ANAHEIM — Patrick Sandoval had another off night, with the only solace being that he made it through five innings with the Angels still having a chance to win the game.
They didn’t.
Sandoval, the Angels’ Opening Day starter, has lost two of his three starts this season, including allowing four runs in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
“It was a big struggle,” Manager Ron Washington said of Sandoval’s performance. “A lot of 3-2 counts. Just couldn’t command the fastball. Didn’t have any consistency with the offspeed, but he stayed in there.”
It was a disappointing night for the Angels after an encouraging start, with Mike Trout putting them on top with a two-run homer in the first inning.
The three-time American League MVP is the first player in Angels history to hit six homers in the first 11 games of the season. Trout’s homer was a two-run shot, the first of his homers that wasn’t a solo homer.
Otherwise, though, the Angels didn’t do much at the plate. They scored on an error in the fourth, and then didn’t even get another runner into scoring position until they were down to their last out and down by three in the ninth.
The Angels (6-5) couldn’t take Sandoval off the hook for the loss, even though it was a one-run game when he threw his final pitch. Sandoval didn’t make it out of the second inning in his Opening Day loss, but then he pitched well in a victory. This time he gave up four runs in five innings, lifting his ERA to 6.57.
“It’s still early,” Washington said. “He’s healthy. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just got to start commanding the baseball, especially the fastball, more frequently. I think once he starts commanding the fastball the rest of his stuff will play.”
Sandoval issued three walks, but one of them was questionable.
Sandoval appeared to get squeezed at times by plate umpire Bill Miller, including on a pitch that could have been the third strike on…
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