Angels unable to take step up
They lose again to the Indians and fail to gain ground on the Twins in wild-card race.
The Angels have proved they can hang with the American League’s best teams. What’s still unclear is whether they have enough assembled talent to beat them.
They played another tight, tenuous game against the current class of baseball, and again fell short.
They lost to the Cleveland Indians 6-5 Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 38,424 at Angel Stadium, though there were far fewer fans seated throughout the night. The Angels trail the Minnesota Twins in the wild-card race by 11⁄2 games.
The Angels faced Josh Tomlin, the Indians’ controlfocused right-hander, a soft tosser who has little chance of making a playoff start next month. He shut them down for 51⁄3 innings, true to form walking none and scattering seven hits.
The Angels started Ricky Nolasco, an altogether similar pitcher, but one who probably will draw a start if the Angels make it to an American League division series.
There were two unusual plays in the first inning. With two out, Jose Ramirez grounded a ball down the first-base line, where it bounced high off the base for an easy double. After Nolasco walked Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce skied a pop-up to short left field.
Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons tracked it while backpedaling, dropped it, then recovered to catch it with his bare hand as he fell to the grass. The
crowd oohed, and Nolasco looked on in disbelief as he retreated to the dugout.
In the second inning, Nolasco gave up back-to-back doubles to Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis. Cleveland’s 1-0 lead lasted only until the bottom of the inning, when Kole Calhoun doubled, Simmons singled and, after a Luis Valbuena strikeout, C.J. Cron singled in Calhoun.
The score remained 1-1 until the fourth, when Cleveland No. 9 hitter Giovanny Urshela lined a two-out, first-pitch double into left, scoring Bruce, who had singled.
An inning later, Cron clubbed a 437-foot homer when Tomlin left a cutter over the middle of the strike zone. One out later, Brandon Phillips came within a few feet of another homer, settling instead for an offthe-wall double. Mike Trout and Justin Upton had chances to single him in, but both failed.
Yusmeiro Petit replaced Nolasco for the sixth inning, manager Mike Scioscia demonstrating greater faith in his bullpen than the veteran starter who will become a free agent at season’s end.
Left in for the seventh, Petit lost his command. First, he hung a curveball to Urshela, who ripped it for a single. Petit’s next pitch was a fastball over the middle. Francisco Lindor landed it in the first rows of the center-field seats for a two-run home run. Petit was charged with another run, though rookie Keynan Middleton finished the inning for him. In the eighth, fellow rookie Eduardo Paredes permitted another run.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Angels stitched together a two-out rally. Pinchhitter Ben Revere singled up the middle to start it, and Trout blooped a double to right to extend it, two runs scoring in the process.
Albert Pujols led off the eighth with a solo shot to cut Cleveland’s lead to 6-5. With star left-hander Andrew Miller unavailable, the Indians used other relievers to piece together the inning.
Short hops
Catcher Martin Maldonado wrote “Pray for” on his Puerto Rico cap from the World Baseball Classic, showing support for his home that sustained significant damage on Wednesday from Hurricane Maria. … Left-hander Andrew Heaney, sidelined since Sept. 9 because of shoulder soreness, reported feeling well after another session of catch on Wednesday. The Angels have still not said when they expect him to throw off of a mound. …Third baseman Yunel Escobar is not an option to be used off the bench in the coming days, manager Mike Scioscia said. Escobar will need to play full games somewhere before being activated, according to Scioscia. … Right-hander Garrett Richards will start Friday at Houston, and the Angels will again deploy much of their bullpen Saturday. They have not yet announced who will start.