Sunday's matinee could have resulted in a third straight series win to open the season for the Angels. Instead, they squandered an early six-run lead against the Toronto Blue Jays, then tried to win from behind but ultimately fell short in extra innings.
The Angels lost to the Blue Jays 12-11 in 10 innings after Cavan Biggio, Toronto's ghost runner, scored on Kevin Kiermaier's ground-rule double and George Springer drove in another run against Carlos Estévez.
The Angels scored a run in the bottom of the 10th, but Shohei Ohtani grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.
Reid Detmers held the Blue Jays to one hit through the first five innings. But in the sixth, Detmers unraveled. He walked Springer, gave up a single to Bo Bichette and hit Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the foot, all before getting an out.
A first-pitch grand slam by Matt Chapman cut the Angels' lead to 6-4 .
Detmers gave up another single on a bunt by Daulton Varsho before his afternoon was over. He was replaced by reliever Andrew Wantz. Later in the inning, Kevin Kiermaier hit a triple that rolled into the right-field corner, which allowed the Blue Jays to score two runs and tie the score..
Toronto scored four more runs in the seventh for a 10-6 lead.
Detmers' final line over five innings included five runs (four earned), two batters walked and five strikeouts. Ryan Tepera was charged with four earned runs in a third of an inning.
The Angels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Anthony Rendon drove in the first run with a single on a fly ball into left field that Varsho lost in the sun and could not catch, the ball thumping onto the ground. Then Hunter Renfroe hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot on Yusei Kikuchi's changeup.
The Angels continued to pick on Kikuchi, Ohtani hitting a two-run homer in the third and Logan O'Hoppe adding a solo shot in the fourth. In the eighth inning, down by four runs and with Toronto reliever Eric Swanson on the mound, Brandon Drury hit his first home run of the season, cutting the Angels' deficit to three.
Gio Urshela got the Angels going in the bottom of the ninth with a single. Taylor Ward and Ohtani worked walks against Toronto reliever Jordan Romano to load the bases. Romano gave the Angels a free run after hitting Rendon. Renfroe's RBI double sent the game to the 10th inning.
Drury, the Angels' ghost runner, and Urshela, who knocked a single into center field, and Ward, who worked a walk against Trevor Richards, loaded the bases. Richards walked Mike Trout, which allowed Drury to score.
Tim Mayza replaced Richards and got Ohtani to ground out to second.
