Bullpen shines as Angels win Game 1 of doubleheader

The relievers and a home run by Brandon Drury make the difference in a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays

ANAHEIM ― The Angels and Tampa Bay Rays settled in early to their surroundings Saturday morning for the first game of a scheduled doubleheader. As Tropical Storm Hilary was bearing down on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, two managers were plotting the best way to get through 18 innings of baseball after expected rainfall forced Sunday’s series finale to be moved up one day.

Angels starter Chase Silseth and his counterpart, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow, did not get the assignment. Silseth lasted a mere 3 ⅔ innings. Glasnow allowed seven runs in five innings. The game would be decided by the bullpens, which is how the Angels pulled out a 7-6 victory in Game 1 before an announced crowd of 27,309.

Griffin Canning allowed one run in 3 ⅓ innings. Matt Moore tossed a scoreless eighth inning. Reynaldo Lopez handled the ninth on a day off for closer Carlos Estevez, and survived a leadoff single to record the save.

So it was that the Angels (61-63) pulled back within two games of .500 for at least a couple hours, with Game 2 set to begin at 6 p.m.

Brandon Drury’s solo home run in the fifth inning against Glasnow (6-4) proved to be the difference in the game. The Angels scored their first six runs without the benefit of a homer – but with plenty of help from the Rays’ defense.

The game was tied 2-2 in the third inning when singles by Nolan Schanuel and Drury put runners on first and second base. With one out, Mike Moutakas reached base on an error by first baseman Jonathan Aranda, loading the bases.

With Matt Thaiss batting, Rays catcher Rene Pinto allowed a ball to pop out of his mitt and squirt behind him. Schanuel scored from third base, giving the Angels a 3-2 lead. Thaiss singled to drive in Drury. Later in the inning, a wild pitch by Glasnow allowed Moustakas to score from third, putting the Angels ahead 5-2.

Randal Grichuk doubled in another run before the inning was over, and the Angels had a 6-2 lead.

Silseth did not make it out of the fourth inning, when he allowed a solo home run to Josh Lowe and a two-run blast to Pinto. The Angels led 6-5 when manager Phil Nevin summoned Canning from the bullpen.

Canning (7-4) was electric. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five batters. A home run by Aranda was the only damage he allowed.

Drury went 3 for 4. Thaiss had two of the Angels’ nine hits. In addition to his double, Grichuk pulled back what appeared to be a home run by Yandy Diaz in the second inning, leaping above the fence in left-center field to record the third out. According to Statcast, the fly ball would have fallen just short of a homer.