OC Register: Angels’ rookie-laden lineup comes up short against Mariners

[AngelsWin.com]

SEATTLE — With five rookies in their starting lineup and two more working on the mound in a bullpen game, the Angels got to see plenty of youth on Wednesday afternoon.

As you would expect, the results were mixed in the Angels’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

First baseman Nolan Schanuel made a bad throw on a routine force at second, leading to the Mariners’ first run of the game. Schanuel also drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to the first 20 games of his major league career.

Kyren Paris struck out looking three times, including once with runners at first and second and no outs in the seventh inning. He had failed to get down a bunt in that at-bat. Paris also had an uneventful day handling the routine plays that came his way in his first professional game in center field.

Just after Paris struck out in the seventh, Jordyn Adams got too far off second and was picked off, scuttling a rally.

Right-handers Ben Joyce and José Soriano each pitched perfect innings, with Joyce hitting 100 mph six times among his 14 pitches. Joyce has not allowed a run in either of his two outings after missing three months on the injured list.

The Angels ultimately lost the game because of one sequence in which Manager Phil Nevin was trying to avoid last year’s American League Rookie of the Year: Julio Rodriguez.

Even though the Angels used a bullpen game against Mariners ace Luis Castillo, the Angels still had a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, with Brett Phillips hitting a home run and Brandon Drury driving in a run with a double.

Left-hander José Suarez – pitching for the first time after four months on the injured list – worked a scoreless fourth and had two outs in the fifth with a runner on first.

That’s when Nevin made a reasonable – albeit unorthodox – gamble. He intentionally walked Rodriguez, pushing the tying run into scoring position.

Nevin then pulled Suarez in favor of right-hander Jimmy Herget to face switch-hitter Cal Raleigh, who has actually been worse against lefties in his career.

Herget threw a 1-and-2 curveball that was actually below the strike zone, and Raleigh golfed it into right field for a run-scoring single. Teoscar Hernandez then reached on an infield single when his one-hopper eluded the backhand attempt of Drury at second, putting the Mariners ahead, 3-2.

While relievers Joyce, Soriano and Aaron Loup held the deficit at one, the Angels couldn’t score, despite multiple baserunners in the seventh and eighth.

More to come on this story.

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