Anderson battles control, but turns in another solid start

ANAHEIM -- Not even the high-powered Yankees could get to veteran lefty Tyler Anderson, as he continued his season-long run by walking a tightrope through five strong innings despite issuing a season-high six walks.

But it was his first inning that generated the most buzz in a 2-1 loss on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium. Anderson escaped a jam with the bases loaded and nobody out thanks to a controversial call by the umpires reminiscent of a similar play last week involving the Orioles and White Sox.

After giving up a single to Anthony Volpe and walking Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, it appeared Anderson was going to be in for a long night. But Giancarlo Stanton popped up a first-pitch changeup from Anderson near the second-base bag. Shortstop Zach Neto tried to make the catch but collided with Soto at second base as Soto went back to the bag.

Second-base umpire and crew chief Vic Carapazza ruled that it was interference despite the infield fly rule being in effect, giving the Angels a critical double play. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was livid and was tossed from the game after arguing the call. But the Angels believed it was the right call, and different from the one in Chicago, because Soto should’ve been standing on the bag.

“It was crazy,” Anderson said. “When he told me there were two outs, I was like ‘What?’ But I’ll take it. Just some strange stuff. But that ball to Neto, he was there and I don’t know why Soto wasn’t on the bag. He waited until right when Neto was trying to catch the ball. It made it look awkward, but in that situation, it’s an infield fly no matter what happens, so he should be on the bag.”

Rule 6.01(a) states, “A runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder who is attempting to make a play on a batted ball is out whether it was intentional or not.”

Anderson then got Alex Verdugo to ground out to get out of the inning unscathed, and he rode that momentum the rest of his start despite his issues with his control.

Neto said the play wasn’t intentional but just worked out in their favor.

“I was just trying to catch the ball,” Neto said. “That’s it. I know he didn’t try to do it on purpose, so it was bad timing on his part. There was no intention for me to get in his way or from him to get in my way.”

Anderson wasn’t pleased with his control but weaved his way in and out of traffic throughout the night, outside of giving up a solo shot to Verdugo in the fourth.

His lack of command was uncharacteristic for him this year, however, as he entered with 23 walks in 64 1/3 innings. But he made it up for it by allowing just four hits and keeping the Yankees off-balance.

He was lifted after five frames and 95 pitches, snapping a streak of five straight starts of at least six innings. But it was still a solid effort, and he now has an impressive 2.47 ERA in 11 starts this season after posting a 5.43 ERA in 141 innings last year.

“I feel like I obviously want to get more than five innings out of that,” Anderson said. “The walks are like banging your head against the wall. But to be able to not give in and keep making pitches and try to execute when your back is against the wall, I'll take that.”

The Yankees tacked on another run in the seventh on a leadoff triple from Anthony Volpe, who scored on an errant throw to third base, giving him a Little League home run off Hunter Strickland. It proved to be an important run, as Logan O'Hoppe connected on a solo homer in the bottom of the inning.

But O’Hoppe’s homer was one of just two hits the Angels had against right-hander Luis Gil, who went eight strong innings. There was no late-night magic like on Tuesday, when Taylor Ward shocked the Yankees with a go-ahead two-run double with two outs in the eighth off closer Clay Holmes.

They again made things interesting in the ninth, getting two runners on against Holmes with nobody out. But Willie Calhoun grounded into a double play and O’Hoppe grounded out to end it.

“We had the tying run and the winning run on the bag,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “But we just didn’t come through.”