ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 A day after the Angels scored 18 runs, they returned to their offensive malaise and managed just one.<\/p>\n
It was almost enough.<\/p>\n
After scoring the game\u2019s first run in the top of the 10th, the Angels gave up two with two outs in the bottom of the inning, losing to the Texas Rangers, 2-1, on Friday night, once again wasting a scoreless start from Reid Detmers.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night was good,\u201d Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. \u201cTonight was a little bit of a struggle. The timely hits kind of eluded us tonight. It\u2019s not going to be perfect every night. You\u2019ve got to go out there and just have the best at-bats you can and see what we come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Angels still nearly won. Right-hander Ben Joyce, who had not given up a run in any of his first six games, was a strike away from ending it when the Rangers\u2019 Wyatt Langford blooped a 102 mph pitch into right field for a game-tying double.<\/p>\n
After an intentional walk, Joyce gave up a hard smash down the third base line. Denzer Guzman made a diving stop, but then he made a bad throw to second. The winning run scored as the ball rolled into the outfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat play, obviously,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cOne of those tough ones that wasn\u2019t finished. Great jump off the ball. Great diving play. Just didn\u2019t finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Angels had missed a chance to get insurance in the top of the 10th, after Guzman\u2019s leadoff double gave them a run with no outs. They couldn\u2019t get Guzman home.<\/p>\n
Josh Lowe failed to get a bunt down, striking out when trying to bunt with two strikes. Tyler Heineman then hit a fly ball to right field, sending Guzman to third. Oswald Peraza then struck out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuge run out there,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cObviously would have liked to cash it in. I think it would have definitely helped us. But that\u2019s baseball. It\u2019s part of the game. These things that we\u2019re working on, we\u2019re working every day to get better at them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prior to the 10th, the Angels had only one runner in scoring position all night, in the second inning.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t help their cause that two of their better hitters \u2013 Nolan Schanuel and Wade Meckler \u2013 were out of the lineup. Schanuel tweaked his side on Thursday night, and Meckler was still undergoing concussion tests after he was hit in the head by a pitch.<\/p>\n