Angels rally past Phillies to snap 4-game losing streak

ANAHEIM — Aside from a nice cake decorated with an image of the 1970s version of Ron Washington on a baseball card, what the Angels manager really enjoyed about his 72nd birthday was the way the Angels gave him a victory.

The Angels snapped their four-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, sprinkling in plenty of the fundamentals that Washington so loves to see.

“We played the game of baseball tonight,” Washington said. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch when you execute. We are capable of executing. We just have to find the consistency to do it. And tonight everybody’s head was in the right place. And when the game asks them to do something, they did it. And I would like to see them continue to do that because that’s got to be the way we play. We’re not going to bang people to death, but we can execute and create some havoc.”

The Angels trailed by three runs before they came to bat in the first inning, but they pitched better from there – with one notable exception when the Angels did have a fundamental lapse – and the hitters came through when it mattered.

The Angels snapped a tie with two runs on a wild pitch in the seventh. The second run scored when Mike Trout came home after catcher Garrett Stubbs made an errant flip to pitcher Seranthony Dominguez covering the plate.

“Tonight the baseball gods blessed us, because we got two runs in a situation that usually has been happening to us,” Washington said.

The Angels (11-18) had endured that type of mistake often throughout the previous 10 games, which included nine losses. It was so bad that Washington called a team meeting after a second straight blowout loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Before Monday’s game, Washington asked the fans for patience.

“I just hope that fans don’t give up on us, because they don’t need to be front-runners,” Washington said before the game. “We’re gonna put some quality baseball together here before it’s over with. And once we start putting that quality baseball together, they’re going to want to come to the ballpark.”

Washington acknowledged that the Angels have not been playing up to expectations. Even though no one outside the organization expected them to be contenders, Washington believed they would play better than they have.

“I know we may not have the best personnel in the world, but we can play better baseball,” Washington said. “And that’s all we want, to play better baseball. The rest of it will take care of itself.”

There were a handful of signs of better baseball that Washington saw on Monday night.

Jo Adell, who had just been moved up to the No. 2 spot because of his hot hitting, drilled a first-inning homer to get the Angels on the board. Adell also made a leaping catch at the warning track in right field.

Ehire Adrianza came through with two hits, including an RBI single in the second. Logan O’Hoppe drove in a run by hitting a ground ball to the right side. Luis Rengifo dropped down a successful sacrifice with two strikes, after Washington had taken off the bunt.

Cole Tucker, playing his first game with the Angels, drove in the tying run with an RBI single in the sixth.

Even Trout, who has notably struggled to hit with runners in scoring position this year, seemed to show a different approach when he came up with runners at first and second and no outs in a tie game in the seventh. He hit a ground ball to first base, the first time all season he’d done that.

“He was playing baseball,” Washington said. “He wasn’t trying to push it over there. I think he was trying to drive it over there. But it ended up being good for us.”

The Phillies got an out at second. Trout then stole second. Adrianza was at third and Trout was at second when Dominguez uncorked the wild pitch that ended up being the difference in the game.

Closer Carlos Estévez, who hadn’t pitched in five days, gave up a run in the ninth before ending the game with a strikeout of former Angel Brandon Marsh, stranding the tying run at second base.

Before Estévez, relievers Hunter Strickland, Adam Cimber and Matt Moore had all worked scoreless innings – with Cimber escaping a bases-loaded jam – to get the game to Estévez.

The only blemish on the night was starter Griffin Canning, and Washington was still pleased with the way he battled through without his best stuff. Canning, who walked five and hit a batter, gave up three runs in the first, but then he added three scoreless innings.

When he finally gave up a run in the fifth, it was because of the biggest fundamental mistake on an otherwise good night.

With runners at the corners and Bryce Harper at the plate, Canning made a third pickoff throw to try to get the speedy Trea Turner at first base. Under the pitch timer rules instituted last year, a third disengagement from the rubber during one plate appearance is a balk unless the runner is picked off. Turner was safe and then Kyle Schwarber trotted home with a run to put the Phillies ahead, 4-2.

“It’s embarrassing,” Canning said. “Really embarrassing. I just blanked out that if I didn’t get him the guy from third would score. In my head, I was thinking just Turner would move to second if I didn’t get him.”