PHILADELPHIA -- While the offense has been inconsistent at times this year, the one thing the Angels have displayed all season has been their power.
They utilized that yet again on Saturday night, homering three times for a second straight night, but this time it wasn’t enough in a 9-5 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It moved the Angels back to two games under .500 at 48-50 as they fight to stay in contention leading up to the Trade Deadline on July 31.
Lefty Yusei Kikuchi, this club’s lone All-Star this year, allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts but lasted just five innings because of a high pitch count. He threw 91 pitches, including 33 in the fifth, and the Angels went to the bullpen in the sixth, which ultimately didn’t work out.
“He threw 30-plus pitches and really emptied the tank that inning,” said interim manager Ray Montgomery. “So he was done.”
The bullpen immediately struggled in the sixth, as Sam Bachman loaded the bases with one out. José Fermin was brought in to limit the damage, but he gave up a sacrifice fly to Johan Rojas and walked Trea Turner before serving up a go-ahead grand slam to Kyle Schwarber.
“It started off with just the jam-shot single to right that J.T. [Realmuto] might have even thought he hit foul, and a hit-by-pitch puts him in a bad spot,” Montgomery said of Bachman. “I just didn't see the command and control the stuff like we've seen from him in the past. We put Fermin in a tough spot coming in that situation, but we were one pitch away from getting out of it.”
Fermin had a chance to get out of the jam and had Schwarber in a 1-1 count, but his elevated fastball caught too much of the zone. It was the second homer in two games for Schwarber, who was the All-Star Game MVP on Tuesday.
“I just tried to execute some pitches, and it didn't work my way,” Fermin said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I wanted that pitch high so I could maybe get a swing and miss or a fly ball.”
It spoiled an otherwise solid night for the offense. Taylor Ward and Jo Adell both homered for a second straight game and set a couple of personal milestones in the process, while Yoán Moncada also went deep in the sixth to give the Angels an insurance run that wasn’t quite enough.
The Halos have homered 145 times in 98 games this year, which is tied for the second most in the American League and only trails the Yankees’ 155 blasts. But 95 of those 145 homers have been solo shots, which was again an issue on Saturday.
"That's what this team does,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson about the Angels. “I mean, they hit homers. That's how they generate runs. So you've got to keep the ball in the ballpark."
Ward, though, reached a milestone with his 100th career homer -- a solo blast in the fourth. It was also his team-leading 23rd homer of the year, which ranks as the fifth-highest total in the AL.
Adell followed with a solo homer of his own, giving the Angels back-to-back homers for a fourth time this season. It was Adell’s 21st homer of the year, which set a career best for him after he went deep 20 times last year.
Zach Neto also added an RBI single to make it a three-run fourth before Moncada smacked a solo shot in the sixth. It was Moncada’s eighth of the year and No. 101 for his career after he hit his 100th on July 11.
After the Phillies scored five runs in the sixth, Ward got the Angels back within two runs with an RBI double with two outs in the seventh. But Adell struck out to strand Ward at second base, and Carson Fulmer gave up a two-run shot to Bryce Harper in the eighth to put the game away.
The Angels went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position, including Nolan Schanuel getting robbed of a hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth on a nice play from right fielder Nick Castellanos.
“We were feet away from that ball getting in front of Castellanos and breaking that game open,” Montgomery said. “Our guys are relentless at the plate. We know we're going to hit homers. We know we're never out of a game. But Castellanos just made a good play on that one.”