PHOENIX — Griffin Canning gave up a three-run homer on his 22nd pitch of the night.
And, somehow, he ended up as the star of the game for the Angels.
Canning followed his familiar script, struggling in the first inning and then pitching well, but the rest of the Angels could do nothing to help him in what became an 11-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night.
Compared with a lineup that was ineffective and a bullpen that turned a three-run deficit into a 10-run deficit, Canning deserved credit for his performance.
Nonetheless, he took no solace in a strong finish.
“It doesn’t make it feel any better,” Canning said. “To put the team down 3-0 right away, it screws up the momentum for the game. It sucks.”
Arizona’s Christian Walker hit an inside fastball out for a three-run homer, one of the 30 pitches it took Canning to get the first three outs of the game. After that, Canning gave up just one more run – on another Walker homer – in five innings.
This season Canning has allowed 18 earned runs in 14 first innings, for an ERA of 11.57. He has a 3.23 ERA in all other innings.
“I’m trying,” Canning said. “I dont know. Sometimes it’s just tough to settle in. I haven’t pitched here before. I just wasn’t very sharp from the start.”
Canning sailed through his last five innings on 67 pitches.
By finishing so well, Canning was able to continue what has been a solid two-month stretch. He now has a 3.63 ERA over his last 11 starts. He has not allowed more than four runs or pitched fewer than five innings in any of those games.
Although it certainly didn’t look like that would be the story in the first inning, this was yet another game in which the Angels’ starting pitching has been the best part of the team.
The Angels trailed 4-1 when Canning left, and any hope of a comeback disappeared quickly when right-handers Hunter Strickland and Luis Garcia collaborated on a meltdown in the seventh.
Strickland didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced. Garcia then walked two hitters before giving up a grand slam to Joc Pederson, putting the Angels down 10-1.
“We tried to keep that game right there with the two best we had,” manager Ron Washington said. “It just didn’t work out.”
At the plate, the Angels could do little with Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt after missing their opportunity in the first inning.
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Nolan Schanuel led off the game with a walk and then Luis Rengifo singled. The Angels were primed for a big inning, but Taylor Ward struck out, Kevin Pillar grounded out and Logan O’Hoppe struck out.
After that, the Angels didn’t get another runner into scoring position until the fourth, when Mickey Moniak did manage a two-out RBI single.
In the sixth, Zach Neto doubled and Moniak walked, bringing Jo Adell to the plate as the potential tying run. Adell struck out.
Michael Stefanic reached base to lead off the third and seventh innings, but both times Schanuel then hit into a double play.
“If we could have gotten a couple of extra bases right there, we could have cut into that 4-0 lead they had after three,” Washington said, “but we couldn’t do it. We couldn’t string anything together offensively.”
