'It got away from him': Cueto can't maintain early success vs. Tigers

DETROIT -- Angels starter Johnny Cueto was perfect through three innings before becoming perfectly hittable over the next two-plus frames of Tuesday night’s 6-2 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Detroit’s hitters were completely flummoxed by the two-time All-Star following a 2-hour, 45-minute rain delay before scoring twice in the fourth and then showing off some power in the fifth and sixth. Jake Rogers, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter each homered off Cueto before his departure.

“It looked like it was going to be a good night,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “And then, that was a blast by Rogers. Then he got [Parker] Meadows out and he left a sinker up to Greene. Next thing you know, Carpenter did it.

“[Cueto] did a good job of controlling it… but it got away from him. He was using the inside part of the plate and then he started going away, and his changeup wasn’t going down where he wanted it. And his sinker was down the middle of the plate.”

Cueto gave up six runs on six hits, striking out five with one walk in an outing that changed so rapidly.

“I didn’t change anything,” Cueto said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I had the same aggressiveness. Three pitches are the ones that bit me.”

The Angels signed the 144-game winner, who finished between second and sixth in Cy Young Award voting three times, to a Minor League deal on July 21. He allowed three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings in his 2024 debut last Wednesday at Kansas City.

However, this game was a step back for a pitcher who hasn’t won more than eight games in a season in the last eight years.

“I’m already starting to get ready for my next outing,” said Cueto.

Angels have team meeting amid difficult stretch
Washington called a closed-door meeting in the clubhouse prior to batting practice on Tuesday.

“It went extremely well,” said Washington. “It wasn’t a chewing-out meeting. It was a come to Jesus meeting, and it went well. Everybody had something to say and everybody spoke, and I was pleased with it.”

Washington said he thought the meeting was necessary after getting swept by the Blue Jays over the weekend.

But then the Angels went out and lost for the 14th time in 17 games. They took a 1-0 lead on an infield single by Nolan Schanuel in the first. The game was tied, 2-2, after Taylor Ward brought home a run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

“There were a lot of good things said today at the meeting about where we’re at as an organization and where we want to go,” said Kevin Pillar. “A lot of guys have earned opportunities, and with that, you’ve got to get out and run with those opportunities.”

Washington believed sharing their feelings out in the open was a positive for his players.

Asked what results from such meetings, Washington said, “It was the accountability. It’s the attitude. It’s the commitment, your effort. All of that came into play, but it was about your presence. Performance can go up and down, but your presence is what you bring every single day.”

The manager added that he was pleased with the effort of his team on Tuesday.

“We’re going to be better for it,” Washington said. “After we make it through this season, and next year I’m hoping to be knocking on the door [of contention].”

The Angels ranked 27th in MLB with 515 runs scored entering Tuesday. That’s 3.9 runs per game, and it’s down to 2.0 per game during the six-game losing streak.

“Our problem is scoring runs,” said Washington. “We’ve got to figure out ways to score runs. … If we start scoring runs, we’re going to be fine. And it’s tough on pitchers, because now they have to be perfect.”