Angels blow another 9th-inning lead in loss to Phillies

Doug Padilla, The Orange County Register on Aug 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels had amassed all the good fortune they could muster Friday only to melt down yet again.

Edmundo Sosa hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a 5-3 victory over the Angels in the opener of a three-game series.

It did not matter that Reid Detmers had another brilliant outing, allowing one run over six innings. It made no difference that Detmers started the most unlikely of double plays in the fourth inning when a ball deflected off the back of his left shoulder to shortstop Zach Neto, who completed a double play at the bag.

Not even Wade Meckler’s home run-robbing catch at the short wall in right field in the ninth inning could save the day. J.T. Realmuto followed with a walk against an erratic Ben Joyce (0-2) to load the bases and Sosa crushed a 1-and-1 changeup from Sammy Peralta to the left-field side of center.

For the second consecutive game, the Angels failed to protect an early three-run lead and lost when their run-scoring abilities evaporated. The Angels have now lost 11 times this season when leading after the eighth inning.

Detmers deserved better. It has been the theme of the left-hander’s past six weeks.

Detmers lowered his ERA to 1.55 over his past eight starts and yet still has just one win to show for it over the stretch. He has given the Angels exactly what they have needed since the All-Star break. An inability to return the favor has persisted.

“It’s been great. It’s the stability, right?” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said beforehand of Detmers’ body of work since the middle of July. “And that presence every fifth day, sixth day.

“But just having his presence every time he gets on the field, it’s been good. Especially for the younger pitchers, just to watch how he goes about his business, how he does his routine, how he works out in the weight room – all those type of things. It’s good leadership.”

It seemed like he was able to create his own good fortune in the fourth inning.

With the Phillies down 3-0 but threatening, following a bunt single from Bryce Harper that put runners on first and second, Luis Arraez hit a line-drive comebacker. Detmers ducked as low as he could go, the ball rebounded off his shoulder and directly to Neto for the double play.

Despite allowing one run or less in six of his past eight starts, the Angels are just 1-7 in those games. In the game they won, Detmers dominated the Kansas City Royals in a 1-0 victory.

Detmers went on to pitch two more scoreless innings Friday, ending his night by allowing one run on eight hits over six innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Five of those hits came after he took the line drive off his shoulder.

In the fifth inning, Detmers was nearly out of another jam when a two-out bunt single from Derek Hill scored Alec Bohm as the Phillies pulled within 3-1. The bunt might have been the third out of the inning, but first baseman Vaughn Grissom elected to field the ball instead of staying on the bag and allowing Detmers to make the play.

The run ended Detmer’s career-best streak of 20 innings without allowing a run. Former Angels right-hander Jose Soriano had a 252/3 innings scoreless streak earlier this season.

Philadelphia nearly tacked on another run, but Meckler threw out De La Cruz at home after a single from Kyle Schwarber.

Joyce’s lack of command in the ninth was apparent early. He hit Bohm with one out then walked Justin Crawford before Bryson Stott hit a deep drive toward the corner in right. Meckler sprinted over and reached over the wall for the catch and the second out. Two batters later, after the walk to Realmuto, Sosa delivered his first career grand slam.

One hit for the Angels’ offense over the final eight innings also spelled doom. The rest of the night looked nothing like their first inning, when Neto opened with a walk and Mike Trout singled. Meckler’s RBI single gave the Angels a 1-0 lead and two more runs scored on wild pitches from Phillies starter Andrew Painter.