ANAHEIM -- No relief unit in the American League has been taxed as heavily as the Angels' bullpen this season. Entering Saturday, the contingent had pitched 155 1/3 innings, second in the Majors behind only the Padres (159 1/3).
The Angels were forced to lean on their relievers more than they would have liked in April, when their rotation struggled to pitch deep into games on a consistent basis. Two back-end arms -- Keynan Middleton and Blake Wood -- subsequently landed on the disabled list, stretching the bullpen even further.
All those factors seemed to snowball for the Angels in their 5-4 loss to the Twins on Friday night.