Unpredictable Angels predictably drop game 2 to the A’s with another Skaggs implosion

The Angels are predictable in being unpredictable. It’s the sign of a .500 team. You win some, you lose some. You win some hard ones and lose some easy ones. In this case, Skaggs hadn’t allowed an earned run against the A’s in two starts this year, and today? Well, it was a different story.

Scoring started early when the A’s started off the game with a double and single. Two batters in and the A’s had scored in the first inning for 2 nights in a row. No problem right? Yesterday the A’s scored 3 in the first and it was all the got.

Unlike Friday’s game, this one got out of hand and out of reach real fast. Skaggs gave up a 3 run homer in the second and a solo home run to Khris Davis in the 3rd. He also gave up a pair of bombs to Marcus Semien. In the end, Skaggs gave up 7 runs which makes 17 total in his last 2 starts - a 24.68 ERA. Skaggs has been reliable most of the season but has completely crumpled in his last 2 games.

If you were looking for Angels offense, you were disappointed. Starter Edwin Jackson held them scoreless through 7.1 innings. The Angels did load up the bases in the bottom of the 9th with back to back hits by Ohtani and Fernandez and a HBP of Simmons. If you stuck around for this one, this bit of excitement was your reward - or was it? The Angels had the bases loaded with nobody out and they came up empty. Zero runs in this one on only 5 hits. Turn that page.

Perhaps the highlight of the night was Francisco Arcia pitching the 9th inning. The last time the Angels had a position player pitch in a game was Chilli Davis in 1993. Mike Scioscia has NEVER had a position player pitch in a game and after Arcia got the 3rd out you might have even seen Scioscia crack his biggest smile of the season. Arcia threw only 8 pitches in that 9th inning - gold.

Rubber match tomorrow.