ANAHEIM — The Angels sent their best hitter to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning with a chance to tie the game.
Mike Trout struck out looking to send the Angels home with a 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
“Bases loaded with an opportunity to at least tie the game, you just have to swing the bat,” Angels manager Ron Washington said.
Trout went 0 for 3 with two walks and two strikeouts.
“I knew what he was going to throw to me,” he said. “They were throwing me the same stuff all game.
“I’ve got to come through. Obviously you want to put the ball in play. No excuses, I’ve got to come through. Plain and simple.”
Trout is 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position this season.
“I think in the past week or two I’ve been off and on at the plate, feeling wise, as opposed to what I was at the beginning of the season,” Trout said. “Just trying to find some things. But no excuse. I gotta come through.”
I knew what he was going to throw me. They were throwing me the same stuff all game,” Trout said. “I’ve got to come through. Obviously you want to put the ball in play. No excuses, I’ve got to come through. Plain and simple.
Mike Trout
The Angels gave Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel some trouble, but the veteran was able to battle his way out of it. With the bases loaded and one out, he got Nolan Schanuel to fly out in the infield.
Reid Detmers was solid on the mound, but suffered his first loss of the season.
The left-hander completed seven innings, allowed six hits, four runs with three walks and four strikeouts. The loss was his first since Aug. 23 against the Cincinnati Reds.
“I battled. I got through seven which is huge for the bullpen,” Detmers said. “I kept us in the game.
“At the end of the day I just made a couple of mistakes. There are about three or four pitches I’d like to have back, but other than that I just went out there and competed. I felt pretty good.”
Detmers had previously been excellent against the Orioles. In 22.2 innings, he had a 1.62 ERA and allowed current players on the team a .429 OPS entering Monday.
“He just gave up a run here, a run there but I thought he did great,” Washington said “He got us through seven (innings).
“I thought he threw the ball well. Up until that point we hadn’t supported him with any runs. But we put ourselves in a position to win that game.”
The Orioles matched Detmers with a strong performance by journeyman Albert Suarez, who was making his second start in seven seasons.
Suarez pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed four hits and no runs with five strikeouts. He has not allowed a run in 11 1/3 innings this season.
The Orioles gave Detmers trouble early as James McCann hit a solo home run in the first inning over the left-field fence. It was McCann’s first homer of the season and the first one Detmers had allowed this season.
In the third, Jorge Mateo drew a walk and promptly stole second and third base off Detmers and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Mateo scored on a RBI single by Adley Rutschman.
Rutschman hurt the Angels again in the fifth inning with a RBI double over the head of Taylor Ward and drove in Gunnar Henderson, giving the Orioles a 3-0 lead.
Colton Cowser hit a 394-foot home run to right field to extend the Orioles lead to 4-0.
The Angels bats came to life against Orioles reliever Mike Baumann in the seventh. Jo Adell hit his second home run of the season and cut the lead to 4-1.
Nolan Schanuel hit a RBI groundout in the seventh to make it 4-2.
Notes from Monday’s game:
Mixed bag for Neto
Zach Neto had a game full of highs and lows for the Angels. He had two hits in his first two at bats, including a double down the left-field line off of Suarez.
But in the seventh inning he came to the plate with runners on first and second and nobody out. Orioles reliever Yennier Cano got Neto to ground into a double play.
Running birds
The Orioles stole four bases against the Angels on Monday which was the most an opponent has stolen against the Angels in a game this season. All five steals came against left-handed pitchers: four against Detmers and one against Jose Suarez.
Washington gave the Orioles credit for their scouting and speed rather than putting the blame on the pitchers and O’Hoppe.
“They can run,” Washington said. “And they did it on left-handers.
“Undoubtedly they had some keys that they trusted. That’s how you steal bases. You trust whatever your reports say and they did. They did not hesitate. We’ve got to find a way to stop them.”
Faith in Rengifo’s defense
Luis Rengifo had a disastrous road trip with the glove last week. He made two errors in the Cincinnati series and another play was ruled a hit that was arguably an error. Rengifo also misplayed a ball against Tampa Bay that extended the game.
Washington believes Rengifo is a good defensive player and is just in a funk.
“On the defensive side you lose your rhythm, just like you lose your rhythm at the plate,” Washington said. “It just looks like his rhythm is off. He’s getting balls in between.
“That happens when you lose your rhythm. We’re coming out today and we’re going to try to get his rhythm back. He’s been very good until the last road trip.”
Rengifo was not in Monday’s lineup in favor of newest Angels infielder Ehire Adrianza. With the latest injury to third baseman Anthony Rendon, Washington was asked if Rengifo will slide in as the everyday third baseman in his absence. He said that Miguel Sano will be the third baseman and has earned the opportunity to play there.
“I’ve been really impressed,” Washington said of Sano. “If you guys have watched him out there, he’s shown that he’s a different guy.
“Sometimes perception can bury you. As hard as he worked in February in spring training, now he’s starting to show that he can carry it over. We’re going to give him that opportunity.”
Injury updates
— Washington said Brandon Drury wasn’t in the lineup Monday because he wanted to give him one more day off after the road trip. He cited the cross-country travel and cold weather as a reason to give Drury the day off.
“We just lost one of our best players, so I don’t want to lose another one because of a hamstring,” Washington said.
— Chase Silseth has not been cleared to throw and Washington gave no timetable for his return.
— There is no current update on Anthony Rendon’s injury.
First-pitch strikes
It was reported during the road trip that Washington wanted to meet with the Angels pitching staff about throwing first-pitch strikes.
“We are trying to find out the reason why and it starts with them and then we take our blame for it,” said Washington, who met with the pitchers before Monday’s game. “We’re going to find out what part they play and find out what part we can play. It’s just going to be education for us and for them.”
“We are not there to point blame at anybody but we did promise to each other in spring training that we would do that (throw strikes) and sort of got away from it and I want to know why.”
Angel memories
Monday was the 10,000 regular-season game in Angels history.
Washington, who has been in the major leagues since 1977, said his favorite Angels memory was when he played for the Minnesota Twins in at 1985 game where Rod Carew got his 3,000 hit.
“His second at bat, he lofted one over my head and I took it from him,” Washington said. “The third at bat he lofted another one over my head and he knew just how far to send it for his 3,000 hit.”
