ANAHEIM — It happened again.
Right-hander Kirby Yates gave away a one-run ninth-inning lead in the Angels’ 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
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The Angels have now lost eight times when leading after eight innings. Yates has been responsible for three of those. He’s also taken the loss in four games that were tied when he entered.
When asked why he opted for Yates for the save situation, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he’s been throwing the ball well. Yates had allowed one earned run in his previous 12 games.
“In that spot we just feel like he’s throwing the ball good, where everything kind of lines up,” Suzuki said.
The Angels had a 1-0 lead after six innings from Reid Detmers and two from right-handers Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman.
Yates started the ninth by hitting Dillon Dingler with a pitch. He got an out and then he walked Riley Greene. After a second out on a fly ball, Yates gave up a two-run double to Hao-Yu Lee.
“Seems like anytime I get in a situation where it’s tight, tie, one-run, whatever it is, I can’t get the lead off guy out and that’s killing me,” Yates said. “Today I didn’t throw the ball very well. I needed to make a few critical pitches towards the end. Got a couple big outs. Couldn’t get the last one.”
The Angels had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, when they got two runners on with no outs. The Tigers’ infielders made two slick plays to record the final two outs of the game, though.
The Angels (38-60) wasted a solid outing from Detmers.
“I think everything was working to be honest with you, which was nice,” Detmers said. “Hasn’t happened in a while. It was good to get back out there. I had a couple extra days off and was able to clear the head a little bit and obviously let the body recover a little bit. It was good.”
Detmers had a 7.40 ERA in his previous four starts, which is one of the reasons that Suzuki wanted to get him out with a positive outing after six innings, even though he had only thrown 86 pitches.
“I thought his fastball was good, command of his breaking ball and he was flipping those in for strikes, constantly was ahead in the count, putting guys away,” Suzuki said. “He was really on the attack from pitch one.”
It was the type of performance that certainly helps his trade value. Detmers, 26, figures to be one of the more attractive pitchers on the trade market in advance of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
“Try not to think about it,” Detmers said. “It’s obviously pretty hard to ignore but at the same time it is what it is. There’s not a whole lot I can do. Right now I’m here and that’s all my focus is, being here and helping this team win and trying to get to the postseason.”
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The Angels are under no pressure to trade Detmers, 26, because he’s under control for two more years. Their best strategy would be to set a high price for him and see if anyone meets it. Had Detmers continued to struggle as he did leading up to the All-Star break, suitors might have been reluctant to commit the kind of prospect capital the Angels would like to acquire.
Detmers likely has three more starts before the deadline, and if they all look like this one, the Angels will be able to keep a high price tag on him.
For the season, Detmers has a 4.16 ERA, with 130 strikeouts and 35 walks in 114⅔ innings. That includes six scoreless innings against the Dodgers last month, an outing that could be significant to any National League contender.
Facing a Tigers team that is also fighting to show its management that it can be in the race, Detmers had little trouble.
The Tigers never had more than one baserunner in an inning against Detmers. The only times they had runners in scoring position were when he gave up doubles in the third and fourth innings. Both times Detmers struck out the next hitter.
After Detmers was pulled, Zeferjahn worked a perfect seventh, with two strikeouts. Bachman retired the side in the eighth, striking out three left-handed hitters on changeups.
Yates couldn’t get the job done.
Although he ultimately took the loss, the hitters share the blame for managing only one run. They didn’t score after pushing home a run in the first.
They were facing right-hander Troy Melton, a product of Canyon High in Anaheim. Melton, who made his major league debut last year, had never pitched at Angel Stadium as a major leaguer.
In the first inning, the Angels loaded the bases with one out, but the only run they scored was on a groundout.
The Angels had a great opportunity to blow the game open in the third, when Mike Trout led off with a double and then Nolan Schanuel walked. The next three hitters made outs, including strikeouts for Soler and Jo Adell.
Zach Neto led off the fifth with a single, but he was caught stealing.
“Obviously when you get guys on like that, first and second, no outs, you want to score,” Suzuki said. “But that’s part of the game. Their pitcher locked it in. He really threw the ball well. You gotta give him credit. He had good stuff. He threw the ball well, He settled down.”
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