Costly error dooms Angels to another loss to Toronto
Raisel Iglesias
ANAHEIM » did his job.
The Angels' defense did, too — until the ninth inning.
An error in right field by Juan Lagares on a playable line-drive single by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. allowed Alejandro Kirk to score the winning run in the ninth inning of the Angels' 4-3 loss on Friday at Angel Stadium.
Kirk led off the ninth inning with a weakly hit infield single against the Angels' closer. The rotund catcher advanced to second base on a bunt by Bradley Zimmer. When Gurriel hit a line drive to right field, Kirk appeared ready to stop at third base. But the slow-footed catcher turned on the jets when the ball bounced off Lagares' glove.
The Angels could not score in the bottom of the ninth, sending them to their second straight loss against the Blue Jays at Angel Stadium.
Toronto committed three errors to the Angels' one, but they made the most of their chances with the bat. The Blue Jays went 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position against Chase Silseth and five relievers. The Angels went 1 for 7.
Silseth got through 4 1/3 innings with no strikeouts and plenty of help from his defense. The Blue Jays hit into a 6-4-3 double play — shortstop Andrew Velazquez to second baseman Luis Rengifo to first baseman Jared Walsh — in each of the first three innings.
There was no chance for a double play in the fourth inning. Silseth retired Toronto's 3-4-5 hitters (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez) in order. Guerrero, the son of the eponymous Angels star, went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and a double-play groundout.
The two teams traded runs in the second inning. Bichette doubled and scored on a groundout in the top of the inning. Rengifo doubled and scored on an Andrew Velazquez single in the bottom of the inning. A solo home run by Jared Walsh, his 10th of the season, put the Angels ahead 2-1 in the third.
Toronto tied the score and chased Silseth in the fifth. Alejandro Kirk doubled. Raimel Tapia singled. Gurriel doubled, scoring Kirk and putting runners on second and third with none out.
Silseth retired Cavan Biggio on a lineout, then gave the ball to Jimmy Herget. The lithe right-hander got Springer to pop out, and struck out Santiago Espinal on a curveball at the belt to end the inning. Thus began a mostly excellent night for the Angels' bullpen.
Herget retired all six batters he faced, striking out two. With a left-handed hitter, Raimel Tapia, due up in the seventh inning, Manager Joe Maddon turned to left-hander Aaron Loup.
The Blue Jays countered with right-handed pinch hitter Danny Jansen. He and Gurriel greeted Loup with back-to-back singles. Another right-handed pinch hitter, Matt Chapman, replaced Cavan Biggio, and singled in a run to tie the score 3-3.
In came Ryan Tepera. The former Blue Jays reliever struck out George Springer and retired Espinal on a flyout to end the inning, stranding a pair of runners.
Oliver Ortega struck out the side in the eighth inning, preserving the tie and setting up the fateful ninth.
The Angels (27-20) have lost three straight games overall, and are three games behind the firstplace Houston Astros (2917) in the American League West.
BLUE JAYS 4, ANGELS 3 Up next: Blue Jays at Angels, today, 7:07 p.m., BSW