Patrick Sandoval has been one of the more solid starters for the Los Angeles Angels this season. He showed it against the Seattle Mariners on Friday.
It wasn’t a perfect outing for the 25-year-old lefty, but his 5.1 scoreless innings provided the Angels with a bridge to the ninth until Jesse Chavez gave up three runs and erased Sandoval from the decision.
The Angels went on to win the game in 10 innings and Sandoval’s ability to work around some traffic gave the team some much-needed length from a starter, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I was lucky to get through 5 1/3 with no runs with four walks and two hit batters,” Sandoval said. “But I battled and our defense made some plays. And we scored some runs. It was a good win.”
“I just want to go in with my best pitches,” Sandoval said. “I want to play the odds with the best pitches I’ve got. The slider and the changeup are my two best pitches, so I’m going to throw them as much as I can.”
Friday wasn’t Sandoval’s most stellar outing, but it was his first scoreless appearance since April 26.
On the season, Sandoval is 3-7 with a 3.41 ERA in 18 starts, but he has struggled with limiting walks over the course of the year. His xFIP of 3.85 is more indicative of his actual performance.
Reid Detmers join rare company
The Los Angeles Angels were not able to even up their series against the Texas Rangers on July 31 as they ended up dropping three of the four games.
Reid Detmers did everything he could to help the Angels earn the victory as he pitched seven innings and gave up just two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out 12 and walking three.
However, a late-inning bullpen collapse in the ninth inning allowed the Rangers to score three runs and win 5-2.
But despite the loss, Detmers joined some rare company when he pitched an immaculate inning in the second inning. Detmers struck out Ezequiel Duran, Kole Calhoun, and Charlie Culberson on just nine pitches, which made him the third Angels pitcher in history to accomplish that feat.
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