ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels' six-game winning streak — their longest home win streak since 2022 —ended Sunday despite scoring five runs in the ninth inning, falling to the Detroit Tigers, 7-6, at Angel Stadium.
The Angels' last few games have been decorated with late comeback victories, including Kevin Pillar’s walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning Saturday and Logan O’Hoppe’s three-run homer Friday. Sunday's comeback featured a three-run homer by Zach Neto and Jo Adell's two-run shot.
“They didn’t quit," Angels manager Ron Washington said. "They kept coming."
Until the ninth, the Angels' lone run came courtesy of Nolan Schanuel, who scored in the sixth on a wild pitch by Alex Faedo.
Down 7-1, the bottom of the ninth started with a scary moment as Taylor Ward was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Tigers reliever Shelby Miller. Ward left the game and Pillar stepped in as a pinch runner.
Last July, Ward was hit in the face by a similar pitch by Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah that ended his season. Both Washington and Ward said after the game that he was OK.
“Everything is good," Ward said. "I’m thankful for the C-Flap (facemask).
"I think it was in the exact same spot as it was last year, so it’s a good thing I had that on this time."
With Pillar on second and Matt Thaiss on first after drawing a walk, Neto hit his three-run shot. Then Mickey Moniak — who has struggled this series — singled on a softly hit ground ball to second baseman Andy Ibáñez.
That set the stage for Adell, who hit his 13th homer of the season. Tigers reliever Tyler Holton got the final out and shut down the rally.
Washington said it’s inevitable that win streaks will end, but what matters is what the team does next and how they leverage their growth heading into the second half of the season.
“We know we’re winning, and I don't care how many it is," he said. "I hope it could go until September, but we know that's not going to happen.
"We do what we have to do today and we’ll do what we have to do tomorrow and so forth."
For the first few months, the Angels struggled to find their groove. But since the start of June, they have shown significant improvement, going 15-10 this month — their first winning month since last July.
Washington said there’s still progress to be made, but the month of June has proven what a growth mindset can achieve.
“We played all these first place teams and we hung in there with them, but they got the best of us," he said. "We were not there yet and we're still not there yet.
"When we get there, you're going to know. The spotlight has been put on these kids. It wasn't an expectation that we thought was going to happen, but the spotlight has been put on them and they have risen to the occasion, and there's no reason why they can't continue to rise.”
Tyler Anderson ran into some early trouble against the Tigers offense, allowing a triple to leadoff batter Ibáñez, who scored on Mark Canha's sacrifice fly. The Angels fell further behind in the fourth as Anderson allowed three more runs, including a two-run, inside-the-park home run that was launched to center field by Justyn-Henry Malloy and misplayed by Moniak.
Anderson pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Andrew Wantz, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, Carson Fulmer and Matt Moore combined to limit the Tigers’ offense to one run.
Washington said one of the keys to the bullpen’s recent success has been their ability to get ahead in counts and rely on the defense.
“They've been coming in throwing strikes," he said. "The defense has been getting a lot of play, and that means they've been keeping the ball in play rather than walking people all the time and going deep in the counts."
Concluding this homestand with a 6-1 record, Washington said the Angels are going in the right direction.
“We're playing good baseball," he said. "We're doing the things we are supposed to do. We're taking care of business every day. When we get there, you're going to know.”