TORONTO — The Angels tried to avoid Griffin Canning’s early-inning trouble by having him work behind an opener.
From Canning’s perspective, it worked. But for the Angels, it still didn’t.
Relievers Brock Burke and Mike Baumann gave up five runs in the second inning and the Angels lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-3, on Thursday night.
The damage was done before Canning threw his first pitch in an outing of six scoreless innings.
Asked afterward if his success had anything to do with the non-traditional way of being used, Canning shrugged: “It is what it is. You’ve still got to go out there and get people out.”
Canning came into the game with an ERA of 7.38 in the first and second innings, but a 4.23 ERA after that.
“I don’t know what it is,” Canning said. “Just keep working and keep trying to figure some stuff out, and get people out.”
Manager Ron Washington said they haven’t yet decided if they will continue using Canning behind an opener.
“He really looked sharp out there from the first inning he came in, which was the third,” Washington said. “Hopefully he worked some some things out and and we’ll see where it goes from here.”
This time the Angels started Burke, and he got through the first inning with no issues, throwing nine pitches. With two lefties due among the first three hitters in the second, it made sense for Washington to try to get Burke through one more inning.
Burke, however, gave up two straight doubles and a single, knocking in two runs.
Right-hander Mike Baumann entered, and he gave up a two-run homer to Ernie Clement on a pitch that was several inches above the strike zone.
“Sometimes you do the impossible,” Washington said.
Joey Loperfido then hit a catchable ball to right field, but Jo Adell got a bad jump, then dove for it. Loperfido ended up with a triple. He scored on a groundout, making it 5-0.
“I don’t know if it got caught in the lights, but he certainly didn’t get a good break on it,” Washington said. “He’s been catching that ball 100 times out of 100, but tonight it didn’t seem like he saw it.”
Canning finally took the mound in the third.
He retired the first 12 hitters he faced before giving up a single. The only other hit he allowed was a double in the eighth. Canning struck out six and did not walk any. He threw 54 strikes among his 74 pitches, including a first-pitch strike to 14 of 20 hitters.
Even if Canning had done that from the first inning, the Angels still would have had a problem because their offense was nowhere to be seen until the ninth.
With the Blue Jays using right-hander Ryan Burr as an opener for left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, the Angels could not get anything going.
The Angels didn’t score until the ninth inning, when Niko Kavadas hit a three-run homer for his first major league hit. He had been 0 for 14.
It also snapped a 17-inning scoreless drought for the Angels, who were shut out on Wednesday in Kansas City.
“We got to string together more than just one inning,” Washington said. “That’s been our problem. We hadn’t scored a run in 17 innings, and then we finally broke through. Hopefully that gives us a boost for tomorrow to get back on track, start scoring some runs. If we start scoring some runs, we’re gonna start putting some wins on the board.”
NOTES
Mickey Moniak had to leave the game after he was hit in the left elbow by a pitch in the fourth inning. X-rays were negative, and Moniak was listed as day to day. …
Nolan Schanuel had two singles, improving to 10 for 25 (.400) in seven games since moving into the No. 3 spot in the order. …
Kavadas was robbed of his first major league hit earlier in the game when right fielder George Springer made a nice grab of a line drive.
The Angels released right-hander José Cisnero, who had been designated for assignment earlier in the week.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 1-3, 6.53 ERA) at Blue Jays (RHP Chris Bassitt, 9-12, 4.34 ERA), Friday, 4:07 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM
