The Los Angeles Angels were on the verge of a win Thursday night before things fell apart dramatically. Holding a 4-2 lead entering the eighth inning, they watched as the Detroit Tigers surged with eight unanswered runs, ultimately taking a 10-4 win at Angel Stadium. It was the Angels’ sixth consecutive loss, highlighting the struggles of a team now 12-18 on the season.
Reid Detmers couldn’t retire two key left-handed batters in the eighth, and manager Ron Washington didn’t mince words afterward.
“The biggest issue was not getting those lefties out,” Washington said. “If he had, we’d have gone into the ninth up 4-2. That’s where it fell apart — a walk, then a two-run single. It just didn’t go our way.”
Washington brought in Detmers after Ryan Zeferjahn gave up a leadoff single to Gleyber Torres. Detmers, a lefty, was brought in to face a stretch that included lefty power hitter Riley Greene. But after walking Greene and giving up an RBI single to Andy Ibáñez, the Tigers capitalized and took control.
The Angels’ bullpen collapse handed the Tigers a comeback win.
Zach McKinstry evened the score with an RBI single before Dillon Dingler launched a three-run homer off Reid Detmers, giving Detroit a 7-4 lead. The choice to keep Detmers on the mound in the eighth inning, rather than turning to the bullpen, came under criticism after the game.
Adding to the unraveling was a defensive miscue by Jo Adell in center field, who mishandled Ibáñez’s single and allowed runners to advance. Manager Ron Washington didn’t hold back in his assessment.
“It was clear — not what we needed in that moment,” he said. “Just poor execution when it mattered most.”
The Angels have now dropped 14 of their last 18 games and remain among the league’s worst in strikeouts and on-base percentage. With Mike Trout sidelined by a knee bone bruise and placed on the 10-day injured list, the outlook is grim. If the Angels hope to turn things around, they must clean up both bullpen decisions and defensive play — quickly.
“We failed to execute,” Washington said. “Simple as that.”