Angels able to avoid ignominy
SEATTLE 10, ANGELS 0 The Angels’ Luis Rengifo breaks up Mike Leake’s perfect game with a single in the ninth.
SEATTLE 10 ANGELS 0
SEATTLE — A week ago, the Angels pumped their fists and pointed to the sky after no-hitting the Seattle Mariners on an evening when they honored the memory of late teammate Tyler Skaggs.
The victory started a fivegame win streak during which the Angels scored 44 runs and improved to four games over .500. They were then beaten thoroughly by the Houston Astros in two consecutive games.
They arrived in Seattle, hopeful they could repeat last weekend’s magic and end their skid.
But Friday night, in a half-empty T-Mobile Park, the Angels did not reach base through eight innings against the same pitcher who lasted less than an inning in Anaheim on July 12. Mike Leake, a veteran of 10 years who entered the evening with a 4.33 career ERA against the Angels, pitched a shutout on 98 pitches as the Mariners won 10-0.
Angels rookie Luis Rengifo grounded a leadoff single to right field to break up Leake’s perfect-game bid in the ninth inning. The fraction of the announced crowd of 19,976 stood for an ovation.
Leake then allowed a walk to Kevan Smith. Both runners moved into scoring position on a subsequent ground-out, but they were stranded there by Brian Goodwin and Mike Trout.
Leake on Friday performed nothing like the 31year-old who gave up eight hits and seven runs in twothirds of an inning last week at Anaheim. He mixed his four pitches well and tied the Angels up with fastballs that moved in two directions. The formula kept the Angels from making much solid contact.
“He threw very well today,” said Rengifo, who is batting .312 in his last 28 games. “In and out, changeup, curveball. My last at-bat, the only thing was I got ready for a breaking ball or changeup, and I got that hit to the right side.”
Mariners first baseman Daniel Vogelbach hit two three-run home runs off Angels pitcher Jaime Barria, who was recalled before the game and greeted warmly in the visiting clubhouse by teammates who had not seen him since July 4. Vogelbach’s six RBIs were the most collected in a game by a Mariner since Alex Rodriguez did it in 2000.
Five consecutive Mariners reached to start the fourth inning. Tom Murphy, the sixth batter, drilled a ball off the right-field wall and tried to stretch it into a double. Kole Calhoun threw him out. Two runs scored anyway.
So did five more over the next two innings.
Barria’s outing ended with two outs in the sixth, after he had given up nine hits and 10 earned runs in the worst outing of his career.