On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Angels had a chance to win, but it fell apart in a disastrous way. At Angel Stadium, the Detroit Tigers exploded for eight consecutive runs to steal a 10-4 victory after the Angels led 4-2 heading into the eighth inning. The Angels’ sixth consecutive defeat highlighted the team’s downward spiral, as they are at 12-18.
Manager Ron Washington was candid in his postgame explanation of the misfire after Reid Detmers failed to retire two important left-handed batters in the eighth.
Washington stated, “I think the main thing was he didn’t get those left-handers out.” We would have led 4-2 going into the ninth inning if he had struck out those two left-handers. That was the point of failure. The first one was walked. The following one then gave up a two-run single with a base hit. It just did not occur.
After Ryan Zeferjahn gave up a leadoff single to Gleyber Torres, Washington had resorted to Detmers. The lefty Detmers had to navigate a favorable matchup stretch and lefty slugger Riley Greene. However, the Tigers capitalized after walking Greene and giving up an RBI single to Andy Ibáñez.
The Angels blow the lead to the Tigers
After Zach McKinstry singled to equalize the score, Detroit took a 7-4 lead thanks to a three-run homer by Dillon Dingler against Detmers. The choice to keep Detmers in the eighth inning rather than add another arm received criticism after the game.
Zeferjahn was to be used for one-plus. To get him past Torres was our goal, Washington clarified. To help [Detmers] get past Torres, that’s why I chose him in the eighth. We thought Detmers had a rather nice setup with the rest of the team. However, it didn’t work out.
Jo Adell’s careless defense in center field, whose error enabled runners to advance on Ibáñez’s single, further contributed to the collapse. Washington didn’t mince words.
“It was obvious. At that point in the game, it wasn’t very good,” he stated. “That was really unnecessary for us. Right there at the end, it wasn’t very good.
The Angels have now dropped 14 of their previous 18 games and are still among the lowest in the league in terms of strikeouts and on-base percentage. Additionally, Mike Trout’s knee bone injury has sent him to the disabled list, so things can get worse before they get better. One thing is certain as the Angels look for solutions: defensive execution and bullpen management need to become better quickly.
“We simply didn’t finish it,” Washington remarked. “That’s what matters most.”
