Angels slug their way past Diamondbacks in Anaheim

Angels slug three homers, down Diamondbacks in finale

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced in a clubhouse meeting on Sunday morning that right-hander Zac Gallen had been named to the National League All-Star team, Gallen barely reacted. Sitting at a table in the middle of the room, Gallen was deep in his pregame preparations. He glanced up, then quickly turned his attention back to his tablet.

Gallen’s performance later in the day mostly lived up to the All-Star label — he struck out 12 and at one point retired 14 consecutive hitters — but he made a pair of costly mistakes that the Diamondbacks could not overcome in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

Gallen served up a solo home run to Mike Trout in the first and a three-run shot to Mickey Moniak in the second, blasts that accounted for all of the damage he incurred in seven innings. Both pitches, he thought, were the right ones to throw. But both ended up in the wrong spots.

The pitch to Trout was supposed to be a cutter down and away. He left it over the plate. Because it came with the bases empty, Gallen did not seem too bothered by it. He was challenging Trout. He made a mistake. It cost him only one run.

The one to Moniak, however, was a different story. After the Angels collected consecutive two-out singles in the second, Gallen had a 2-2 count on Moniak when he tried to bounce a breaking ball.

Moniak is a former No. 1 overall pick, a lefty hitter who has begun to tap into his power at the major league level. But he also has a propensity to expand the strike zone.

“I think if that ball bounces on the plate, it’s probably a swing and miss or a ground ball,” Gallen said. “It was just the wrong location.”

Gallen’s breaking ball was down and away — not a bad pitch in a vacuum — but Moniak crushed it, launching it out just to the left of straightaway center field.

The home run put the Angels ahead, 4-2, which turned out to be enough support for left-hander Reid Detmers and a trio of Angels relievers.

It was the fourth time in five games in which the Diamondbacks scored three runs or less. It was also the fourth consecutive game in which they played mostly without their best hitter, Corbin Carroll, who has been dealing with a shoulder issue since Thursday.

Carroll left that game on Thursday after just two at-bats and was unavailable on Friday and Saturday. He returned to action on Sunday, grounding out as a pinch hitter in the ninth, and “most likely” will return to the starting lineup, Lovullo said, when the Diamondbacks are back in action on Tuesday night against the New York Mets.

Though they still came away with a series victory, the loss cost the Diamondbacks a chance to add another game to their National League West lead. The second-place Los Angeles Dodgers, who were beaten for the second day in a row by the lowly Kansas City Royals, remain three games back. The San Francisco Giants, who entered the day 3 1/2 games back, were playing a night game on Sunday.

Gallen called it “an honor” to be named an All-Star, and he said the fact that he appeared likely to make it made it easier for him to process his emotions after receiving the news. That said, he did not give himself time to revel in the accomplishment.

“I heard this morning, but I had a job to do today,” Gallen said. “I’ll probably be able to enjoy it a little bit after this. It’s bittersweet. We still lost. I didn’t do my job. But it’s my first All-Star selection, so I’ll try to enjoy it the best I can.”

Sunday's Diamondbacks-Angels pitching matchup

Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (10-2, 3.02) vs. Angels LHP Reid Detmers (1-5, 3.77).

Gallen gave up four runs in six innings against the Rays last week. He gave up four in the second but finished with four consecutive scoreless innings, putting the Diamondbacks in position for an eventual 8-4 victory. … He logged a 3.69 ERA in June, working at least 5 2/3 innings in each of his five starts. … Gallen is getting whiffs on 45.2 percent of the swings on his curveball, third-best in the majors. … Detmers is throwing his fastball 1.6 mph harder on average than last season. His slider is 3.6 mph harder. He has the exact same 3.77 ERA this year as he had last year but appears to be trending in a good direction, having logged a 1.05 ERA with eight walks and 34 strikeouts in his past 25 2/3 innings. … Detmers has had betters results this year against righties (.639 OPS) than lefties (.782 OPS). … He has never faced the Diamondbacks.

Coming up

Monday: Off.

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zach Davies (1-4, 6.54) vs. Mets RHP Kodai Senga (6-5, 3.53).

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (5-1, 4.08) vs. Mets RHP Max Scherzer (7-2, 3.87).

Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (5-4, 4.67) vs. Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 5.94).

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All-Star first: Corbin Carroll becomes first Diamondbacks rookie named as All-Star starter

New look: MLB unveils 2023 All-Star Game uniforms

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks lose Sunday as Angels avoid sweep