Angels’ second loss looks like their first
It has been 22 innings, and the Angels still have not led in the American League Division Series.
The Angels’ 4-1 loss on Friday looked hauntingly familiar.
This time, Eric Hosmer broke the 11th-inning tie with a home run. A night earlier, Mike Moustakas delivered the extra-inning game-winning blast.
After a day off, the series moves to Kansas City for Game 3 on Sunday at 6:37 p.m.
The same problems are troubling the Angels, primarily a lack of production from their top guns. Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Howie Kendrick have not been able to supply runs to support a pitching effort that has been good enough to win.
The middle of the order did produce one run, but it was far from enough to keep the Angels from falling into a 2-0 hole in the series.
The Angels finished the season with 98 victories for baseball’s best record, but they are one loss away from being swept out of the playoffs.
On Thursday, the meat of the Angels’ order went 0-for-13.
A bit of a breakthrough occurred Friday in the sixth inning. With two outs Kole Calhoun singled, and Trout, after falling behind 0-2, came back to coax a walk. That proved huge when Pujols slapped a single to right, scoring Calhoun.
The Angels were on the verge of another run when they were cut down by another superb defensive play.
Friday, amazing grabs by outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Nori Aoki prevented runners and runs. This time it was a throw.
C.J. Cron opened the eighth inning by lining a double down the left-field line off reliever Wade Davis. Chris Iannetta followed with a drive in the left-center gap that Jarrod Dyson, just inserted into the game as a defensive replacement, tracked down. His one-hop throw to third baseman Moustakas beat Cron to the bag for a double play.
A solid performance by starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker was wasted.
Making his first start since Sept. 15 after recovering from a strained oblique, Shoemaker appeared shaky early. After a clean first, Shoemaker left a breaking pitch over the plate that Hosmer belted into right. When Calhoun kicked it, Hosmer took second. One out later, Alex Gordon picked up his first RBI of the postseason with a single up the middle.
Shoemaker then threw three pitches out of the zone to Salvador Perez, which prompted a visit from pitching coach Mike Butcher. Whatever was said worked. Shoemaker came back with two strikes before Perez lined to center.
Cruise control the rest of the way for Shoemaker, who worked around a leadoff shift-busting bunt by Moustakas in the third and Perez’s leadoff single in the fifth.
Shoemaker, a rookie who posted a 16-4 record, struck out six in six innings and gave the Angels their second straight solid starting-pitching performance, following Jered Weaver’s on Thursday.
But it wasn’t enough.
There was one difference between the two losses. Thursday, fans started pouring out of Angel Stadium once the Royals took the lead in the top of the 11th inning.
Friday, most stayed to see the final out, perhaps sensing this might be the final opportunity this year to cheer for their team.
This story was originally published October 4, 2014 at 12:48 AM with the headline "Angels’ second loss looks like their first."