DETROIT — First, they were hitless. Then they looked clueless.

No-hit into the sixth inning, the Angels got back into the game in the seventh only to open the door for a three-run Tigers rally with a pair of misguided plays on defense that led to a 6-4 loss Saturday at Comerica Park.

"I find games like that really hard to take," Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter said. "I know I don't have any hair. If I let it grow, I think games like this would make it gray."

Hunter was involved in one of the costly plays in the seventh — a fly ball by Magglio Ordonez that dropped between Hunter and Garret Anderson for an RBI double. But he also did his part to bring the Angels' offense to life in the top of the inning.

Tigers right-hander Armando Galarraga was making his third start since replacing injured Dontrelle Willis in the rotation (and fourth major league start). Ten of his first 13 pitches were out of the strike zone and he walked two of the first four batters he faced. Hunter reached on an error by Tigers shortstop Edgar Renteria that loaded the bases for the slumping Anderson (dropped from cleanup to sixth in the Angels' lineup).

But Anderson took a called third strike, starting a stretch of 15 consecutive Angels retired by Galarraga. Vladimir Guerrero finally broke up the no-hitter with a triple to right-center with two outs in the sixth inning.

"We just weren't familiar with him," Hunter said of Galarraga. "We didn't know what his pitches were like. You try and work him to get a look at his pitches. Before you know it, he's got a no-hitter for five or six innings."

Galarraga's shutout disappeared as well in the seventh. Hunter sparked that rally by laying down a bunt to lead off the inning. Galarraga threw wildly to first. Anderson singled and Maicer Izturis drove them both home with a double. Izturis scored on an RBI single by Chone Figgins to tie it, 3-3.

"He was pitching good. I had to try and change things up," Hunter said. "You can't hit a three-run jack with nobody on."

But Angels reliever Darren O'Day got into trouble in the bottom of the inning with a one-out triple by Curtis Granderson. After intentionally walking Placido Polanco to set up the double play, O'Day got Gary Sheffield to chop a ball over the pitcher's mound.

Izturis fielded it in front of second base and tried a no-look, backhanded flip to Erick Aybar at second base. The flip was off the mark and the go-ahead run scored.

"It was a slow ground ball. I was in between," said Izturis, who fielded the ball too far in front of the base to get the incoming runner himself. "I looked and I saw Sheffield was not running hard, so I thought if I flip it to Aybar maybe we have a chance (to turn an inning-ending double play).

"The ball kind of rolled up my arm. I didn't get a good grip."

O'Day had to face Ordonez with two on and one out. Ordonez sent his first pitch to the left-center field gap. Both Hunter and Anderson gave chase and seemed to have a chance at making a running catch, but both pulled up at the last second.

"I don't know for sure," Anderson said when asked if either outfielder could have caught the ball if they had continued to go after it. "Seeing him (is why I pulled up). He's the center fielder, so you have to make sure when the center fielder goes after it he gets first right-of-way. That's the way you have communication out there."