ANAHEIM -- With news that Jameson Taillon will be out for the 2020 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery, Chris Archer’s success is suddenly a lot more important to the future of the Pirates’ organization.

On Wednesday night at Angel Stadium, Archer looked to demonstrate that he’s up to the task by continuing his upward trend since the start of the second half. However, the results were mixed for the right-hander in the Pirates’ 7-4 loss to the Angels.

• Box score

On the one hand, Archer tied a season high in strikeouts with 10. On the other, he allowed seven baserunners (five hits, two walks) and threw two wild pitches in five innings, taking the loss after relinquishing an early lead.

“The 3 2/3, it was really sharp, precise,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Swing and miss was there, slider was big, fastball velocity -- he actually used all four pitches in the first inning. And then, he let three straight hits. The execution and location of the pitches, he paid for it. But the first 3 2/3 innings, he was right on his game.”

The damage all came in the fourth inning, and mostly with two outs. Archer walked Mike Trout to open the frame, but fanned the next two batters to set himself up for another zero. Then Trout stole second base, getting into position to score on Albert Pujols’ base hit, which gave him the most in history for a player born outside the United States. Pujols advanced on Archer’s first wild pitch of the game and scored on a David Fletcher double.

“Obviously, the leadoff walk doesn’t help, and I threw a hanging slider to Fletcher, who’s a good hitter. He put it in the gap,” said Archer. “Those are really the two moments in the game that I feel I could have controlled better. I had two strikes on Fletcher, and I executed my slider all day, except probably that one. And then the 3-2 walk to Trout, [I was] trying to be smart there, but it was a non-competitive pitch. So if I could go back and alter the outcome, it would probably be on those two pitches.”

The score now tied at 2, Archer faced Luis Rengifo, who lined a fastball to left field. The ball got through Bryan Reynolds’ legs, allowing not just Fletcher to score but Rengifo as well. It was ruled a double and a two-base error, making the second run unearned for Archer. Still, the damage had been done, and the Pirates ended up being unable to see the comeback through.

“We, as a team, we can’t make mistakes,” said Archer. “We usually throw around 100 pitches, and one or two of those is the difference in the game. We can’t make mistakes on the pitching end, the defensive end, or on offense, baserunning. We can’t make any mistakes at all.”

The fact that the Angels’ rally happened when it did is somewhat significant, as the fourth inning has proven to be a challenge for Archer this year. In 22 games, he has allowed 24 fourth-inning runs, the most of any individual inning for him. Exactly why that is remains elusive for the Pirates.

“The second inning and the fourth inning have been problematic, the fourth more so,” said Hurdle. “That’s just something we’ll continue to talk about and look into. We haven’t answered it yet.”

With team options remaining for both 2020 and 2021, Archer already figured to play a big role in the Pirates’ plans going forward. The loss of Taillon only magnifies that. Archer’s ability to live up to those expectations is going to require that he find a way to be more consistent about avoiding big innings like Wednesday night’s fourth.

But Archer is feeling as good as he has in some time, and that’s as important a step in the process for him as any.

“I said this last time, but even before the All-Star break, I started to feel really, really good,” said Archer. “Tonight, the line’s not exactly what I want, but at this point in the season, it’s all about the process for our whole team, and taking huge steps forward the last two months.”