Fighter Seranthony Dominguez erratic again for second defeat in five games originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
ANAHEIM — Seranthony Dominguez’s rough month continued with the Phillies’ 6-5 series-opening loss to the Angels on Monday night.
The Phils scored three more runs in the top of the first to strike first for the eighth consecutive game, then Cristopher Sanchez returned single runs in the first and second innings and two more in the sixth as the Angels tied it.
Dominguez, owner of a 9.58 ERA, suffered the loss. He allowed back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh and the Halos pushed both with two outs on a wild pitch by Dominguez and an errant backhand to base by Garrett Stubbs.
Dominguez was trying to get up and out on the field and he just pulled. He threw two pitches for the save in the same at-bat against Taylor Ward.
“It’s hard for me (right now),” Dominguez said. “I still believe in myself and every time they give me the opportunity, I will compete the same way. I can’t give a 100 percent answer right now, I just try to do my best when they give me the opportunity. I’m working to improve with each game.”
Dominguez gave up four runs last Wednesday in a three-run loss at Cincinnati. Manager Rob Thomson used him in a lower-leverage situation two nights later and was happy with the way he rallied in a 1-2-3 inning, but Monday was the right-hander’s seventh shaky performance in 12 this season.
“He shouldn’t be,” Thomson said when asked if Dominguez is dealing with a trust issue. “He threw the ball really well in San Diego. He has to make shots, but I think he’s in good shape mentally.
“I thought he was snapping out of it. He was 0-2, had just struck out (Jo) Adell. It’s a shame. Infield’s single started it all.”
The Phillies’ last three losses have been attributed to Dominguez and Sanchez, two of their only struggling arms. Sanchez generated just one hit among the 75 pitches he threw, a changeup in the dirt to strike out Mike Trout of all people in the fifth inning. He didn’t change the trademark much, especially in the beginning. Just 56 percent of Sanchez’s pitches were strikes.
“I didn’t feel good about it today,” Sanchez said of the change. “I didn’t feel like I usually do.”
He also struggled with the run game again. Three of the first four Angels reached in the second inning and Luis Rengifo and Cole Tucker executed a double steal. There have been nine stolen bases this season with Sanchez on the mound, the most by any pitcher in the major leagues. The Angels had two more stolen bases late in the game, but were forced to retreat after fouls.
Sanchez and the Phillies are working on the running game issue and sometimes that causes the pitcher to divide his focus more than he should.
“I think there are times when it happens because we’re talking about it, we’re working on it, so it might be in his head, but it’s a situation where you just have to get the hitter,” Thomson said. he said. “We’ll continue to work on holding runners, but you’ve got to attack the hitter and take care of it.”
Sanchez is aware of the problem.
“That’s always going to be a challenge, but I need to get better, I need to get better, I need to keep working on these things,” he said. “Change the rhythm of the hitters and runners as well and don’t lose focus on home plate, which is the main thing.”
The outcome might have been different if the Phillies had gone the route they have been going lately, but they managed just two hits after the first inning, a single by Trea Turner in the fifth and a leadoff single by Garrett Stubbs in the seventh.
The Phillies had the guys they wanted on base in that seventh inning, but the Angels intentionally walked Bryce Harper, then unintentionally walked NL Player of the Week Alec Bohm. Former Angel Brandon Marsh came up in what could have been a storybook moment, but was thrown to first base on the first pitch.
Marsh had another chance with the tying run at second base and two outs in the ninth inning, but struck out to end the game.
“We always want it, we always know we have the best guys to do it,” Stubbs said. “I don’t think there’s anyone that comes to base that we don’t expect or have a feeling that could be it, whether it’s a home run, a double, a single, a walk.”
That didn’t happen on Monday night, as the Phillies’ four-game winning streak came to an end. They won 11 of 14 and won the first game of seven consecutive series after losing the first two in the first round.
They look to even things out with the Angels on Tuesday night, with Spencer Turnbull (1.33 ERA) making what could be his last start in a while.
