Canning finishes tough season on strong note as Halos falter late

ANAHEIM -- It wasn’t always pretty but right-hander Griffin Canning stayed healthy and took the ball for every one of his scheduled outings this season.

Canning had his fair share of ups and downs, but he finished 2024 on a high note with five strong innings before the bullpen imploded in a 9-8 loss to the Rangers on Saturday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels held a six-run lead in the fourth and a three-run lead in the ninth but José Quijada couldn’t close it out.

Canning allowed two runs on four hits and two walks to finish with a 5.19 ERA in a career-high 32 outings (31 starts). He struck out 130, walked 66 and gave up 31 homers in a career-best 171 1/3 innings, which topped his previous high of 127 frames set last year.

“I'm really proud of myself for that,” Canning said of making every start. “That's something I can kind of hang my hat on and build off of, I mean, not results wise, not the year I'd like. But I can't control that. So I’m just going to enjoy some time off in the offseason, and then get back to work to get better.”

Canning posted a 3.52 ERA over his final three starts to at least end his year with some positive momentum heading into next season. He’s due for salary arbitration for a third and final time, as he’s set to be a free agent after 2025. He made $2.6 million this year and wouldn’t be due for much of a raise because of his rough season. The Angels are likely to tender him a contract as a result, although he’ll have to compete for a rotation spot and might be a candidate for long relief.

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who also avoided the injured list this season, said he was impressed by Canning taking the mound for all of his starts this year.

“He made every start that was scheduled, and I thought that was impressive in and of itself,” O’Hoppe said. “He made adjustments start to start. And he learned a lot about himself, and we got closer in our relationship, for sure. I'm really proud of him for getting through it.”

Canning had issues keeping the ball in the ballpark this year and gave up a solo homer in the second inning to Nathaniel Lowe on a first-pitch curveball that hung right over the middle of the plate.

Canning, though, was helped by the offense, as the Angels broke out for three runs in the second and four more in the third against former Angels lefty Andrew Heaney.

Gustavo Campero hit his first career homer, a three-run shot in the third, and Niko Kavadas followed with a solo shot to give the Angels a six-run lead.

Canning loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth, giving up a pair of singles before walking Leodys Tavares. But he got Carson Kelly to ground into a run-scoring double play before inducing a popup to shortstop from Dustin Harris to get out of the inning without any further damage.

He threw a 1-2-3 fifth inning to complete his outing, as he threw 89 pitches, but had trouble with his command at times, throwing 54 strikes. But Canning kept Rangers hitters off-balance by mixing his changeup, slider and curveball to complement his four-seamer. He registered 10 swings and misses, including four with his slider, three with his fastball, two with his changeup and one with his curve.

“I thought for five innings he fought but they fought him,” Angels manager Ron Washington. “We got the lead and it looked like he was out there trying to just protect the lead and started missing the strike zone. He was out of gas after the fifth inning.”

Canning saw his strikeout rate drop by a large margin this season. Last year, he struck out 9.85 batters per nine innings, but saw it dip to 6.82 per nine this year. His walk rate also jumped from 2.55 walks per nine last year to 3.46 this year. It’s something he’ll need to improve on if he wants to keep his rotation spot in ’25.

“Just like everybody, it’s about fastball command,” Canning said. “Just kind of getting back to what I know I am. Knowing myself a little better. Pitch sequencing, that kind of stuff. And staying on the attack and throwing strikes.”