They’re nearing end of the grind
With a sixth consecutive loss, the cold-hitting Angels are just about out of the wild-card race.
HOUSTON — The Major League Baseball season is a beast, a monstrosity unlike anything else in sports. For at least eight months, there is almost always a game the next day. That truth offers unceasing opportunities to avenge defeat, constant chances to spoil victory and, at the end, a particular sense of torment.
After their sixth straight loss, 6-2 to Houston on Saturday, the Angels reached the stage in their season where time appears, for once, too short. But because this is baseball, the Angels tried to comfort themselves with the time they do have left.
“At the end of the day, that’s what we’ve gotta lean on,” said Justin Upton, who supplied all of the Angels’ offense with home runs. “That, the next day, we’re gonna be able to play better. We’re not getting the results we want, but guys are grinding.
“You’ve just gotta play, man. We’ve got games left.”
At 76-78, eight games remain in the Angels’ season. Even winning them all might now be insufficient. All week, they tried to take on the American League’s two best teams, and all week they failed.
Before 34,305 fans at Minute Maid Park, they stretched their scoreless streak to 23 innings before Upton twice struck for late solo shots. Astros righthander Charlie Morton induced weak contact almost upon command, silencing the Angels with sinkers and changeups and the occasional elevated fastball.
They were convinced they should have done more with his offerings.
“It all comes down to that,” Mike Trout said. “Getting your pitch and not missing.”
Upton categorized Morton among the other talented starters that beat up the Angels in the past week.
“When things aren’t going right and you see some good pitching, it can wear you down,” he said. “We’ve just gotta pull together, keep having good at-bats, and see what happens.”
For the second time this month, the Angels started former closer Bud Norris, an unconventional move that will shirk the triggering of his $500,000 bonus for 60 relief appearances. That, they say, is a coincidence.
Just as last time, Norris completed the task asked of him. After an abbreviated warmup to conserve his stamina, he worked his way into the fourth inning. He surrendered only a single run, on two first-inning singles.
Rookie right-hander Eduardo Paredes proved to be the day’s culprit, allowing five Astros to reach with two outs in the fifth inning. The culmination was a three-run blast by Evan Gattis.
The Astros started Morton, the 33-year-old who emerged out of obscurity to log a series of impressive starts this season.
They also continued their unprecedented shifting when Albert Pujols stepped to bat, positioning their shortstop and second baseman several steps into the outfield.
When Houston debuted the alignment earlier this month in Anaheim, Pujols grounded out to left field. This time, in Saturday’s first inning, he shot a single to the opposite field, an effort quickly nullified by a double play.
That was the Angels’ only hit until the fifth inning. Frustration abounded in the meantime. When Upton cracked his bat on a fourthinning flare back to Morton, he flung the rest of his bat to the dirt in disgust as he jogged to first.
When Luis Valbuena doubled and C.J. Cron walked to begin the sixth, Angels manager Mike Scioscia tried pinch-hitting for his backup catcher with Eric Young Jr., who struck out. Kole Calhoun next flied out, and Trout froze on Morton’s 3-and-2 fastball that grazed the top of the strike zone.
An inning later, Upton crushed a leadoff shot to leftcenter field, Pujols was hit by a pitch, and Simmons walked. But Phillips flied out, Valbuena struck out and Cron lined out. The Angels didn't bat again with a runner in scoring position.
Scioscia said he saw no benefit to amplifying his team’s urgency given its acute chances. He said he believes there is nothing to be gained from an attitude adjustment now.
“My experience is that these players perform better when they treat it like a baseball game,” Scioscia said, “not a pennant-race game.”
If they keep up this pace, the Angels will not play pennant-race games much longer. As they trail the Twins by four games, any combination of five Angels losses or Minnesota victories will finalize their elimination. They can be eliminated as soon as Tuesday in Chicago.
“We’ve gotta finish strong,” Trout said. “We’ve got eight left.”
Asked if he thought there was enough time to catch up to the Twins, Trout equivocated.
“The chances are still there,” he said. “We’ve gotta finish strong.”