Angels drop second straight lopsided game to…
Angels drop second straight lopsided game to Red Sox
Boston's Rafael Devers connects for a grand slam as Angels catcher Martin Maldonado looks on during the third inning of Wednesday's game at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
By Jeff Fletcher | jlfletcher@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: April 18, 2018 at 10:35 pm | UPDATED: August 1, 2018 at 11:02 am
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, is congratulated after his grand slam off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws to a Boston Red Sox batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez watches his double against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Mitch Moreland watches his RBI-single against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a hit by Mitch Moreland during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs wipes his face after loading the bases with Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 18: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox connects for a grandslam as Martin Maldonado #12 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on during the third inning of a game at Angel Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, celebrates his grand slam with Mitch Moreland during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers returns to the dugout after his grand slam against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jose Alvarez throws to a Boston Red Sox batter during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Eduardo Nunez, left, gets tagged out at second by Los Angeles Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler while trying to advance after a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez, right, talks with home plate umpire Jordan Baker after striking out during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston outfielder Mookie Betts catches a line drive hit by the Angels' Luis Valbuena during the sixth inning of Wednesday's game at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 18: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a solo homerun during the seventh inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons, left, and left fielder Justin Upton can't make the catch on a fly ball hit by Boston's Mookie Betts during the eighth inning of Wednesday's game at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, right, and first baseman Mitch Moreland celebrate the team's 9-0 win against the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
ANAHEIM — Remember when the Angels could seemingly do no wrong?
Just a few days after they were riding a seven-game winning streak and scoring the most runs in the major leagues, the Angels have seen their joyride come to abrupt halt at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.
The Angels are now enduring their first losing "streak" of the young season, after dropping a second consecutive game to the Red Sox, the latest a 9-0 loss on Wednesday night.
"It's just two games," Zack Cozart said. "We obviously didn't play well. Me for sure. We'll come back tomorrow and try to play better. It's pretty simple. We just have to play better all around."
The Angels had been off to the best 16-game start in franchise history, at 13-3, before a weather postponement on Sunday in Kansas City and a scheduled off day interrupted their momentum. Also, the equally sizzling Red Sox came to town, having won 14 of their first 16 games.
"They're a tough team right now," said starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who gave up most of his six runs on a Rafael Devers grand slam. "They're seeing it well. When you're hot, you're hot."
The Red Sox have hit nine homers in the two games, including a 10-1 victory on Tuesday night. That ugly game actually contributed to this one, by chewing up so much of the Angels' bullpen that Manager Mike Scioscia had to give Skaggs a longer leash than he probably should have.
The Angels needed five relievers to finish Tuesday's game. Luke Bard threw 39 pitches and Noé Ramírez and Blake Parker each threw 23 over multiple innings.
Typically, when a team has to use so much of its bullpen, it will send down a reliever and bring up a fresh arm who has some length, in case they need significant work from the bullpen the next day.
However, the composition of the Angels roster doesn't allow them to easily do that. Of the eight relievers currently on the roster, the only one who can be optioned is Keynan Middleton, and he's been used as the closer lately.
The other pitchers are out of options, meaning they'd have to be designated for assignment and possibly lost to the organization. Bard is a Rule 5 pick, so he'd need to be offered back to the Minnesota Twins and then clear waivers before the Angels could keep him in the minors.
As a result of all that, Skaggs remained on the mound on Wednesday night even as it was apparent that he did not have his best stuff, and the game got out of hand quickly.
Skaggs gave up a run in a 27-pitch first inning. After a perfect second, the wheels fell off in the third. No one was warming in the bullpen even as the Red Sox loaded the bases.
It wasn't all Skaggs' fault. Cozart, the third baseman, made a bad throw to try to get a force at second. Cozart said if he'd made a good throw, they'd have actually gotten the double play.
The inning continued. Mitch Moreland's bases-loaded single drove in one run. With the bases still loaded and no outs, Devers came to the plate.
Still, no one was warming up in the bullpen.
"There's no doubt at some point you've got to make some pitches and try to get out of it," Scioscia said. "We barely had enough bullpen to get through the game as it was. If we didn't give Tyler a chance to work out of it and get to a certain point, it was going to go south anyway."
Skaggs remained in the game and Devers crushed a curveball, which Scioscia said wasn't a bad pitch, over the line on the right field fence, putting the Red Sox up 6-0.
Heat check. #PapaSlam pic.twitter.com/Nk0PKUFIty
Scioscia still left Skaggs to get into the fifth, milking every out he could get out of him before going to the bullpen. As it was, the Angels needed to use every reliever who hadn't pitch the night before, even Middleton in a mop-up role.
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Short outings by the starters have been a problem for the Angels, even as they've been winning. The bullpen and offense had bailed them out for much of the early going, but the hole was too deep this time.
"We have to start picking it up as a starting pitching staff," Skaggs said.
The hitters, who had been averaging a major league-leading 6.4 runs per game before the season, could not overcome the deficit. They scored just one run in the first two games of the series, with a particularly discouraging wasted opportunity in the first inning, when it was a 1-0 game. They loaded the bases with one out against Rick Porcello, but Kole Calhoun and Cozart struck out.
"You're going to run into some waves like this where it doesn't seem like you're putting things together, but we're a much better offensive team than any time in the last number of years," Scioscia said. "We've got a lot of confidence we'll continue to swing the bats well."
Jeff Fletcher
Jeff Fletcher has covered the Angels since 2013. Before that, he spent 11 years covering the Giants and A's and working as a national baseball writer. Jeff is a Hall of Fame voter. In 2015, he was elected chairman of the Los Angeles chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
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