Griffin Canning got screwed by Minute Maid Park in Angels loss to Astros

The Los Angeles Angels fell 6-5 to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, but little, if any, blame should fall at the feet of Griffin Canning. The Angels' starter went five innings and allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out two batters.

Both earned runs, however, came via the long ball. One came off the bat of Yordan Alvarez, and there's no shame in that. The other, however, was a wall-scraper courtesy of Kyle Tucker. Given that Tucker leads the league in home runs, Canning shouldn't hang his head. In fact, Tucker's so-called "blast" would've been a fly out in 29 other major league ballparks.

According to Baseball Savant, there's only one ballpark in Major League Baseball in which Tucker's home run would actually clear the fence — Minute Maid Park. There were eight other batted balls on Tuesday night, including three fly outs that traveled a further distance than Tucker's home run the first inning. Only 10 of Tucker's 17 homers would be considered a round-tripper at Angel Stadium.

Griffin Canning got screwed by Minute Maid Park in Angels loss to Astros

Canning has actually pitched quite well of late. After a disastrous start to his 2024 campaign, the right-hander seems to have figured things out and the results have been on full display since the calendar flipped to May.

In April, Canning was getting shelled left and right. The right-hander was walking nearly four batters per nine innings pitched and owned an undesirable 7.45 ERA through his first six starts this season.

But Canning flipped the switch in May and has been stellar. Prior to last night's game against the Astros, Canning was 1-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings of work. Even after watching two balls leave the yard on Tuesday night, Canning's ERA this month is still under 2.00.

There is reason for concern, however, as Canning's 5.30 FIP suggests he's been more lucky than good. Canning has seen a steep decline in his ability to get strikeouts with his K-rate having dropped almost 10 percent from last season. Canning has made improvements this month, but there's still more that the Halos need from 28-year-old as the season moves along.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout