Angels let one get away against Rangers

A two-run lead in the eighth inning with setup man Joe Smith and closer Huston Street rested and ready is a virtual lock for the Angels, the proof in their 43-1 record when leading after seven innings before Saturday.

But nothing is ever guaranteed in this game, a fact the Angels were rudely reminded of Saturday night when Texas scored three runs in a Twilight Zone of an eighth inning for a 7-6 come-from-behind victory in Angel Stadium.

The Rangers sent eight men to the plate during their decisive rally, and one hit the ball hard off Smith. No matter. They placed their hits well and took advantage of a walk and a rare mental miscue by shortstop Erick Aybar to hand the Angels their third straight loss after they had won 17 of 20 games.

“Yeah, it was a weird inning,” said Smith, who entered with a 2.50 earned-run average and a major league-leading 23 holds. “Just a lot of ground balls, but they weren’t going to people. I’m a ground-ball pitcher; it’s no secret. That’s how a ground-ball pitcher struggles. If I was being squared up all over the yard, I’d be worried.”

With Texas trailing, 6-4, in the eighth, Elvis Andrus opened with an infield single and took third on Mitch Moreland’s single to center. Shin-Soo Choo hit a one-hopper to first baseman Albert Pujols, who stepped on the bag for an out and fired to second.

Andrus broke for home as Pujols threw to second, but instead of applying the tag on Moreland for a double play, Aybar spun and fired home, his throw too late to get Andrus, who scored to make it 6-5.

“Erick has a good head out there — he just reacted and threw home, so we gave them an out,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Obviously, with a two-run lead, you want the double play there.”

Josh Hamilton walked, and Robinson Chirinos flared a single to left to score Moreland for a 6-6 tie and advance Hamilton to third. Delino DeShields followed with a high chopper that third baseman Conor Gillaspie had no play on, the single scoring Hamilton for a 7-6 lead.

The comeback spoiled a highlight-reel kind of night for Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun, who had a two-out, two-run single in the second inning, a run-scoring single in the sixth and a spectacular backhand diving catch of Rougned Odor’s drive in the eighth.

Gillaspie, making his Angels debut, singled and scored in the second, hit a two-out, RBI double to left-center in the third to give the Angels a 4-1 lead and made two nice defensive plays, a fresh start apparently doing him good.

Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for cash on Friday, Gillaspie was a solid every-day player in 2014, batting .282 with seven homers and 57 runs batted in.

He struggled so much this past April — batting .196 in 15 games — that he was reduced to a part-time role by June and hitting .237 in 52 games when the White Sox designated him for assignment earlier this month.

Asked if he could put his finger on the difference between last season and this season, Gillaspie, 28, said, “No, not necessarily.” The reasons for his difficulties weren’t that tangible.

“I think I put too much pressure on myself and was probably over-thinking things,” Gillaspie said. “Over-analyzing, nerves, anxiety, stress those are all factors other than the game itself that you have to control as a player, and I don’t think I did a very good job of controlling them in the first half. But there’s always a chance to rebound and to contribute somewhere.”

Gillaspie has that chance now, though it will be limited.

Third baseman David Freese broke his right index finger Wednesday and will be out for at least three weeks, and Gillaspie was acquired as stopgap.

“This is a new opportunity for me, and whatever I’ve done up to this point really doesn’t matter,” Gillaspie said. “I’m very thankful. Hopefully, I can contribute to the best of my abilities. It’s fun, exciting, to be jumping into a playoff race. I’ve never really experienced this at the big league level.”

Up next

Left-hander Andrew Heaney (4-0, 1.57 ERA) will oppose Texas right-hander Nick Martinez (5-5, 3.92 ERA) at Angel Stadium on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1330.

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