ANAHEIM — You were right to have a bad feeling about the Angels’ game when it went to extra innings.
The Angels lost, 6-3, to the New York Yankees in 10 innings on Wednesday night, losing for the 13th time in 17 extra-inning games this season.
It was an ugly finish to what had been a sharp pitchers’ duel between the Angels’ Reid Detmers and Cy Young Award candidate Cam Schlittler.
Starting pitching has not been a problem for the Angels. The bullpen, however, was stripped down at the trade deadline, leading to several late losses in the month since.
Rookie right-hander Luke Murphy was on the mound in the 10th this time. He struck out the first hitter, and then he gave up a hit and a walk. After a pop-up, he was an out away from stranding the Yankees’ automatic runner.
He then gave up four straight hits to Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice, producing five runs.
“I feel like I was attacking like I had been in the past and they were putting good swings on it,” Murphy said. “So hats off to them.”
In 11 extra-inning games at home this season, the Angels have only stranded the opponent’s automatic runner in the top of the inning twice. The Angels have played 18 extra innings this season – one game went to 11 – and they’ve been outscored, 30-12.
“Obviously extra innings has been tough, especially at home,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “But we had Murphy here as our guy and he was one pitch away. You know, at this level when the floodgates open, it’s hard to stop, especially against a team like that. It comes down to executing your pitches and getting the job done.”
Moisés Ballesteros hit a two-run homer, his first homer with the Angels, in the bottom of the 10th.
Before all of that, the story of the game was the starters.
Detmers gave up one run in seven innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. Schlittler gave up one run on two hits in eight innings. He struck out nine and didn’t walk anyone.
“Reid was awesome,” Suzuki said. “He was matching him, pitch for pitch and executing his pitches. His fastballs, he was hitting his spots. It’s hard to tell from the side, but talking to Reid, he said he was hitting his spots and then Schlittler looked like he kept us off balance. He’s throwing hard. We took a lot of fastballs for strikes. He was mixing it up really well.”
Schlittler dominated the Angels … except for Vaughn Grissom.
Grissom led off the second inning with a single. Schlittler then retired the next 16 hitters in a row without breaking a sweat. With two outs in the seventh, though, Grissom got a 1-and-0 cutter that Schlittler left over the middle of the plate, and he launched it just a few feet over the center field fence. It was his 10th homer of the season.
Grissom’s homer spared Detmers what would have been another tough-luck loss.
Detmers has allowed more than two runs in only one of his nine starts since the All-Star break, posting a 1.52 ERA, with 59 strikeouts and nine walks in 53⅓ innings.
Detmers sailed through the first three innings, facing the minimum nine hitters. He needed only five pitches in the first inning.
The Yankees got to him for a run in the fourth, but he avoided more serious damage. Shortstop Zach Neto snagged a line drive and quickly flipped to second to double off Paul Goldschmidt. Amed Rosario doubled down the right field line to drive in a run.
Detmers retired nine of 10 hitters in the next three innings, with four strikeouts.
Detmers got 17 whiffs from Yankees hitters, including 12 against his slider.
“I am kind of pitching against the other pitcher,” Detmers said. “Every time I go out, I’m trying to beat the other guy. Trying to outlast him. You’re trying to have more strike outs. You’re trying to beat him. It’s a good game. Obviously, he pitched very well. It is what it is, and it’s not really the outcome we wanted, but move on to the next.”
After Detmers was done, Ryan Watson and Ben Joyce blanked the Yankees over the next two innings, sending the game to extra innings.