Kirby Yates blows save as Angels waste Detmers start
Kirby Yates blew a one-run ninth-inning lead Friday night as the Los Angeles Angels fell 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium, wasting a strong six-inning shutout from Reid Detmers after Hao-Yu Lee's two-run double sealed the blown save.
The late collapse continued a painful pattern for Anaheim. According to the Orange County Register, the Angels have now lost eight times when leading after eight innings, with Yates responsible for three of those defeats.
Key Takeaways
- Kirby Yates allowed a two-run double to Hao-Yu Lee in the ninth, turning a 1-0 Angels lead into a 2-1 Tigers win.
- Reid Detmers threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks before the bullpen held through eight.
- Yates hit Dillon Dingler, walked Riley Greene, and then gave up Lee's decisive double with two outs.
- Manager Kurt Suzuki stuck with Yates after the closer had allowed one earned run in his previous 12 games.
- The Angels (38-60) managed only one run all night after scoring on a first-inning groundout.
How did Kirby Yates blow the save against the Tigers?
Yates entered with a 1-0 lead and immediately put the leadoff man on by hitting Dillon Dingler. After getting Spencer Torkelson on a fly ball to left, James Outman stole second to put the tying run in scoring position, per NBC Sports.
Yates then walked Riley Greene and retired Kerry Carpenter on a fly to left for the second out. Hao-Yu Lee followed with a two-run double that gave Detroit its first lead and handed Yates his third blown save of the season over two-thirds of an inning.
"Seems like anytime I get in a situation where it's tight, tie, one-run, whatever it is, I can't get the lead off guy out and that's killing me," Yates said. "Today I didn't throw the ball very well."
How strong was Reid Detmers' start for the Angels?
Detmers was brilliant in a tough-luck no-decision, scattering four hits over six shutout innings. He struck out seven, walked none, and threw 86 pitches while never allowing more than one baserunner in an inning, the Orange County Register reported.
Ryan Zeferjahn worked a perfect seventh with two strikeouts, and Sam Bachman retired the side in the eighth, striking out three left-handed hitters. For the season, Detmers carries a 4.16 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 35 walks in 114⅔ innings.
The outing also mattered beyond Friday's box score. Detmers, under club control for two more years, figures to be one of the more attractive Angels pitchers on the trade market before the Aug. 3 MLB deadline if he stacks more starts like this one.
Why did the Angels stick with Kirby Yates in the ninth?
Asked why he turned to Yates in the save spot, manager Kurt Suzuki said the veteran had been throwing well. Yates had allowed just one earned run across his previous 12 appearances before Friday's meltdown.
"In that spot we just feel like he's throwing the ball good, where everything kind of lines up," Suzuki said. The 39-year-old still took the loss after Anaheim's offense failed to add on, stranding chances against Tigers starter Troy Melton and coming up empty with two on and none out in the ninth.
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