Angels complete sweep of Mariners behind late-inning rally

Starter Griffin Canning came through with a nice bounce-back start and a clutch eighth inning helped the Angels steal a 2-1 win Wednesday, completing a sweep of the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. 

Canning (3-10) gave his lengthiest start of the month and kept up with Luis Castillo in what turned out to be a pitcher's duel. He used 94 pitches (57 strikes) to work through five innings and allowed only four hits.

Ironically, despite the excellent effort, the 28-year-old walked three batters for the first time since May 21. 

With the lineup failing to take advantage of their chances in innings 1-7, Los Angeles finally broke through in the eighth to tie the game and take the lead. Clutch base hits from Willie Calhoun and Brandon Drury was enough to get the Angels over the hump as they gathered three of their nine hits total within the frame.

Los Angeles improved to 45-57 (23-28 away) as their winning streak extended to four consecutive games. They are 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers, who currently hold third place in the AL West. With the trade deadline six days away, the Angels have found a groove and are playing baseball the right way.

Canning bounces back

While it has been quite a rough season for Griffin Canning, he provided the Angels with some much-needed work on Wednesday afternoon. It was an impressive display of escaping trouble for the right-hander, who did not work a single clean inning in his appearance.

The only run he conceded on the day was a solo home run off the bat of Mitch Haniger that led off the second inning. 

Canning’s most impressive sequence of the day came in the bottom of the fourth inning. He started off the frame by allowing a double, walk and single that would load the bases with no out. The next batter, Tyler Locklear, would ground into a 6-2 double play thanks to an excellent pick at third base from Luis Rengifo. It was a big-time fielding play for Rengifo, who prevented an RBI double as he played his first non-DH game since returning from injury.

Canning would then strike out Luke Raley to end the inning, getting out of the tough jam and letting out a roar of emotion.

In total, he would allow just one run across his five innings as he delivered the third quality start from the Angels’ rotation in the series. Unfortunately, he did not pick up the win as Los Angeles would not gain the lead until three innings later. 

It was still a much-needed start for Canning, who went five innings for the first time since June 18. Additionally, it was his first time recording six strikeouts since April 13 and just the second time he’s done it all season. 

Angels rally

Thanks to a dominant showing from Mariner’s starter Luis Castillo, the Angels were held scoreless across the first six innings of the game. They managed five hits and two walks against him, but could not make it count on the scoreboard. 

Los Angeles would eventually head to the eighth still trailing 1-0 as they stepped up to bat against Seattle reliever Gregory Santos. Nolan Schanuel would get things started with a leadoff single before Luis Rengifo and Taylor Ward were retired as the first two outs of the frame.

Willie Calhoun stepped up with Schanuel on second and came through with a two-out, game-tying single to center field. He would be replaced by Kevin Pillar, who advanced to second via a balk as the pinch-runner. 

Brandon Drury then provided the biggest hit of the game for the Angels, another single to center field that gave the team a 2-1 lead as he was tagged out trying to stretch the hit into a double.

It was a huge pair of two-out hits that brought Los Angeles up off the ground to storm back. Prior to the eighth inning, the lineup had been 0-6 on the day with runners in scoring position. Drury and Calhoun finished a combined 3-8, striking out just one time and providing a third of the team’s production. Drury, who is hitting just .172 this season, will hopefully be able to use his 2-4 day as a confidence boost moving forward.

Bullpen shows up

Perhaps the biggest reason for the Angels’ success in their sweep over the Mariners was the bullpen’s elite performance. Across the three games, they hurled 8 2/3 shutout innings to keep Seattle off the board when it mattered the most.

It was another great series for closer Carlos Estevez, who earned his second save of the three-game set in the ninth inning on Wednesday. He now has 20 this season and holds a 2.38 ERA.

Estevez was one of four Los Angeles pitchers who worked a scoreless inning in the victory. Jose Quijada, Hans Crouse and Luis Garcia each shut down the Mariners in their appearances as the bullpen allowed a combined two hits and struck out two.

Crouse earned his fourth win of the year, moving to a perfect 4-0. He has been one of the most effective arms in the bullpen this season, working to a 1.76 ERA across 15 1/3 innings this season.

The Angels will head home as they prepare to host the Athletics for a three-game series beginning at 6:38 p.m. Thursday. Angels left-hander Kenny Rosenberg (0-0, 6.38 ERA) will make his first start of the year, making him their 14th starter this season. He will face off against Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (1-9, 5.82 ERA).