Since returning from a successful seven-game road trip in which the Angels averaged more than seven runs per game and scored eight runs in the home opener, the Angels have now scored just four runs in their last three games.
Advertisement
That includes their 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night when the Angels struck out 18 times.
In the last three games, the Angels (11-13) have struck out 39 times and managed just 14 hits.
“You could just say that’s baseball,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “You could say we cooled down. I really think the pitching we faced, (Dylan) Cease tonight and then those three guys that came before (Jeff) Hoffman, (Louis) Varland and (Tyler) Rogers and (Braydon) Fisher, you looked up and those guys had ERAs under one. So they’ve been pretty good all year. So definitely a very, very difficult task tonight.”
Heading into the April 9 road trip, the Angels’ 29.2% strikeout rate ranked worst in the majors. During the eight-game stretch that included the road trip and first game back, his strikeout rate was 17.2%, which was second-best in baseball over that span.
Advertisement
The Angels opened the scoring in the first inning when first baseman Nolan Schanuel’s two-out double down the left field line was followed by a two-strike RBI single from designated hitter Jorge Soler.
In the third, shortstop Zach Neto led off the inning with a walk and center fielder Mike Trout followed with a single. Neto and Trout then executed a double steal to set up Schanuel for a sacrifice fly on the eighth pitch of the at-bat.
After the fifth inning, the Angels failed to reach scoring position for the remainder of the game.
Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease racked up 12 strikeouts in five innings against the Angels.
Advertisement
“I thought his stuff was pretty electric,” Suzuki said. “You know, 99 (mph) and a couple breaking balls and a good changeup.”
Left-hander Reid Detmers worked hard during his outing today, allowing four earned runs in six innings pitched with five strikeouts and two walks.
“My body felt good,” Detmers said. “I kind of worked through the first innings, but then I realized going into the fourth. I mean, it is what it is. Things felt good after the fourth inning. I made a couple of mistakes, but that’s baseball.”
Detmers’ first error came in the third inning, when he left a changeup over the heart of the plate for Blue Jays first baseman Vadimir Guerrero Jr., who fired over the center field bushes for a two-run home run.
Advertisement
The next mistake came in the sixth inning, when Detmers threw an 0-2 curveball that caught too much of the plate and Blue Jays second baseman Lenyn Sosa had enough to hit a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 lead.
“I was kicking myself after that,” Detmers said. “I should have thrown a slider. Coming off the mound, I was pretty mad at myself for not throwing a slider, but you live and learn.”
Control was another issue for Detmers at times throughout the night, specifically his fastball. His fastball found the zone only 34% of the time, but he still had a 55% strike rate because he got hitters out of the zone.
“You just have to trust it,” Detmers said. “You have to trust the process. It’s not always going to be there. But fortunately, my off-speed pitches were good enough at the time, so I was able to trust them while the fastball wasn’t there. And then the fastball started coming back in the fifth and sixth.”
Advertisement
The Blue Jays added in the eighth when right fielder Myles Straw led off with a walk and then scored on a single by pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes. In the ninth, the Blue Jays scored again when Straw led off with a single, then reached second on a passed ball by catcher Logan O’Hoppe, then reached third on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Tyler Heineman and scored on Lukes’ groundout.
The pass that led to the Blue Jays’ insurance run added to what was a difficult night for O’Hoppe, who also went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the game.
The Angels will look to even the series Tuesday night with right-hander Jack Kochanowicz on the mound.