Teheran on loss: 'Disappointed with numbers'

Veteran right-hander Julio Teheran's season has not gone as planned.

Teheran, who saw the start of his season delayed after testing positive for COVID-19 in late June, has failed to get it going with the Angels and he struggled again in a 7-3 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field. It clinched a series loss for the Angels after they swept the Astros in four games, and was yet another blow to their slim postseason chances.

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Teheran fared well early, but it fell apart for him in the fourth and fifth innings. He allowed five runs on six hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings to fall to 0-3 with an 8.23 ERA in six starts (seven appearances). He simply hasn't had the results that he had with the Braves, as he entered the year with a career 3.67 ERA in nine seasons and a 3.81 ERA in 33 starts last year. Teheran wasn’t exactly hit hard by the Rangers -- and two of his inherited runners scored -- but it goes down, statistically, as yet another tough outing.

“I feel good and that's the most important thing, but I'm kind of disappointed with the numbers,” Teheran said. “The game is like one where you're like, 'How did this happen?' I threw the ball where I wanted to throw it and I gave up five runs. But there's nothing I can do about it. I wish it could’ve been different.”

His stuff has looked better as the season has gone along, but Teheran is yet to go deeper than five innings in any outing. He’s also allowed at least two runs in each of his appearances.

Angels manager Joe Maddon, though, believes Teheran is getting better, and the skipper didn’t think it was a bad outing from the impending free agent who joined the club on a one-year deal.

“He threw the ball really well,” Maddon said. “They really did not hit the ball hard against him if you replay all their hits. He had a great sinker going. He was doing wonderfully. I give them credit for battling."

Teheran's troubles began in the fourth, when he gave up a leadoff double to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and an RBI single to Nick Solak. It cut the Angels' lead to 2-1 after they had scored in the first on an RBI single from Anthony Rendon and again in the fourth on a throwing error from shortstop Anderson Tejeda.

It all unraveled in the fifth, but Teheran wasn't helped by the bullpen. Tejeda sparked the rally with a one-out double on a high popup down the left-field line. Matt Thaiss, playing in his first career game in left, appeared to call off Rendon at third and the ball dropped in for a two-base hit that ultimately set the stage for a five-run frame. Maddon, however, didn’t think it was a catchable ball.

“I thought the ball just dropped in,” Maddon said. “I mean, that's exactly what I saw. Anthony has a long run to go. I did not hear Matty call him off. That's one of those balls that a guy just couldn't even throw a ball to a better spot. It's just unfortunate for us. If you're looking to blame Matt Thaiss for that, I wouldn't do that.”

Teheran then issued a walk to Leody Taveras and allowed a single to Kiner-Falefa to load the bases. Solak plated the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center and Teheran was pulled from the game after having thrown 76 pitches, including 23 in the fifth. Teheran, though, believed he had more in the tank.

"I was still making pitches and that's why I felt I could've stayed in the game and fought through the situation right there,” Teheran said. “It's something where I don't have control over that."

Lefty Hoby Milner came into the game, but he only made matters worse. Milner gave up an RBI single to Joey Gallo, then walked two straight batters to bring in another run. The southpaw then hit Ronald Guzmán with a 3-2 sinker to score the fifth run of the inning for the Rangers and he was removed for Cam Bedrosian, who escaped without further damage.

“The big play was Gallo getting that knock against Hoby and not being able to shut it down, and they got all the way through Guzmán,” Maddon said. “That was the deciding point of that game. At that point, just looking at the matchup, Hoby is here and it was a long inning for Julio. He was in good shape pitch-wise, but Hoby is here for that reason. With two outs, it was the perfect matchup."