The Los Angeles Angels' bullpen has been struggling in the late innings lately, but on Tuesday night, they found a new way to lose—blowing up early. The Angels opted for an opener to set up starter Alek Manoah, but the plan backfired in a big way, resulting in a 7-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
This game was effectively over before it really got going. The Angels went with a creative approach, using Brent Suter as an opener to bridge the gap to Manoah's first extended outing of the season. Suter delivered a clean 1-2-3 first inning against a Guardians offense that has been struggling to score runs. But from there, things unraveled quickly for the Halos' bullpen.
Cleveland broke through in the second inning with a string of singles from Kyle Manzardo, David Fry, and Brayan Rocchio. Rocchio's base knock drove in two runs, giving the Guardians an early lead they would never relinquish.
The third inning turned into a nightmare for the Angels. Reliever Jose Fermin started a walk-a-thon by loading the bases, and Kirby Yates completed the painful sequence by walking home a run. Daniel Schneeman followed with a soft single to right field, plating two more runs. Travis Bazzana then crushed a double to drive in two more, effectively putting the game out of reach.
There was at least one silver lining for the Angels. Manoah finally entered the game in the fourth inning and delivered five shutout innings, allowing just two hits. However, control remains a work in progress for the big right-hander, as he walked five batters. In total, Angels pitchers issued a staggering 10 walks on the night—a recipe for disaster that could have been even worse given all those free passes.
The Angels managed to avoid a shutout with a couple of token runs. Jo Adell drove in one with an RBI single, and Vaughn Grissom added another in the ninth inning. But it was far too little, too late.
Guardians starter Joe Cantillo was excellent, pitching six strong shutout innings to earn the win, while three Cleveland relievers handled mop-up duty. Suter took the loss for the Angels, but the only pitcher on the staff who emerged with any credit was Manoah, who looked like he might be ready to join the rotation soon.
The loss was the 27th in their last 40 games for the Angels, who continue to search for answers in a season that is slipping away.