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Angels’ 7th-inning meltdown leads to loss against Rays

May 30, 2026

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A nice tidy game turned ugly in a hurry for the Angels on Friday night.

The Angels brought a one-run lead into the seventh inning, and then just about everything went wrong in a seven-run inning that sent them to an 8-5 loss to the Rays.

There were bad pitches, an error and even a missed challenge that opened the door for all of it.

Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn took the mound to start the inning with a 2-1 lead after Walbert Ureña had pitched six strong innings.

Zeferjahn walked No. 9 hitter Cedric Mullins to start the inning, always an ominous sign. Zeferjahn then got ahead of Yandy Diaz, 0-and-2, and he threw him a fastball on the outside corner. It was called a ball. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe didn’t challenge, even though the Angels had both of their challenges available.

On the next pitch, Zeferjahn hung a sweeper over the middle and Diaz hit a two-run homer.

Zeferjahn hung another sweeper to Jonathan Aranda, who hit another homer.

Zeferjahn had struggled earlier in the season, when the Angels were using him for multiple innings. This was a rare outing in which he didn’t have it from the start. Zeferjahn was charged with four runs.

The inning got out of hand with left-hander Brent Suter on the mound. Rays speedster Chandler Simpson dropped down a bunt and rushed the Angels into an error. Suter then gave up back-to-back hits as the Rays blew the game open.

It all ruined a nice performance from Ureña, who cut his ERA to 2.53 in eight starts. The 22-year-old right-hander had allowed two runs or fewer in seven of them.

Ureña gave up a homer to Diaz on his second pitch of the night. Ureña threw a 1-and-0 sinker over the middle and Diaz lifted it to the opposite field, just over the right field fence.

That was the only blemish of the night for Ureña, who got out of a few jams through the rest of his six innings.

The Rays had two runners on in the third, fourth and sixth innings. In the fourth, the first two batters of the inning reached, on a bunt single and an infield single.

Ureña responded with a strikeout and a double play.

The Angels (22-36) had a decent night at the plate, too, mostly by hitting the ball the other way.

Both of Zach Neto’s hits went to right field. He doubled into right center and then scored the Angels’ first run of the game on a Vaughn Grissom two-out single in the third. Two innings later, Neto drove in José Siri with a single into right.

The next three runs the Angels scored were in the eighth, just after the Rays took a six-run lead. The Angels took advantage of the fact that the Rays had the margin to start the inning with Hunter Bigge, a reliever with a 5.59 ERA.

The Angels loaded the bases in the ninth against Rays closer Bryan Baker. Grissom popped out to end it.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

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Angels’ 7th-inning meltdown leads to loss against Rays

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