Angels blown out by Diamondbacks after Corbin Carroll grand slam

PHOENIX – The Los Angeles Angels started Wednesday's matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks strong, but they stopped just as quickly. 

Zach Neto put the Halos on the board right away with a leadoff solo home run, but he would be the first and last Angel to cross home plate. Arizona starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was dealing after Neto jumped and finished the game going seven innings while allowing six hits, one earned run and three walks while striking out five.

Sam Aledgheri was on the mound for Los Angeles and looking to improve on his strong start five days prior against the Tampa Bay Rays, but things didn't work out in his favor this time around.

He escaped the first inning without incident despite allowing a leadoff single and a walk, but the second inning is where the trouble really began. 

Aldegheri's slam-filled second

A leadoff walk set the stage for Tommy Troy to triple in the first run of the game for the Diamondbacks, followed by a hit by pitch and another walk to laod the bases for Arizona star Corbin Caroll to steal the show and send Chase Field into an uproar. 

He worked the count 1-1, then Aldegheri delivered a changeup that hung on the inside half of the zone and Carroll sent it flying into the seats for his fifth career grand slam to give the Diamondbacks a 5-1 lead that they'd hold on to for the rest of the game. 

Troy added another run in the bottom of the third and though Aldegheri made it out of the rest of the inning, he wouldn't return, ending his day with three IP and six earned runs allowed on six hits while walking three and striking out just one batter.

Aldegheri is still making his case to stay in the big league rotation and with the thin state of the Angels' starting pitching staff he has a god chance to keep that spot, but his control issues have emerged as a recurring issue that the young Italian pitcher needs to address to keep things competitive moving forward. 

Opportunities left untaken 

Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) turns a double play on Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) in the sixth inning at Chase Field.

Another issue for the Angels was their lack of production and the hot and cold streak in their offense as of late. While they scored seven runs to dominate the Diamondbacks the day before, they were unable to muster up any offense beyond Neto's home run and even though they were hitting Rodriguez, they went a collective 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base. 

Even with the Diamondbacks grabbing a dominant early lead and eventually taking the game 8-1, the Angels were unable to make it competitive throughout the game and dropped their series against Arizona as a result.