The Angels kept Seattle from reaching the finish line with a winning record, squeezing out a 2-1 victory in Anaheim on Tuesday night and locking the Mariners into a losing season in 2026.
It was the kind of game that never really gave either lineup much room to breathe. Los Angeles got six strong innings from Ryan Johnson, who gave up one run on six hits while striking out seven. Seattle’s Logan Gilbert matched him nearly pitch for pitch, working six innings and allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts, but he still took the loss and fell to 12-10.
The scoring opened in the bottom of the fifth when Vaughn Grissom delivered an RBI double to put the Angels in front. Seattle answered right back in the top of the sixth, with Julio Rodriguez tying the game on an RBI double of his own.
That deadlock didn’t last long. Josh Lowe broke it in the bottom half of the inning with a go-ahead solo home run, and that was enough to decide it.
Both bullpens did their jobs after that. The Angels’ relievers covered three innings across three pitchers and allowed just one hit, with Ryan Watson picking up his third save of the year. Seattle’s bullpen was just as sharp, with two relievers combining to allow one hit.
The final numbers told the story of a game that was tight all the way through: seven hits apiece, sluggish offenses, and very little separation between the clubs.
For Seattle, the result makes this the franchise’s first losing season since 2019. That stands in sharp contrast to last year’s stunning ALCS run, and the source of the disappointment is hard to miss.
There’s still something for the Angels to chase down the stretch, even if the big picture is mostly settled. They’re trying to avoid the 100-loss mark and now sit at 93 losses with 11 games left, including five more against the Mariners.
Johnson’s outing was another bright spot for Los Angeles. It was his third straight start of six innings, and in three of his last four outings he has allowed just one run, giving the Angels another encouraging arm to watch as the season winds down.
The three-game series wraps up Wednesday, with George Kirby scheduled for Seattle and Yusei Kikuchi set to go for the Angels.
In Other News...
Angels Lose A Rare Bullpen Bright Spot At The Worst Time
For much of a lost season, the Angels have been hunting for any reliable arm they could find, and rookie Natera had become one of the few bullpen success stories worth noting. The right-hander turned in a solid first big league season, working in 28 games with a 3.13 ERA and 48 strikeouts across 31.2 innings, giving the club a rare late-inning option it could actually lean on.
Now the Angels will have to finish without him. Natera was placed on the injured list retroactive to Sunday because of left forearm inflammation, and with the team set to wrap up before his mandatory 15-day stay is complete, his season is over. In a corresponding move, the Angels activated right-hander Sam Bachman from the injured list, adding another familiar name back into the mix as the bullpen tries to get through the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Prospects Are Caught In A Roster Squeeze Fans Should Notice
Kyren Paris and Christian Moore have spent enough time in the Angels system to show why the organization still believes in them, even if the big-league production has not matched the noise they made in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Both are already on the 40-man roster, which makes them part of the present conversation in Anaheim, but it also puts a spotlight on how quickly a prospect can get squeezed once the club starts juggling immediate needs with longer-term development.
Nelson Rada and Raudi Rodriguez represent the other side of that equation. The Angels have been careful about keeping higher-rated prospects in the minors, preserving their development time as the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement approaches and the possibility of a lockout hangs over the sport. For a team trying to balance roster pressure now with the risk of losing valuable reps later, the timing matters as much as the talent, and the next move may say a lot about how aggressive the Angels want to be before the calendar turns again. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Top Prospects Are Forcing A Bigger Anaheim Timeline Conversation
Arjun Nimmala and Tyler Bremner are giving the Angels plenty to think about as the organizations top two prospects get their first taste of playoff pressure in the Southern League semifinals. Bremner handled his side of the bargain with five innings of two-run ball and four strikeouts, while Nimmala supplied a solo homer in Rocket Citys 9-2 win over Knoxville, a tidy little reminder that the systems best young talent is not just showing up, but performing when the stakes rise.
For an Angels club always searching for the next wave of help, nights like this can sharpen the conversation about how soon the future should matter in Anaheim. Nimmala is headed to the Arizona Fall League after the season, and with both prospects continuing their development on a bigger stage, the organization suddenly has a pair of players making the case that the timeline might need a closer look. [Read more 🡒]