Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, highlighted by a game-tying single from Anthony Rendon and a go-ahead single by Taylor Ward. Strickland redeemed himself in the bottom of the ninth, pitching a clean frame to seal the 5-4 victory.
In the final game of the series, the struggling Griffin Canning got the start and the Rays jumped the right hander by scoring two runs in the first. Canning pitched a relatively clean game throughout the rest of his five innings of work, but the Angels offense failed to find an answer for RHP Ryan Pepiot. The former top prospect in the Dodgers system twirled six innings, allowing only one run and striking out seven. The Angels scored their lone run in the sixth, when Mike Trout stole second and third, eventually scoring on a sac fly, but that was all the offense they produced.
In the top of the ninth, Miguel Sano and Luis Rengifo both reached to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but pinch-hitter Brandon Drury grounded out against LHP Colin Poche to seal the 1-2 loss for the Angels.
The Angels had an opportunity to take possession of first place in the AL West with a win on Thursday, but are now tied with the Mariners at 9-10 for second in the division.
They’ll head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds, who are currently on a three-game skid. They sit at 9-9 and fourth in the NL Central.
It was recently revealed that RHP Robert Stephenson, who signed a three-year, $33 million dollar contract in the offseason, will miss the rest of the season due to elbow surgery. Stephenson is now one of the many pitchers that have undergone elbow surgeries early in the 2024 season, as there’s been a concerning rise in elbow injuries.
That’s a big blow to their bullpen, especially as the Halos relief corps have struggled so far. They’ve posted a combined 4.35 ERA, the sixth-worst in baseball. If they want to compete in a division that has seemed as open as ever, the Angels will have to look internally for help, or potentially acquire another reliever via trade as the season continues.