ARLINGTON, Texas — In a season full of disappointment, the Angels reached a new low on Monday.
Starter Patrick Sandoval walked six and didn’t get out of the third and Angels managed just one infield hit in a 12-0 loss to the Texas Rangers, their most lopsided defeat of the season.
Infielder Eduardo Escobar was the Angels’ final pitcher of the night.
Shortstop Andrew Velazquez made a throwing error on the Angels’ first play in the field, and it got worse from there.
Manager Phil Nevin, who has been mostly patient with poor performances this season, said he was angry at the fundamental mistakes and mental errors.
“It’s (lack of) focus, from the first play or the game,” Nevin said. “That’s what I saw. There’s a difference between physical errors and what I consider mental parts. Those happened. I’ll just leave it at that. We let it affect us. The next play is too important to let the last one (affect you). I’ve always said that. We let some things get to us today. And that’s the first time I’ve seen that though. Disappointed? Absolutely. Mad? Yeah. But I know this group in there. They’ll rebound and come out tomorrow. It’ll be better.”
It couldn’t be much worse.
Sandoval was charged with five runs, even though he gave up just two hits that got through the infield. Otherwise he was burned by two errors and two infield hits, one of which after he failed to cover first.
“Just a tough loss,” Sandoval said. “I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’ve definitely got to be better. I’ve got to pitch better, got to pick up our guys up better, got to cover first better. There’s just things I need to do better.”
The nightmarish outing marked the third time in the first four games of this trip that an Angels starter put them behind by at least five runs.
Sandoval had actually been the Angels second best starter, behind Shohei Ohtani, over the past month. Coming into this start, he had a 1.86 ERA in his previous five starts, which lowered his ERA for the season to 3.86.
The recent hot streak helped turn his season around after a disappointing start.
In the first inning, Sandoval responded to the Velazquez error by striking out the next two hitters, but then he walked two before eventually getting out of the inning with 28 pitches.
In the second inning, he issued another walk and he gave up an infield hit. Marcus Semien then lined a clean single into center field. Mickey Moniak bobbled the ball, allowing a second run to score.
Sandoval walked three more in the third inning, ending his night.
“I just pitched like (expletive),” Sandoval said. “Didn’t fill up the zone. Didn’t pick up my teammates that needed to be picked up.”
There were four runs on the board when Sandoval left the mound, and a fifth scored on a wild pitch from Griffin Canning.
Canning, who just came off the injured list after missing two weeks because of calf tightness, at least saved the bullpen by working 3-2/3 innings. His velocity was slightly up. He struck out five and walked one.
All of that was encouraging, except Canning gave up a three-run homer to Semien on his 70th and final pitch of the night.
“It was good to see him back out there,” Nevin said. “He hasn’t pitched in a while. A little rusty to start, with the wild pitch. I thought he reeled it in and then pitched very well for three, four innings. He just got tired.”
Canning was a candidate to fill the rotation void left by Ohtani missing a start this time through the rotation, but now the Angels will turn to Reid Detmers for Wednesday.
Even if the Angels had gotten better pitching on Monday, they still might have lost because the hitters came up empty against Max Scherzer.
The 39-year-old right-hander, who was acquired at the trade deadline, has shown signs of age this season, but the Angels couldn’t do anything with him. Their only hit in seven innings against Scherzer was a Mike Moustakas infield hit. Scherzer struck out 11.
“When you have to stand on the field for 25-30 pitches every half inning on defense, trust me, it’s hard to go up and take a good at-bat,” Nevin said, “especially against a guy that’s going to the Hall of Fame.”