ATLANTA -- Angels pitching tallied 14 2/3 scoreless innings to start their midweek series against the Braves at Truist Park.
That was, until the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game, when the Halos gave up seven runs, which led to an 8-3 Braves win.
Yusei Kikuchi, who worked 5 2/3 innings, gave up back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth and was pulled in favor of reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.
Zeferjahn gave up a three-run home run to Sean Murphy on the first pitch he threw and then loaded the bases by giving up two walks and a single, setting the table for Matt Olson. The slugging first baseman gave Atlanta a 7-2 lead with a grand slam.
Kikuchi was responsible for two of the runs. Zeferjahn’s final line was five runs on four hits and two walks, without recording an out. It only took 14 pitches for Zeferjahn to allow the five runs.
“It was probably the first outing where I haven’t had anything,” Zeferjahn said. “Sometimes when some things are lacking, I have things to pick me up, but tonight I didn’t. It started from the first pitch. I think it was the right pitch, just misexecuted. He put a good swing on it. I walked a few guys and gave up another run, so I think the command in the last couple of games, I’ve been struggling to figure things out.”
Murphy ambushed Zeferjahn’s first-pitch cutter, an 89.3-mph pitch, in the lower outside half of the strike zone.
“I think [he was] looking for it and it didn’t get outside enough,” Zeferjahn said. “I think it was too much middle and he put a good swing on it.”
Olson’s grand slam was off a 97.4-mph fastball on the inside corner.
“It was not a bad pitch,” Zeferjahn. “[It was] a good swing. I walked two guys and had to serve a fastball 1-0. I think a lot of Major League hitters can hit that. Putting myself in that situation was the biggest thing. I can’t do anything about it.”
All seven runs in the sixth were scored with two outs.
“That’s the thing, you get to two outs and you feel pretty good about it with Kikuchi out there,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “I thought we had that one in a good spot and could go to the [bullpen] and move from there. It didn’t work out.”
It was Zeferjahn’s worst outing of the season as he hadn’t given up more than three runs in his previous 36 appearances this season, but he’s given up at least one run in four of his last five appearances.
“I don’t want to say I’m losing confidence out there,” Zeferjahn said. “I’m the same guy every time out there. It’s just not going my way, so tomorrow I’m [going to] come in like the same thing every day and work on a few things with the coaches and the video guys. [I’m going to] see a few things that I could change or tweak a little bit and go from there. One good outing can get you right on track, so I’m [going to] come in tomorrow ready to go.”
“He’s certainly feeling it,” Montgomery said. “He knows. He’s trying to grind through it just like we’re trying to get him through it. We still have a lot of confidence in him and I know he’s working on stuff. We’re going to have to keep doing what we need to do to figure him out and he’s going to have to do what he needs to do to figure it out.”
The Angels (42-43) were a few scoreless innings away from getting over .500 for the first time since April 20. Los Angeles entered Wednesday’s game with a 42-42 record. Jo Adell’s first-inning single gave the Halos an early 2-0 lead and Kikuchi posted 5 2/3 scoreless innings before the meltdown on the mound.
“Everybody knows what’s at stake,” Montgomery said. “They want to get over that hump too. We just can’t seem to find the right time and the right place to get over it, but we will. I’m confident we’ll continue to get after it and we’ll be fine.”