Angels' Ron Washington Open to Re-Evaluating Canning/Opener Combo

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 29, 2024

James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

After pitching six scoreless innings in a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Angels rewarded right-hander Griffin Canning with another start on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers.

The only difference is that he piggy-backed off an opener in the previous start.

“He’s been starting for us all year, and we decided to go with that opener, and he wasn’t happy with it,” Washington said. “He came in and gave us six solid innings, and I thought he earned to get the ball and show us that there was never any problem with that. And so he’s on the line. He’s on the line. I feel like he needs to get the ball from the first inning on and prove to us that it was a fluke that (he pitched better after an opener)."

Canning tossed a scoreless first inning Wednesday in Detroit. But he allowed two runs in the second inning and one in the third in an eventual 3-2 loss.

Was it enough for Canning to earn a start — not a "bulk innings" task — in his next outing? Only time will tell.

“I thought Canning did a good job of fighting,” Washington told Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. “He gave up those three runs in the second and third. He did a good job to get us through five. And if he could have just been giving up three runs all year, I’d have taken that.”

The loss was the Angels' seventh in a row, on the heels of a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

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

Washington liked what he heard and is look to see his players have a better presence in the clubhouse and on the field.

“It was the accountability," said Washington. "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.”

Relievers Brock Burke and Mike Baumann gave up five runs in the second inning on Aug. 22 before Canning entered the contest. There was no pressure when Canning came into the game.

When the right-hander was brought in, he had an earned run average of 7.38 in the first and second innings.

Canning retired the first 12 batters he faced before giving up a single, with the only other hit being a double in the eighth. He struck out six without issuing a walk, throwing 54 strikes out of 74 pitches, and starting 14 of 20 hitters with a first-pitch strike.

In a career-high 144 inings, Canning is 4-12 with a 5.19 ERA overall in 27 games (26 starts).