OC Register: José Quintana struggles, Anthony Rendon injured in Angels’ loss

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — For a solid 30 minutes on Monday night, José Quintana provided the Angels and their fans with more hope than at any other time in his first month with the team.

Then it was all gone.

And a couple hours later, the night got even more worrisome for the Angels.

After retiring the first six hitters of the game, five with strikeouts, Quintana gave up four runs in the third inning on his way to an exit in the fourth inning of the Angels’ 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the eighth inning, Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his knee and had to be helped off the field. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury.

The Angels just got Rendon back last week after he missed two weeks with a groin injury.

While they cross their fingers and wait for good news on him, they are dealing with another rough outing from Quintana. He was charged with five runs in 3-2/3 innings.

Signed to a one-year deal over the winter, Quintana has a 10.59 ERA, which is the highest ERA in Angels history for anyone with at least 15 innings in his first five games with the team.

Quintana has allowed 20 earned runs in 17 innings. That includes a start in which he gave up one run in five innings, so the other four have been abysmal.

After his previous outing, Manager Joe Maddon said he was puzzled by Quintana’s struggles because when they’d been together with the Chicago Cubs, Quintana was generally effective when his velocity was where it’s been with the Angels.

That seemed to be prophetic on Monday night, as Quintana came out of the gate throwing 91-92 mph and slicing through the Tampa Bay lineup.

He struck out the side on 15 pitches in the first inning and struck out two of three hitters in the second. Quintana got the Rays to swing through seven pitches in the first two innings, on his way to 22 in his 55-pitch outing. His most in any previous outing was 15.

That encouraging number couldn’t overshadow what happened after the second inning, though.

In the third, Quintana gave up a leadoff single to Francisco Mejia and then a double to Wily Adames. After a strikeout, he walked Randy Arozarena to load the bases.

Mike Brosseau singled just off the glove of shortstop David Fletcher, to drive in two. An out later, Yandy Diaz dropped a broken-bat single into left to drive in another.

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There was hard contact too. Manny Margot drilled a hard single up the middle to finish the scoring in the third, and Adames blasted a 446-foot homer in the fourth.

James Hoyt picked up the next three outs after Quintana was done, and then Patrick Sandoval got a chance to audition if the Angels decide to remove Quintana from the rotation.

Sandoval got six outs, with four strikeouts, in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. He also walked two, again demonstrating one of the issues that has prevented him from finding consistency in his few starting opportunities.

While Sandoval was in the game the Angels made it interesting with a pair of home runs in the sixth. Shohei Ohtani’s two-run blast and Rendon’s solo homer cut the deficit to 5-3.

Ohtani, who was scratched as the starting pitcher from Monday’s game because he was hit by a pitch on Sunday, tied four other players for the major league home run lead with his ninth.

More to come on this story.

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[T.G.]

They need to let reporters back in the clubhouse so they can get some quotes and insights from players and coaches for these recaps.

[Stradling]

10 minutes ago, True Grich said:

They need to let reporters back in the clubhouse so they can get some quotes and insights from players and coaches for these recaps.

It should be part of the 85% vaccinated ease of restrictions 

[failos]

Rendon is injured again? This season is a nightmare

[WicketMaiden]

1 hour ago, True Grich said:

They need to let reporters back in the clubhouse so they can get some quotes and insights from players and coaches for these recaps.

Do they ever say anything interesting? It just seems to be bland platitudes we've heard a million times before. The players are so media coached you can pretty much play a drinking game with the after-game pitch-side interview: "I'm just happy to help the team win" "I tried to put a good swing on it" "It's fun to watch" etc. 

I guess old man Joe might let something interesting slip, he is probably a press PR guy's nightmare to control.

[Angelsjunky]

Watching the slow-mo and that ball directly hit his kneecap.

[T.G.]

36 minutes ago, WicketMaiden said:

Do they ever say anything interesting? It just seems to be bland platitudes we've heard a million times before. The players are so media coached you can pretty much play a drinking game with the after-game pitch-side interview: "I'm just happy to help the team win" "I tried to put a good swing on it" "It's fun to watch" etc. 

I guess old man Joe might let something interesting slip, he is probably a press PR guy's nightmare to control.

I usually skim the content and read all the quotes.

[failos]

Damn I was hoping to watch Rendon in person tomorrow. Fuck you bat

[Lhalo]

9 hours ago, WicketMaiden said:

Do they ever say anything interesting? It just seems to be bland platitudes we've heard a million times before. The players are so media coached you can pretty much play a drinking game with the after-game pitch-side interview: "I'm just happy to help the team win" "I tried to put a good swing on it" "It's fun to watch" etc. 

 

[nando714]

Rendon won’t be back till mid may early June 

book it