Jose Soriano gave the Angels exactly the kind of start they needed. The bullpen gave it right back.
In an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, Soriano worked six solid innings and kept Los Angeles in the game long enough to hand off a tie. That part of the night looked encouraging for an Angels club that has spent too much time searching for stability. The back end, though, turned the opener in Texas into another familiar collapse.
Soriano allowed two runs over six innings, and the game was still even at 2-2 when he exited for the seventh. He didn’t overwhelm the Rangers with swing-and-miss stuff, but he limited damage and avoided hard contact, using his splitter and knuckle-curve to navigate the outing.
“I thought he pitched great,” said manager Kurt Suzuki. “He attacked the zone, his curveball was working, he got some early contacts and soft contacts. ....
He’s put up a couple of good ones, and you like where he’s at. It’s definitely been positive the last two times he’s been out.”
Dave Sessions of MLB.com noted that Soriano had a 5.34 ERA in May and June, making this start a welcome step forward. He gave up just a pair of singles, though a couple of walks in the second inning opened the door for Texas to score twice and erase an early 2-0 Angels lead.
Los Angeles had jumped ahead on an RBI double by Jorge Soler in the first and a single from Josh Lowe that brought home a run in the second. Texas answered in the second with an RBI single by Nicky Lopez that plated a pair.
The Angels briefly nudged back in front in the seventh when Wade Meckler singled hom a run, but that lead lasted only until the bullpen took over. Tyler Saucedo allowed a run in the seventh, and Sam Bachman was hit hard for five more in the eighth as the Rangers blew the game open.
Justin Foscue did the most damage for Texas, finishing with a home run and an RBI single during the late surge. Alejandro Osuna also homered in the eighth, and the Rangers finished with 11 hits.
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Instead, the bullpen could not hold the line. The Rangers turned a 3-3 game into a blowout with five runs in the eighth inning, and the 8-3 loss extended the Angels losing streak to seven games. For a club already searching for any sign of traction, another late unraveling only made the skid feel heavier. [Read more 🡒]