When it rains, it pours. The Angels got their first strong performance from a starting pitcher in weeks Saturday night, but it was all undone by a pair of costly errors. The mistakes themselves didn’t directly put the Rays ahead, but they created the opportunities from which the deciding runs would eventually come, which in some ways is worse.
The first, a high throw from C.J. Cron to Jered Weaver in the sixth on a grounder to the right side, was followed by immediately a game-tying home run from Steven Souza. The second, a throw from Andrelton Simmons in the ninth that glanced off the runner’s shoulder following a successful pick-off, kept the inning alive just long enough for Logan Forsythe to tally the go-ahead hit off of a struggling Joe Smith.
Run Expectancy Rundown
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1wzWcfX1BeJuTPYKx7AUP3D_bmIv4CWL0lS7vliIonj4/pubchart” query=”oid=1976391661&format=interactive” width=”623″ height=”389″ /]Andrelton Simmons put the Angels ahead with a two-run single in the fifth, giving him just his second hit of the month. C.J. Cron had a nice three-hit night and Mike Trout added another two, but they were all singles. The team’s only other hit was an infield single from Johnny Giavotella. Yunel Escobar grounded into his team-worst 7th double play.
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1wzWcfX1BeJuTPYKx7AUP3D_bmIv4CWL0lS7vliIonj4/pubchart” query=”oid=1154832181&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”341″ /]Two Rays tallied the big hits Friday night, and two different ones tallied them on Saturday. Steven Souza walloped a game-tying, two-run homer in the sixth, and Logan Forsythe came through with the bases-loaded, go-ahead single in the ninth.
Starting Pitcher Scores
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1wzWcfX1BeJuTPYKx7AUP3D_bmIv4CWL0lS7vliIonj4/pubchart” query=”oid=161400381&format=interactive” width=”584″ height=”293″ /]For the first time in forever, an Angels starter actually outpitched his counterpart. Jered Weaver went six innings and struck out a season-high five batters Saturday, giving the Halos their first quality start in almost two weeks.
Jake Odorizzi had a similarly strong start, also allowing two runs in six innings of work. Odorizzi’s one true mistake was a fastball left up to Simmons in the fifth.
Bullpen Battle
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1wzWcfX1BeJuTPYKx7AUP3D_bmIv4CWL0lS7vliIonj4/pubchart” query=”oid=1141913419&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”315″ /]Joe Smith is literally the worst Angels reliever right now. His 4.50 ERA is a full two runs worse than the rest of the bullpen’s ERA as a whole. I honestly don’t know what to do with that information. Just bizarre.
Erasmo Ramirez and Alex Colome kept the Angels off the scoreboard for the final three innings, scattering just a pair of singles and a walk.
Game Flow
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Angel Antagonist
Two losses and a blown save in the team’s first 30 games? Not exactly the start Joe Smith wanted in his walk year.
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