The Angels got absolutely shut down 7-0 by the Tigers on Saturday night, and it was brutal from the jump. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez got absolutely shelled for four runs in the first inning alone, just five batters in. It set the tone for another ugly loss, and this isn’t just a bad outing; it’s part of a deeply concerning pattern.
Balls Over the Plate: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
It started early for Rodriguez. Rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle singled to lead off, Rodriguez hit the next guy, and another single scored McGonigle. Already down, then Spencer Torkelson blasted a three-run homer. Just like that, 4-0 before you could even blink. Rodriguez gave up six runs in his four innings of work. The dude just couldn’t find his spots. He admitted it himself, “Just leaving balls over the middle of the plate early. Can’t do that in the big leagues. It’s happening more times than I wanted to this year.” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki saw it clear as day: “Felt like some of the balls that he left out over the plate, they didn’t miss,” he said. “When they got a pitch to hit, they barreled it up.” The stats back it up too: 13 of 16 balls in play hit 95 mph or faster, eight screaming at 100 mph or more. Yikes. When you can’t show good off-speed stuff in the zone, as Rodriguez pointed out, hitters are gonna tee off on fastballs, and that’s exactly what happened.
Skubal Shuts Them Down as the Losses Pile Up
Adding insult to injury, the Angels were facing the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal. That’s a brutal matchup on a good night, but when your own starter gives up four in the first, your fate is pretty much sealed. Skubal was lights out, shutting down the Angels for seven innings, striking out nine batters without a single walk, and only giving up five hits. Even the bullpen couldn’t spark anything. This isn’t an isolated incident for Rodriguez, either. This “disappointing debut season” for him now features an 8.23 ERA across eight starts. Yeah, you read that right. An 8.23 ERA. He says they’re “grinding,” and “you just gotta put your head down and get to work,” but the results speak for themselves. The Angels are now a dismal 38-61 and have dropped 12 of their last 14 games. That’s a brutal stretch, and it’s getting harder to see a way out of this early season slump.
With numbers like that, the Angels have got to find some answers, and fast. The season is early, but these trends are screaming trouble. Can Rodriguez turn things around? Can the lineup find a way to score against elite pitching? These are the questions facing the club as they try to dig themselves out of this deep hole.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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