SEATTLE — While Angels fans wait for the team to “learn how to win,” as Manager Ron Washington says frequently, they are getting plenty of experience in finding new ways to lose.
Left-hander Matt Moore gave up a tie-breaking home run to Ty France in the eighth inning of the Angels’ 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
That in itself would not have made for a unique script in this forgettable Angels season. The twist was that Moore gave up the homer to cost the Angels a game that could have been one of their best victories.
An inning earlier, Jo Adell emerged from his slump to come off the bench and hit a game-tying grand slam. Adell had another shot in the ninth inning, representing the go-ahead run, but he didn’t even get a chance to swing because Kevin Pillar was caught trying to steal second base to end the game.
Instead of Adell being the hero, he was just another piece of the Angels’ 21st loss in 29 games decided by one or two runs.
Adell had been one of the pleasant surprises of the season’s first two months, seemingly getting his major league footing and becoming an everyday player.
He was not in the lineup on Friday, though, because Washington decided he needed to “settle his mind down a little bit.” Adell had just one hit in his previous 32 at-bats with 15 strikeouts.
Adell’s night off came to an end when the Angels had the bases loaded, down 4-0, in the seventh inning. Washington summoned him to pinch-hit against left-hander Tayler Saucedo.
Adell got a 2-and-2 hanging slider and he lifted it just over the left field fence, for the Angels’ first pinch-hit grand slam since 2012. Alberto Callaspo hit that one, coincidentally also in Seattle.
Adell’s homer marked the first time anyone in the majors had hit a game-tying, pinch-hit grand slam since 2019.
That spared right-hander José Soriano from a loss on a night when he gave up four runs in six innings, with his outing also following a familiar script.
Soriano has allowed 25 runs in 52⅓ innings over 10 starts, but 20 of those runs have been scored in six innings.
The bad innings have usually been at the beginning or end of his outings, and this time it was a rough start.
Soriano gave up a double to J.P. Crawford to start the game. Josh Rojas then dropped a bloop single into left field, sending Crawford to third.
Soriano got the next two outs on fly balls, as one run scored. He was nearly out of the jam with minimal damage. France (South Hills High) hit a ball to the fence, and Kevin Pillar was able to get a glove on it, but not catch it. Two more runs scored.
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After that, Soriano still managed to stick around for five more innings, allowing just one more run. Soriano got a little help from center fielder Mickey Moniak, who robbed Luke Raley of a two-run homer in the fourth.
Soriano was losing 4-0 when he threw his final pitch because the Angels hitters were doing nothing with Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo.
The Angels had only three hits in six innings against Woo, who now has a 1.30 ERA through his first five starts of the season.
The Angels were certainly thrilled that the Mariners decided to pull Woo after just 66 pitches, because they quickly jumped back into the game against the Seattle bullpen.
More to come on this story.