Angels lose 8-6 to Guardians, fall to 52-81
Vaughn Grissom's two home runs weren't enough as the Angels dropped an 8-6 decision to the Guardians, their fourth loss in five games and the club's 81st of the season.
Grissom's two homers wasted in the finale
Guardians2-4Guardians6-8The Angels dropped both ends of their home set with Cleveland, falling 4-2 on August 24 and 8-6 on August 25, and are now 1-4 in their last five. The record sits at 52-81 with the season's final six weeks underway.
Vaughn Grissom went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in the loss — the club's own account called it a good Gubie Tuesday — and Christian Moore added a homer and an RBI in a 1-for-4 night. Ben Joyce struck out three in a scoreless inning and Tayler Saucedo worked two scoreless with four strikeouts, but starter Walbert Ureña was charged with three earned runs on five hits and five walks over 3.2 innings, and the bullpen couldn't hold the rest of it.
Recent News
The Angels activated Yusei Kikuchi off the 60-day injured list on August 23, according to MLB Trade Rumors, returning him to the rotation after close to four months out. His activation came the same week the club placed Nolan Schanuel and Wade Meckler on the IL, per MLB Trade Rumors on August 22.
Meckler, out with a concussion, has since been cleared to resume baseball activities, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reported August 25. Reliever Samy Natera Jr. threw a bullpen session that same day as he works back from a back injury, also per Bollinger. And outfielder Gustavo Campero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Guardians with an apparent hamstring injury, Jack Janes of TheSportingTribune.com reports — one more body for a roster already running thin down the stretch.
Upcoming
The Angels host the Guardians this afternoon, with Grayson Rodriguez on the mound after a scoreless seven-inning win over the Astros in his last start, part of a 4-5 season with a 6.41 ERA. Cleveland counters with Joey Cantillo, who owns a 9-7 record and a 3.73 ERA and was charged with just one earned run over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against the Rockies last time out.
The Guardians are favored, and the total reads as middling — a fair number given Cantillo's steadier season line against a Rodriguez outing that has swung between a shutout start and a 6.41 ERA overall. With the Angels 14.5 games back in the AL West and an elimination number of 16, the price says more about who's still playing meaningful baseball than who wins this particular afternoon.