The Angels found a fresh way to let one slip away Monday night, turning a three-run lead into a 5-3 loss to the Phillies on Edmundo Sosa’s two-out grand slam.
For a while, it looked like Los Angeles had the opener under control. The Angels jumped on Phillies starter Andrew Painter in the first inning and built a 3-0 cushion, with returning outfielder Wade Meckler driving in the first run with an RBI single after coming off the concussion profile. Painter then helped the Angels along twice, with Mike Trout scoring on a wild pitch and Painter himself bringing home the third run on another wild pitch.
Reid Detmers gave the Angels exactly what they needed for most of the night. He carried a shutout through four innings and didn’t allow a run until the fifth, when the Phillies broke through on a squeeze bunt from Derek Hill that scored Alec Bohm. Bohm had singled, moved to third on a base hit, and then advanced on a sacrifice fly before scoring.
Detmers finished after six innings with one run allowed on eight hits and two strikeouts, a line that kept the Angels in front despite the traffic he dealt with throughout his outing.
From there, the bullpen took over, and the night followed a pattern Angels fans know too well. Jose Fermin, Ryan Watson and Tyler Saucedo held the lead at 3-1 heading into the ninth, but Ben Joyce immediately put things in danger by hitting Bohm and walking Justin Crawford. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
Wade Meckler then saved the game for a moment, robbing Bryson Stott of what would have been a three-run homer. But the Phillies weren’t done.
Joyce walked J.T. Realmuto to load the bases, Sammy Peralta entered, and Sosa delivered the knockout with the grand slam.
The night had a couple of bright spots for the Angels - Meckler’s return and Detmers’ work on the mound - but the ending fit the season’s script. Los Angeles has now lost five straight, and the blown-save formula struck again.
In Other News...
Angels Prospect Report Reveals Whos Turning Heads Early
The Arizona Complex League has already given the Angels a useful early look at a couple of prospects who fit very different profiles. Hayden Alvarez has drawn attention for his athleticism, versatility and offensive upside, while Jared Grindlinger, one of the organizations younger two-way talents, is still more of a work in progress as he gets his first extended exposure to pro ball.
Baseball America scout Jason Penninis early read is encouraging for Los Angeles, especially with Alvarez, who he placed near the top of the systems prospect conversation. Grindlinger brings a different kind of intrigue, with the kind of raw ability that can make a player worth tracking closely even before the production catches up. The Angels are still waiting to see how far that talent can go, and whether the bat starts to match the promise. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Rotation Suddenly Looks Different For One Very Intriguing Reason
A few weeks after the Angels handed the pitching staff to interim coach Tim Leveque, the rotation has started to look like a different unit. Leveque, who leans heavily on advanced analytics and technology, took over after veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux was replaced, and the early results have been hard to ignore. The starters have put together a much cleaner stretch of work, with ERAs dropping noticeably since the change.
For an Angels club always searching for stability on the mound, the timing matters. The immediate improvement suggests there may be more here than a short burst, and it raises a real question about how far this approach can carry the staff into next season. If the data-driven plan continues to stick, the rotation could wind up being one of the more interesting developments on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Grayson Rodriguez Is Suddenly Changing The Angels Rotation Debate
Grayson Rodriguez has started to look like the kind of arm the Angels can actually build around, which is a notable development after the stop-and-start nature of his season. In August, he settled in with a 2.93 ERA over his final five starts, and the bigger takeaway for the Angels is the way he got there: better fastball command, sharper secondary pitches and the kind of overall pitch quality that suggests his stuff is playing the way the club hoped it would.
For a rotation that is always under the microscope, Rodriguezs recent stretch changes the conversation from short-term survival to longer-term fit. The injury recovery remains part of the backdrop, but if this version of him holds, the Angels suddenly have a much more interesting decision to make about how he fits into their future plans and how high he belongs on their starting-pitching board. [Read more 🡒]