Angels overcome seven-run deficit before losing to Diamondbacks

  • Taylor Ward #3 of the Los Angeles Angels misses a ball hit by Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Kole Calhoun #56 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a single against the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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  • Kole Calhoun #56 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by Pavin Smith #26, Eduardo Escobar #5 and Christian Walker #53 after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Julio Teheran #49 of the Los Angeles Angels pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Hoby Milner #61 of the Los Angeles Angels pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks tags out David Fletcher #22 of the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Taylor Ward #3 of the Los Angeles Angels misses a ball hit by Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Madison Bumgarner #40 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Kole Calhoun #56 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by Pavin Smith #26, Eduardo Escobar #5 and Christian Walker #53 after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Kole Calhoun #56 of the Arizona Diamondbacks interacts with Andrew Heaney #28 and hitting coach Jeremy Reed of the Los Angeles Angels before their game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

  • Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a ball from the outfield while interpreter Ippei Mizuhara looks on before playing the Arizona Diamondbacks at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 15, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

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ANAHEIM — The Angels’ game Tuesday night began as a nightmare, then turned in the direction of a miracle, and ended as just another loss, one that pushes them ever closer to losing their faint playoff hopes.

After former Angel Kole Calhoun blasted a pair of homers in the first three innings to put the Arizona Diamondbacks up by seven runs, the Angels battled back to tie the game by the sixth, only to lose 9-8.

“The whole time we thought we could come back in that game,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “We battled. We got back into it, good position to win it, we didn’t do it.”

Matt Andriese gave up a tiebreaking homer to David Peralta in the eighth, the fifth homer of the night for the Diamondbacks.

The loss dropped the Angels 4 1/2 games back of the Houston Astros for a playoff spot with 11 games to play. They would also need to leapfrog the Seattle Mariners, who are two games behind the Astros.

They’d need a miracle to get in the playoffs, and they nearly had a miracle comeback to win on Tuesday.

The Angels trailed 7-0 in the third inning, before they’d even gotten through their own order one time, with most of the damage coming off the bat of Calhoun in his first game against his former team.

Calhoun blasted a two-run homer in the first and a three-run shot in the third, giving him a career-high five RBIs.

“Pretty cool, man,” Calhoun said. “The first one was kind of surreal, first time back, old team, hit a homer. And then the second one, this is crazy. Crazy game, crazy night. Just very grateful for that opportunity to play here again and get a win against your former team. Pretty cool.”

The Angels, though, weren’t going to let their old friend single-handedly take a chunk of their slim playoff hopes. They clawed back into the game, largely thanks to sizzling Jared Walsh.

Walsh hit a homer in the third, his fifth in his last six games. He also had a pair of doubles, including a two-run double in the fifth that pulled the Angels within 8-3. Walsh is now 14 for 30 in his last seven games.

Anthony Rendon then drove in a run with a single and Justin Upton hit a two-run homer to make it 8-6.

In the sixth, the Angels started the inning with consecutive doubles by Taylor Ward, Andrelton Simmons and David Fletcher to tie the game, 8-8. The Angels got Fletcher to third with one out in the inning, needing just a fly ball to take the lead, but they couldn’t get it done.

“Those are the kind of moments you’ve got to get done to get to get the promised land,” Maddon said.

The Angels’ comeback certainly took some of the sting out of what Calhoun did to them.

After spending parts of seven years patrolling right field at Angel Stadium, Calhoun became a free agent when the Angels declined his option. They likely felt the $14 million could have been better spent on pitching.

Coincidentally, the free-agent pitcher the Angels signed for $9 million — Julio Teheran — was the one who allowed Calhoun’s two-run homer in the first. He allowed two more homers in the second and was pulled before the third.

“I didn’t have any movement on my fastball today like I had in the past,” Teheran said. “I was missing my spots, and when you miss your spots and throw balls in the middle they are going to hit it pretty hard. … Today wasn’t my day. I didn’t have anything. It was one of those outings you want to wrap it up and put it in the back.”

After Teheran was done, lefty Hoby Milner gave up a three-run homer to Calhoun that put the Diamondbacks up by seven runs.

Relievers Cam Bedrosian and Mike Mayers allowed just one run over the next four innings to allow the Angels a chance to get back in the game.

Mayers, who retired all five batters he faced, lowered his ERA to 2.14 as he continued to be one of the season’s most pleasant surprises among the pitchers.

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