Angels rookie starter Mitch Farris falters in final audition for 2026

ANAHEIM — Mitch Farris’ monthlong audition for a spot in the Angels’ 2026 rotation didn’t end as well as it began.

Farris gave up four runs in a 9-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.

He had allowed one run in six innings against the same team in his debut on Sept. 2 in Kansas City. A significant piece of surviving in the big leagues is having the stuff to succeed once teams have gotten a look at you.

“The league is going to adjust, and then you have to adjust back,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said.

Farris gave up three runs in 11 innings in his first two games, and after that he allowed 15 earned runs in 13⅓ innings in his last three starts.

Farris could have gotten through this one with only two runs on the scoreboard, though. The second run scored when Vinnie Pasquantino barely beat the back end of a double play that would have ended the inning. A run scored in the fifth after third baseman Yoán Moncada failed to catch a line drive that hit his glove.

Farris struck out five, and got 16 whiffs. They swung and missed eight times at his fastball, even though it averaged 91 mph. Farris struck out 142 in 116 innings this year in the minors before getting the call to the big leagues.

“There’s a lot of good things to take away, but at the same time, there’s all stuff to work on,” Farris said.

Montgomery said one of the things Farris needs to work on is his conditioning, and Farris acknowledged that.

“There were some good things there,” Montgomery said of Thursday’s game. “Obviously, he was fighting himself a little bit. Everything was missing arm side. He didn’t really command the fastball like he wanted to. The offspeed stuff came a little bit later. He grinded through giving us five innings there. I think overall, the body of work, he should be happy about what he did here, getting here and giving us a few starts. There’s more work to be done. He knows that. We’ve talked with him. We’re going to continue to talk with him, but he’s done a nice job.”

Farris, 24, has a 6.66 ERA through his first five major league starts, with 11 walks and 24 strikeouts in 24⅓ innings.

Before the game, Montgomery said he appreciated that Farris didn’t seem intimidated by big league competition.

“A lot of what I see from young players is ‘Can they handle the moment?’” Montgomery said. “Are they caught in the moment? I haven’t seen any of that from him.”

The Angels (71-88) trailed 4-1 when Farris threw his last pitch, and they never were able to tie the score.

As usual, their runs came on homers, and in between they struck out frequently. Jo Adell hit his team-leading 37th homer in the second inning, and Nolan Schanuel hit his 12th in the sixth inning.

The Angels were down 5-2 when Mike Trout blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning. It was Trout’s 23rd of the season, and the 401st of his career. By the time the Angels came up again in the ninth, the Royals had blown the game open with four runs against right-hander Sam Bachman.

The Angels also struck out 13 times, increasing their season total to 1,603, which is now the fourth most in major league history. The Angels have three games left, and the record is 1,654, set by the 2023 Minnesota Twins.