The Los Angeles Angels got another good start from Jack Kochanowicz, but Drew Pomeranz couldn't keep the game tied.
The bullpen is a combustible entity these days for the Los Angeles Angels, and last night they cost the Halos yet another game as the offense continued to scuffle and reliever Drew Pomeranz gave up three runs in the eighth to help the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-2 win.
The Angels wasted another good start from Jack Kochanowicz, who gave up just one run in 5-2/3 innings and lowered his ERA to 3.10 in the process. Kochanowicz didn’t have his best stuff, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, but he’s struck out 19 hitters while walking 17 in 29 innings so far.
“I felt good,” Kochanowicz said. “I felt like I kept us in the game pretty well, but I wouldn't say the stuff felt the best today. But just some deep breaths at the right times got me through some things.”
Kurt Suzuki added a note about his pitcher's strength, which is becoming increasingly apparent as Kochanowicz continues to progress. “Throwing strikes and keeping them on the ground," Suzuki said. "Just making some good pitches and kept us in the game the whole time.”
His start was part of a pitchers duel early, as he matched scoreless innings with Toronto hurler Patrick Corbin for the first four innings. The Angels scored first on a sacrifice fly by Vaughn Grissom that brought home Oswald Peraza, who had a two-hit night.
But Toronto came right back in the sixth as Kochanowicz ran out of gas, as a sacrifice fly by Lenyn Sosa brought home Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after Guerrero reached on an infield hit and Jesus Sanchez singled him over to third.
The game stayed tied at 1-1 until the eighth, when Pomeranz gave it big, with the big hits being an RBI double by Sosa and a single by Eloy Jimenez that drove in a run to make it 4-1. The Angels did mount a rally in the ninth as pinch hitter Yoan Moncada drove in Mike Trout with an RBI single, but Nolan Schanuel left the bases loaded with one out as he grounded into a double play.
The Blue Jays bullpen was a difference-maker in this one, too, as Corbin went five innings and a series of Toronto relievers gave up just that one run in the ninths. Louis Varland got the pivotal DP to rescue Jeff Hoffman from a possible blown save, but the Angels had just five hits in this one, and there wasn’t going much going on offensively beyond Peraza’s performance.
The Angels have now lost four straight, but they do have Jose Soriano going in the series finale, with Eric Lauer going for the Blue Jays.