The Los Angeles Angels are in serious trouble, having won just five of its last 22 games following 11 wins through its first 21 games to overtake the worst record in baseball.
The Los Angeles Angels have lost three of four series in the month of May after dropping the middle game of its three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday.
The Angels kept the game close unlike the 7-2 loss in the opener, but Los Angeles mustered just two runs again and were defeated 3-2.
The Angels outhit the Guardians 8-to-4 and made Cleveland’s pitching staff work, but a critical throwing error by third baseman Oswald Peraza in the eighth inning opened the door for Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio to hit a sacrifice fly and knock in the eventual winning run.
Angels right-handed starter Walbert Urena pitched a solid game but struggled to throw strikes, with only 50 of his 91 pitches landing in the zone. He threw five innings and allowed two runs on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Righty Slade Cecconi only completed four innings for the Guardians, but he outpitched Urena. Cecconi allowed five hits and one walk but struck out seven batters on 89 pitches, 59 of which were strikes.
Los Angeles’ offense and bullpen fought valiantly in this one but just couldn’t get out in front of Cleveland; if Peraza doesn’t commit a throwing error, infielder Vaughn Grissom’s eighth inning home run would have tied the game. Instead, the Angels were chasing one in the ninth and went down in order.
After an 11-10 start to the season, the Angels are 5-17 over its last 22 games and are now tied with the injury-riddled Houston Astros for the worst record in Major League Baseball (16-27).
The Halos and left-hander Reid Detmers will try to salvage the series and avoid being swept against Cleveland’s rookie lefty Parker Messick, who has been outstanding.
Detmers is 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through eight starts (43.2 innings). He struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays his last time out, getting pulled after just 3.2 innings after allowing two runs on two hits and six walks while fanning three.
40 percent of Detmers’ walk total for the season came in that start, so command issues haven’t been a problem for the 26-year-old, but it’s worth keeping an eye on today.
Messick was great in seven starts (39.2 innings) a season ago, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.72 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 38 strikeouts, but he’s been even better this year.
Messick is 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 51 punchouts through eight starts (47 innings) this season. The 25-year-old gave up some contact to the Minnesota Twins during his last outing, but Messick held the Twins to one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven in 5.2 innings.
First pitch is at 10:10 a.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.