TORONTO — The failure that cost the Angels Saturday’s game happened long before Ryan Zeferjahn allowed the winning run.
The Angels lost 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings, the same score as the extra-inning loss the day before.
Again, they could look back on missed opportunities to score earlier in the game. The Angels were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position a day after going 1 for 10 in that situation.
On Saturday, the Angels had the bases loaded with one out twice in the first three innings against Max Scherzer and scored just one run each time. After that, all they could manage was a single run in the seventh inning.
“It’s becoming a bit of a familiar thing,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “We’re putting guys on base, and we’re giving ourselves so many chances. We’re just not coming up with the big hit when we need it. To load the bases twice like that, and come away with two is kind of a little disappointing. We had Max on the ropes there.”
Once the game went into extra innings and the Angels got a free runner, they couldn’t get him home in either inning. Zach Neto moved the runner to third with a fly ball in the 10th, but then Nolan Schanuel and Taylor Ward failed to drive him in. In the 11th, Jo Adell – the Angels’ hottest hitter – started the inning with a popup. Jorge Soler then walked, and Logan O’Hoppe and Luis Rengifo came up empty.
In the bottom of the 11th, the Blue Jays started the inning with a bunt toward Rengifo, who broke to cover third instead of fielding the ball, and it went for a hit.
After George Springer lined out to second baseman Kevin Newman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was intentionally walked, Zeferjahn struck out Bo Bichette.
Addison Barger then punched a single just past Schanuel, the first baseman, to drive in the winning run.
All of that could have been avoided if the Angels had been able to muster a little more offense out of some early opportunities against Scherzer.
In the first, Adell’s bases-loaded walk was all the Angels could manage. Soler then hit a fly ball to right field. Mike Trout tagged up, but he was nailed at the plate on a perfect throw from Barger.
“We recognize, obviously, how good Barger’s arm is,” Montgomery said. “We’re gonna do that every time and twice on Sunday, and it was bang-bang play. It had to be perfect… So you gotta tip your cap to him, begrudgingly, as I want to do that.”
Two innings later, the Angels loaded the bases again and Adell hit a fly ball to Barger, and this time Neto beat the throw home, which was slightly off line. Still, the Angels couldn’t come up with a hit to get any other runs.
Finally, in the seventh inning, they resorted to some small ball to tie the game. Rengifo led off with a single and Chad Stevens bunted him to second. An out later, Schanuel singled, tying the game at 3.
That run spared Jack Kochanowicz from a loss.
Kochanowicz gave up three runs in 5⅓ innings, which was a credible outing after a rocky start.
In the first three innings, he gave up six hits and a walk, including George Springer’s two-run homer. After the homer, the Blue Jays had two on and no outs in the third, threatening to blow the game open. Kochanowicz escaped further damage with the help of a double play.
He then tacked on seven more outs, getting into the sixth inning with the Angels down 3-2.
Montgomery credited Kochanowicz for making a good in-game adjustment. Kochanowicz said it was nothing complicated.
“Simple as I had to lock in a little more,” Kochanowicz said. “They came out aggressive. Couple ground balls snuck through the infield. I just had to go with that approach, kind of get them off the sinker a little bit, and then go back to it later in the game.”