ANAHEIM -- It was a fitting final home game of the regular season for the Angels on Sunday, as the offense and the bullpen have both struggled this year -- and that was again the case against the Twins.
Rookie right-hander Ryan Johnson also saw his streak of three straight quality starts to come to a close, allowing three runs over 4 2/3 innings in an 8-0 loss at Angel Stadium. But he wasn’t helped by the offense, as the Angels managed just two hits.
It dropped the Angels to 60-96 on the season, including a 34-47 record at home, as they must win three of their final six games to avoid losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history. They are the only MLB club to never lose 100 games, and they have two games against the Athletics followed by four against the Mariners to conclude their season.
“We're trying to get better every single day,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I don't have to give them an inspirational speech, they know what they have to do. That being said, we'd like to finish off the season strong.”
Here’s a look at three takeaways from what is expected to be the final home game under owner Arte Moreno, with new owner Stan Kroenke’s purchase of the club expected to become official in the first quarter of 2027:
Johnson can’t get through five innings
Johnson had been on an impressive run, posting a 2.03 ERA over his last eight starts, but much like lefty Reid Detmers on Saturday, he was just slightly off against the Twins. He gave up three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts to fall to 5-9 with a 4.93 ERA in 95 innings this season.
His biggest issue was an inability to escape jams with runners on base, especially with two outs. He gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Josh Bell and Alan Roden with two outs in the third before surrendering a two-out RBI single to Bell in the fifth that ended his afternoon after having thrown 91 pitches.
“At the end of the day, execution was key,” Johnson said. “My job is to keep runs off the board. So credit to them.”
He didn’t walk anyone, which is encouraging, but did hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. Johnson, 24, is continuing to try to prove that he can stick as a starting pitcher, and he’ll get one more start in Seattle to finish his season on a high note.
“I actually thought RJ pitched better than the line that he had,” Suzuki said. “No walks, six strikeouts, soft contact. He basically got singled to death.”
The offense scuffles against Kremer
The Angels had trouble bringing home runners on Saturday, going 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, but they at least had plenty of chances. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, as the Angels mustered just one hit in six innings against veteran right-hander Dean Kremer.
Vaughn Grissom provided the lone hit with a leadoff single in the fourth, but Moisés Ballesteros promptly grounded into a double play. The Angels never had a runner advance past first base, making it a rare game where they never came to the plate with a runner in scoring position.
“Veteran guy, he knows what he's doing on the mound and keeps you off balance,” Suzuki said. “We hit some balls hard and maybe if we pushed a couple across early, it would have been a whole different story.”
Bullpen can’t keep the Angels in it
When Johnson exited, the Angels were only down by three runs. But long reliever Sammy Peralta had a rough showing, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits over 1 2/3 innings. The defense behind him was rough, as Jose Siri dropped a fly ball with two outs in the sixth that was ruled a double. Ben Ross then scored a run with a single and stole second, but Zach Neto couldn’t handle Ballesteros’ throw, allowing the ball to roll into center and Ross to score.
Peralta, though, was ultimately undone by a three-run blast from Roden in the seventh that put the game out of reach.
“Just a couple mistakes and a couple balls that could’ve went either way,” Suzuki said. “He threw strikes, he attacked, but I think the three-run homer that Roden hit, that was the blow.”