José Soriano gave the Angels exactly the kind of start they’ve been chasing, and it still wasn’t enough.
For six innings Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, Soriano looked a lot like the pitcher who carved through April and won American League Pitcher of the Month honors with an 0.84 ERA in seven starts. He wasn’t as overpowering as he was in his best outings, but he was sharp, steady and in control for most of the night in an 8-3 loss to the Rangers.
Soriano struck out four and walked two while allowing two earned runs. He leaned more on his knuckle-curve and splitter than he had earlier in the year, and the pitch mix continued to pay off even without the usual avalanche of whiffs.
He entered the game with a 93rd percentile whiff rate at 33.2 percent, but Tuesday was more about limiting damage than missing bats. He gave up only five hard-hit balls, including the only two hits he allowed, both singles.
“I thought he pitched great,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “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.”
That’s the encouraging part for the Angels: Soriano’s last two starts have looked far closer to the dominant version than the erratic one that showed up in May and June, when he walked 5.75 batters per nine innings and carried a 5.34 ERA. He followed a nine-strikeout outing in Seattle six days earlier with another solid performance Tuesday, and the trend line is pointing the right way.
The trouble started early, though, because Soriano’s command wobbled just enough to cost him. He came into the night with the highest walk rate among qualified AL starters at 11.6 percent, and after issuing two more walks against Texas, he still leads the league with 51 free passes. In the second inning, a pair of one-out walks on nine pitches set up Nicky Lopez’s two-run single.
Denzer Guzman nearly had a play on Lopez’s 97.2-mph grounder, but he was positioned in close at third and had little time to react. Soriano, though, settled in after that. He retired 13 of the final 14 hitters he faced, working through 93 pitches with 56 strikes and fighting back after falling behind on the first pitch to 12 of the 23 batters he saw.
“Sometimes we lose a little bit of command; that happens. ... Just keep working and not focusing on the bad things,” Soriano said.
The Angels gave Soriano some early support, jumping ahead 2-0 in the first inning against Jacob deGrom, who was lifted after five innings and 80 pitches. They also briefly regained the lead in the seventh by manufacturing a run: Oswald Peraza singled, stole second and scored on Wade Meckler’s single.
But the bullpen couldn’t hold it together. Tayler Saucedo gave up a leadoff homer to Rangers pinch-hitter Justin Foscue on the eighth pitch of the at-bat in the seventh, and then Sam Bachman was tagged for five earned runs on six hits in the eighth.
“It looked like he left some balls up and they didn’t miss it,” Suzuki said of Bachman. “They battled and found ways to put the ball in play.”
The loss stretched the Angels’ skid to seven games, matching their longest of the season.
“Seven in a row is definitely tough. ... We know there’s going to be some ups and downs, and in this game, you’re going to go through those,” Suzuki said.
“It’s how you respond to them. That’s what we try to teach them.”
In Other News...
Zach Neto Is Suddenly Part Of An Angels Debate Fans Hate
Zach Neto has become one of the more intriguing offensive stories in Anaheim this season, and not just because the Angels shortstop is supplying real pop from the top of the lineup. With 19 home runs and a leadoff role that asks him to set the tone, Neto has leaned into a power-over-contact approach that fits the modern game, even if it comes with plenty of empty swings attached.
The uneasy part for Angels fans is how quickly that tradeoff has turned into a leaguewide conversation. Neto is piling up strikeouts at a rate that puts him in a messy race no hitter wants to be part of, but he has made clear he is not dwelling on the number and is more concerned with how hard it is to square up big-league pitching in the first place. For a team still trying to sort out its offensive identity, he has become both a bright spot and a reminder of how thin the line can be between impact and frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Trouts Return Just Forced A Brutal Angels Roster Decision
Mike Trout is back on the active roster after the Angels activated him from the injured list, a move that clears the way for him to take part in the upcoming All-Star Game. For a club that has spent much of the season juggling health and lineup construction, getting Trout back in the fold is the kind of roster jolt that changes the conversation, even if only for a stretch.
The corresponding move was the tougher part of the transaction, with veteran infielder Donovan Walton designated for assignment as the Angels made room. Trouts return also leaves Jose Siri and Josh Lowe in place for now, so the outfield picture stays crowded while the club sorts out its next move over the coming days. [Read more 🡒]
Another Angels Bullpen Letdown Just Made This Skid Feel Worse
Jos Soriano gave the Angels a chance to settle in against Texas, working six innings and allowing two earned runs while Jacob deGrom handled five innings for the Rangers in the series opener. For a while, it looked like the game might stay tight enough for Los Angeles to lean on its starter and keep its recent slide from getting any worse.
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 🡒]