OC Register: Angels hitters quieted by Mariners without Mike Trout in the lineup

[AngelsWin.com]

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  Seattle Mariners’ Jose Marmolejos, right, hits a three-run home run as Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi, left, watches along with home plate umpire Doug Eddings during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Seattle Mariners’ Jose Marmolejos, left, rounds third after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, lines out as Seattle Mariners catcher watches during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Max Stassi, right, and Taylor Ward touch helmets after Stassi hit a two-run home during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Anthony Rendon, right, smiles at Seattle Mariners catcher Joe Hudson after baseman Jose Marmolejos was unable to reach his foul ball during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Seattle Mariners first baseman Jose Marmolejos can’t get to a foul ball hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Anthony Rendon during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo can’t get to a ball hit for a single by Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Dylan Bundy throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Los Angeles Angels’ Max Stassi, left, touches home after hitting a two-run home run as Taylor Ward congratulates him while Seattle Mariners catcher Joe Hudson, right, and home plate umpire Doug Eddings watch during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Seattle Mariners’ Jose Marmolejos, left, is congratulated by Kyle Seager, center, and J.P. Crawford after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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  Seattle Mariners’ Jose Marmolejos, center, touches home after hitting a three-run home run as Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi, left, watches along with home plate umpire Doug Eddings during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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ANAHEIM — The fast start the Angels so badly wanted in this 60-game sprint has not gone to plan.

Their offense came too late in an 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night, their fifth loss in the the first seven games of the season.

Of some consolation, no team in the American League West is better than 3-3 now.

The Angels played the game without Mike Trout, who was placed on the paternity list just before the game. There was no immediate word whether Trout’s wife had already delivered the couple’s first child, or if the birth was imminent. The baby was due on Monday.

The paternity list allows a player to be replaced on the roster for one to three games. When Trout returns, he will simply need to pass the same coronavirus protocols as other players. Players have their temperatures taken multiple times a day and they are tested for COVID-19 every other day.

Without Trout, the Angels mustered only a Max Stassi two-run homer through the first eight innings. They trailed 3-2 going to the ninth, but the Mariners scored five insurance runs in the top of the inning, which left Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth as a footnote.

For most of the night, the Angels were stymied by Seattle left Marco Gonzales.

The Angels didn’t get a hit until Brian Goodwin’s infield single in the fourth.

They didn’t get a run until Stassi plunked a two-run homer off the right field pole in the fifth, which cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Angels had an opportunity in the seventh when Justin Upton led off the inning with a single. Ohtani grounded into a force. Although Ohtani stole second and went to third as Albert Pujols was striking out on a ball in the dirt, he was stranded there the Taylor Ward grounded out.

The Angels went quietly in the eighth and were set to have the heart of the order due in the ninth. Unfortunately for them, Hansel Robles was charged with four runs in the ninth, breaking the game open.

The Mariners had led since the first inning, when rookie Jose Marmolejos crushed a three-run homer halfway up into the seats over the right field fence.

After that, though, Dylan Bundy was dominant.

He retired 16 of the next 18 hitters, only allowing a single and a  walk. There was a tense moment in the fifth inning, when he appeared to tweak his ankle on the follow-through of his delivery. He remained in the game and pitched a perfect sixth, striking out two.

In Bundy’s first two starts with the Angels, he has allowed four runs in 12-2/3 innings.

More to come on this story.

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