Angels will need more quality pitching: takeaways from opening homestand

The Angels’ schedule doesn’t get easier after their first homestand ended Wednesday with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. They have a day off Thursday, then kick off a 17-game stretch that sends them through Boston and New York, returns to Anaheim and then back on the road to Milwaukee before their next break.

Now that they’ve improved to 7-5, here are three takeaways from the Angels’ first six games at Angel Stadium.

Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Angel Stadium on Tuesday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

If the Angels hope not to burn their bullpen too early in the season, they’ll need more quality starts from the rotation.

Of all the pitchers who started over the last week, just two were able to get them through six or more innings: Shohei Ohtani (seven innings) and Patrick Sandoval (six innings).

Tyler Anderson and José Suarez were unable to get through five innings. Anderson gave up five earned runs in 4⅔ innings on Saturday and Suarez was pulled before the start of the fifth after giving up four earned runs on 10 hits on Monday. Reid Detmers made it through the fifth inning Sunday before unraveling in the sixth. Suarez‘s and Detmers’ outings cost the Angels their leads.

It’s still early, so there’s still some leeway, particularly for the Angels’ youngest pitchers (Suarez is 25 and Detmers is 23) to find their prime form. And that’s not to say the starters, as a group, haven’t been decent. The rotation ranked seventh-best in the majors in ERA (3.68) after Wednesday’s game.

“As far as our starters go, I’m really happy with the way they’re throwing the ball,” manager Phil Nevin said after Wednesday’s win. “It’s a good start to the season, a lot of things to build on for them.”

Angels relief pitcher Jimmy Herget throws against the Seattle Mariners during a game on April 3 in Seattle.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

Speaking of the bullpen … Here’s what we know: As a group, the bullpen ranked No. 13 in ERA (3.74) after the win Wednesday.

At least two of the six games in this homestand were soured in part because of the bullpen — for example, the home-opening loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in which Jimmy Herget gave up a three-run home run in the seventh and the exciting ninth-inning comeback on Sunday that ended up in a 10-inning loss with Carlos Estévez unable to maintain a tied score.

On the other side of that were the wins secured on clean outings by the same bullpen. Estévez, in his three outings before Sunday, hadn’t given up a run and he earned his first save of the season Tuesday. Herget pitched a clean inning on Monday, but also has a history of success dating to last season.

While it’s understandable that some fans might be squeamish when the bullpen gives up a lead, especially considering it has done so in previous losing seasons, it’s still very early.

Angels pitcher Griffin Canning throws to a Washington Nationals batter during the first inning on Wednesday at Angel Stadium.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

Griffin Canning, the Angels’ swing No. 6 starter Wednesday, pitched in his first major league game in nearly 650 days. He pitched five innings (69 pitches), giving up two earned runs on five hits and striking out four. He was pulled after a strong final inning in which he needed just six pitches to get through.

“Fun to get back out there and compete and do what I love and do what I can to help the team win,” Canning said.

That he was able to return from a back injury, then another hiccup with a groin injury to start this season, is important in and of itself. No professional athlete likes missing time, especially not that much time. And he produced a decent start considering all the time he has missed.

“Really happy for him,” Nevin said. “Coming in, you could see it on his face after that fifth [inning]. I told him, ‘Congrats. Welcome back.’ It was a cool moment.”

Canning will get another start, likely in New York against the Yankees depending on what works best on his and Suarez’s schedule through the trip, Nevin said.