Angels experience Despairgne in Arlington and lose 6-4, hang in the Gallos

Angels 4 Rangers 6

Odrisamer Despaigne made his second start of the season tonight, his first start of the season. It did not go well.

Despaigne retired the side in order in the first inning and the third inning. Sandwiched in between was a five-run stinker in the bottom of the second, in which seven of the first eight Rangers batters reached base. Nomar Mazara singled, Jurickson Profar drew a base on balls, and Joey Gallo drove in those two with a hard-hit triple that found a gap between Eric Young Jr. and Kole Calhoun in right-center to take the lead 2-1. The Rangers scored three additional runs in the inning to extend that lead by three runs, and the Angels never recovered.

Despaigne, to his credit, recovered to finish the inning and toss an additional two frames, completing four innings on 78 pitches. For someone not fully stretched out, it’s not a good outing but it’s a respectable effort in an attempt to overcome an injury-ravaged staff. Deck McGuire did his part to help out, also tossing four innings in a more successful effort, throwing 70% of his pitches for strikes.

I’m not sure the rest of the story is important here, but Taylor Ward notched an RBI single and both Albert Pujols and Justin Upton reached base twice. Andrelton Simmons put together a two-run homer of his own (on the first pitch, no less) in the sixth inning to bring the Angels to a closer 6-4 score, but it was to no avail as the Halos drop to .500 yet again.