Angels blow another 9th-inning lead in loss to Phillies

ANAHEIM — The Angels had amassed all the good fortune they could muster Friday only to melt down yet again.

Read more Dodgers on the wrong side of another 1-run game

Edmundo Sosa hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a 5-3 victory over the Angels in the opener of a three-game series.

It did not matter that Reid Detmers had another brilliant outing, allowing one run over six innings. It made no difference that Detmers started the most unlikely of double plays in the fourth inning when a ball deflected off the back of his left shoulder to shortstop Zach Neto, who caught it and completed a double play at the bag.

Not even Wade Meckler’s home run-robbing catch at the short wall in right field in the ninth inning could save the day. J.T. Realmuto followed with a walk against an erratic Ben Joyce (0-2) to load the bases and Sosa crushed a 1-and-1 changeup from Sammy Peralta to the left-field side of center.

For the second consecutive game, the Angels failed to protect an early three-run lead and lost when their run-scoring abilities evaporated. The Angels have now lost 11 times this season when leading after the eighth inning.

“It’s definitely not good but at the same time, these guys are resilient,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “After a couple of close losses to Cleveland, we came back out today and had another chance to win. We brought the winning run to the plate. They never give up.”

Detmers deserved better. It has been the theme of the left-hander’s past six weeks.

“I felt good. I didn’t think my slider was quite there tonight, but I managed to get through six,” Detmers said. “My other pitches felt pretty good. I gave the team the best chance to win.”

Detmers lowered his ERA to 1.55 over his past eight starts and yet still has just one win to show for it over the stretch. He has given the Angels exactly what they have needed since the All-Star break. An inability to return the favor has persisted.

“It’s been great. It’s the stability, right?” Suzuki said beforehand of Detmers’ body of work since the middle of July. “And that presence every fifth day, sixth day.

“But just having his presence every time he gets on the field, it’s been good. Especially for the younger pitchers, just to watch how he goes about his business, how he does his routine, how he works out in the weight room – all those type of things. It’s good leadership.”

It seemed like he was able to create his own good fortune in the fourth inning.

With the Phillies down 3-0 but threatening, following a bunt single from Bryce Harper that put runners on first and second, Luis Arraez hit a line-drive comebacker. Detmers ducked as low as he could go, the ball rebounded off his shoulder and directly to Neto for the double play.

Read more Alexander: USC football’s sweet opening schedule makes sense for Lincoln Riley

“I’m fine,” Detmers said. “Not too worried about it.”

Despite allowing one run or less in six of his past eight starts, the Angels are just 1-7 in those games. In the game they won, Detmers dominated the Kansas City Royals in a 1-0 victory.

Detmers went on to pitch two more scoreless innings Friday, ending his night by allowing one run on eight hits over six innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Five of those hits came after he took the line drive off his shoulder.

“I thought Det was awesome tonight,” Suzuki said. “Six innings, one run against that team, that’s pretty good. Put us right there in line to win the game.”

In the fifth inning, Detmers was nearly out of another jam when a two-out bunt single from Derek Hill scored Alec Bohm as the Phillies pulled within 3-1. The bunt might have been the third out of the inning, but first baseman Vaughn Grissom elected to field the ball instead of staying on the bag and allowing Detmers to make the play.

“I kind of talked to him after and was like, ‘The only play we had is if you stayed on the bag and I flipped to you because in that situation, the second baseman’s not going to be able to get to first,’” Detmers said. “It is what it is. It kind of sucks that somebody scored off that, but I felt like that was the theme of the night.”

The run ended Detmers’ career-best streak of 20 innings without allowing a run. Former Angels right-hander Jose Soriano had a scoreless streak of 25⅔ innings earlier this season.

Philadelphia nearly tacked on another run, but Meckler threw out De La Cruz at home after a single from Kyle Schwarber.

Joyce’s lack of command in the ninth was apparent early. He hit Bohm with one out then walked Justin Crawford before Stott hit a deep drive toward the corner in right. Meckler sprinted over and reached over the wall for the catch and the second out. Two batters later, after the walk to Realmuto, Sosa delivered his first career grand slam.

“I kind of felt off from the beginning,” Joyce said. “I was trying to get back in the zone with the heater and was just having trouble finding it tonight.”

One hit for the Angels’ offense over the final eight innings also spelled doom. The rest of the night looked nothing like their first inning, when Neto opened with a walk and Mike Trout singled. Meckler’s RBI single gave the Angels a 1-0 lead and two more runs scored on wild pitches from Phillies starter Andrew Painter.

“It’s part of the game,” Meckler said of the loss. “Baseball is tough. Everybody is good and it’s part of the game.”

Read more USC football pounces on San José State in season opener