Back to losing
SEATTLE 4, ANGELS 3
Skaggs can’t get out of the fourth inning and a rally falls short.
Last week in Cleveland, Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs allowed the Indians to steal seven bases in a fiveinning start, a nearly unprecedented performance he termed embarrassing and vowed to fix.
It was a matter of importance to the organization. Manager Mike Scioscia promised it would be immediately addressed, and declined to divulge details about how that would happen. Asked if it had been fixed Wednesday afternoon, before Skaggs’ follow-up start against Seattle, Scioscia described the solution as simple and himself as confident the 25-year-old would “do a better job of it.”
“It’s just experience,” Scioscia said. “Sometimes a blessing comes out of when you have a day like he did in Cleveland.”
Scioscia said he and his staff had recognized Skaggs’ difficulties condensing his delivery could cause challenges “at some point.” His two-year recovery from Tommy John surgery, he said, simply took precedence over more minor aspects.
But now that the problem has presented itself, Scioscia said it should not again.
“In fact,” he said Wednesday, “I know it won’t be an issue. It’ll be a quick fix.”
It was indeed not the primary issue in Skaggs’ rough outing Wednesday night, in the Angels’ 4-3 loss at Angel Stadium. The Mariners stole one base, and did so easily, but there were bigger complications.
Skaggs began Wednesday’s start with alacrity. He struck out Franklin Gutierrez and Robinson Cano in the first inning, going away from his fastball only twice among 13 pitches.
But he needed 41 pitches to traverse the second inning, which he initiated by walking Nelson Cruz. Kyle Seager soon singled to right, and Skaggs subsequently hit Dae-Ho Lee to load the bases without an out. ExAngel Chris Iannetta stepped up next.
Now facing Skaggs for the second time this season, Iannetta ripped a changeup to third base, where it slipped either under or around Yunel Escobar’s glove, to keep the bases loaded and bring in a run. Leonys Martin hit a sacrifice fly for a second run before Skaggs escaped.
In the third, Skaggs yielded back-to-back near homers to Cano and Cruz. Cano’s drive went for a double; Trout caught Cruz’s at the base of the center-field wall. Cano took third on it but never advanced home.
The Mariners managed to get a baserunner home from third in the fourth. With Iannetta there and Martin on first, Martin easily stole second base. Shawn O’Malley followed by bunting himself aboard, and Martin scampered all the way home when Jefry Marte threw errantly from first.
That marked the conclusion of Skaggs’ night, his third consecutive subpar start after two scoreless outings to resume his major league career.
In the bottom of the first, Escobar felled Lee at first base with an oddly placed, well-paced chopper. It went for a single, and Kole Calhoun next smacked a double to right-center. Escobar did not obtain an accurate read in time to score, but no matter: Albert Pujols drove him in with a single after Mike Trout was nailed by a fastball to load the bases.
With the Angels still without an out, Marte approached and flied out to center. Calhoun scored on it, but Pujols unsuccessfully tried to take second.
The Angels later loaded the bases with one out against Mariners starter Cody Martin in the fifth. Seattle Manager Scott Servais called in Drew Storen, who struck out Trout and induced an inning-ending flyout from Pujols.
Up with two men on and two out in the seventh, Trout struck out on Arquimedes Caminero’s third consecutive 100-mph fastball.
With the potential winning run on second and two outs in the ninth, Andrelton Simmons smashed a ball down the third-base line. It appeared the Angels would win. But Seager speared it and bounced a throw to first one step ahead of Simmons.