ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels hope they've got one of the best outfields in baseball this season, and not just because Mike Trout is in the middle of it.
In their excellent home opener, the Angels' fans got to see what each member of this trio can do.
Cameron Maybin and Kole Calhoun homered, and Jesse Chavez pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning of the Angels' 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Trout drove in the first run amid numerous "M-V-P!" chants, and he joined Maybin in making key defensive plays as the Angels snapped a four-game skid in openers at the Big A, thrilling their sellout crowd.
"It was electric," Maybin said after his home debut. "The fans are truly behind us. You could feel it. The atmosphere is great. It's fun to see a sea of red out there. It does something to the spirits. I'm enjoying myself already."
The Angels and their fans are hoping for some enjoyment this year after their 74-win performance last season, their worst in manager Mike Scioscia's 17-year tenure.
"We played a good game, definitely," Scioscia said. "We've really played good defense early, and (Chavez) did a good job of hitting his spots and making our defense's job easier."
Nelson Cruz drove in the only run for the Mariners, who dropped to 1-4 to open a season for the first time since 2010. Yovani Gallardo (0-1) yielded eight hits and three runs over five innings in his debut for Seattle.
"Had to get out of some jams there in quite a bit of innings, but it felt good to get out of certain tough situations and leave it right there," Gallardo said.
CAM POWER
Maybin put his first homer for the Angels into the elevated right-field stands in the sixth inning. Calhoun added a two-run shot in the seventh, also his first of the season.
Maybin is the Angels' latest attempt to get stability in left field, where a series of veterans have struggled for the past several seasons.
How much have they struggled? Maybin's homer was the first by an Angels left fielder in April since 2014.
BIG D
Maybin also made a sweet sliding catch early in the game. It was part of an outstanding defensive performance by the Angels.
Chavez said the Angels' defense is "hands-down unbelievable. The best in the game. Everywhere you look, there's a quality defender."
LOCAL GUY MAKES GOOD
The Angels chose Chavez (1-0) to be their fifth starter after a long career spent mostly as a reliever, and the native of nearby Fontana looked sharp for 5 2/3 innings. He had retired 11 straight before the Mariners chased him with three straight singles in the sixth, but Jose Alvarez struck out Seager to end it.
"Just to have an outing like this in a home opener, it's something that I cherish," said Chavez, who beat Seattle for the first time in his 18 career appearances against the Mariners, including eight starts. "Everything just felt good coming out of my hand."
POPULAR GUY
Trout was repeatedly serenaded by his fans in his first home game since winning his second AL MVP award in three seasons, and he drove in his fifth run in five games with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
SEAGER'S WOES
Los Angeles went up 2-0 in the third when Kyle Seager bobbled Albert Pujols' bases-loaded grounder, which could have been converted into an easy inning-ending double play. Seager also went 0 for 4 to drop to 1 for 16 this season.
"There's not a lot going right for him right now," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It happens to players. They kind of get in funks or whatnot. Kyle is a really good player, been a good player in this league for a long time, but right now he's struggling a bit, and he knows it."
UP NEXT
Mariners: Felix Hernandez (0-1, 3.60) pitched only five innings on opening day, striking out six at Houston.
Angels: Ricky Nolasco (0-1, 4.76 ERA) returns from a middling start on opening day. He got a win over Seattle for the first time in his career last season.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Seattle Mariners
In their excellent home opener, the Angels' fans got to see what each member of this trio can do.
Cameron Maybin and Kole Calhoun homered, and Jesse Chavez pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning of the Angels' 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Trout drove in the first run amid numerous "M-V-P!" chants, and he joined Maybin in making key defensive plays as the Angels snapped a four-game skid in openers at the Big A, thrilling their sellout crowd.
"It was electric," Maybin said after his home debut. "The fans are truly behind us. You could feel it. The atmosphere is great. It's fun to see a sea of red out there. It does something to the spirits. I'm enjoying myself already."
The Angels and their fans are hoping for some enjoyment this year after their 74-win performance last season, their worst in manager Mike Scioscia's 17-year tenure.
"We played a good game, definitely," Scioscia said. "We've really played good defense early, and (Chavez) did a good job of hitting his spots and making our defense's job easier."
Nelson Cruz drove in the only run for the Mariners, who dropped to 1-4 to open a season for the first time since 2010. Yovani Gallardo (0-1) yielded eight hits and three runs over five innings in his debut for Seattle.
"Had to get out of some jams there in quite a bit of innings, but it felt good to get out of certain tough situations and leave it right there," Gallardo said.
CAM POWER
Maybin put his first homer for the Angels into the elevated right-field stands in the sixth inning. Calhoun added a two-run shot in the seventh, also his first of the season.
Maybin is the Angels' latest attempt to get stability in left field, where a series of veterans have struggled for the past several seasons.
How much have they struggled? Maybin's homer was the first by an Angels left fielder in April since 2014.
BIG D
Maybin also made a sweet sliding catch early in the game. It was part of an outstanding defensive performance by the Angels.
Chavez said the Angels' defense is "hands-down unbelievable. The best in the game. Everywhere you look, there's a quality defender."
LOCAL GUY MAKES GOOD
The Angels chose Chavez (1-0) to be their fifth starter after a long career spent mostly as a reliever, and the native of nearby Fontana looked sharp for 5 2/3 innings. He had retired 11 straight before the Mariners chased him with three straight singles in the sixth, but Jose Alvarez struck out Seager to end it.
"Just to have an outing like this in a home opener, it's something that I cherish," said Chavez, who beat Seattle for the first time in his 18 career appearances against the Mariners, including eight starts. "Everything just felt good coming out of my hand."
POPULAR GUY
Trout was repeatedly serenaded by his fans in his first home game since winning his second AL MVP award in three seasons, and he drove in his fifth run in five games with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
SEAGER'S WOES
Los Angeles went up 2-0 in the third when Kyle Seager bobbled Albert Pujols' bases-loaded grounder, which could have been converted into an easy inning-ending double play. Seager also went 0 for 4 to drop to 1 for 16 this season.
"There's not a lot going right for him right now," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It happens to players. They kind of get in funks or whatnot. Kyle is a really good player, been a good player in this league for a long time, but right now he's struggling a bit, and he knows it."
UP NEXT
Mariners: Felix Hernandez (0-1, 3.60) pitched only five innings on opening day, striking out six at Houston.
Angels: Ricky Nolasco (0-1, 4.76 ERA) returns from a middling start on opening day. He got a win over Seattle for the first time in his career last season.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Seattle - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Segura walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Haniger struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Canó flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Segura stole second. | 0 | 0 |
| Cruz struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Escobar singled to deep center. | 0 | 0 |
| Calhoun hit a ground rule double to deep left, Escobar to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Trout hit sacrifice fly to center, Escobar scored. | 0 | 1 |
| Pujols grounded out to third. | 0 | 1 |
| Cron grounded out to third. | 0 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Seager flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| Valencia lined out to center. | 0 | 1 |
| Dyson grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Maybin struck out looking. | 0 | 1 |
| Simmons grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| Espinosa grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Zunino singled to deep left. | 0 | 1 |
| Heredia flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| Segura struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| Haniger flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Maldonado singled to deep center. | 0 | 1 |
| Escobar singled to center, Maldonado to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Calhoun struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| Trout intentionally walked, Maldonado to third, Escobar to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Pujols grounded into fielder's choice to third, Maldonado scored, Escobar safe at third on error by third baseman Seager, Trout to second. | 0 | 2 |
| Cron struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| Maybin grounded into fielder's choice to third, Pujols out at second. | 0 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Canó struck out looking. | 0 | 2 |
| Cruz grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 2 |
| Seager struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Simmons lined out to right. | 0 | 2 |
| Espinosa walked. | 0 | 2 |
| Maldonado singled to right, Espinosa to third. | 0 | 2 |
| Escobar lined out to second. | 0 | 2 |
| Calhoun struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Valencia lined out to left. | 0 | 2 |
| Dyson flied out to center. | 0 | 2 |
| Zunino struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Trout singled to right. | 0 | 2 |
| Pujols flied into double play, center to first, Trout doubled off first. | 0 | 2 |
| Cron popped out to third. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jesse Chavez pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Heredia grounded out to third. | 0 | 2 |
| Segura flied out to right. | 0 | 2 |
| Haniger singled to deep left center. | 0 | 2 |
| Canó singled to left center, Haniger to third. | 0 | 2 |
| Cruz singled to center, Haniger scored, Canó to third. | 1 | 2 |
| Álvarez relieved Chavez. | 1 | 2 |
| Seager struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Yovani Gallardo pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Maybin homered to center (397 feet). | 1 | 3 |
| Simmons singled to deep right. | 1 | 3 |
| Fien relieved Gallardo. | 1 | 3 |
| Espinosa grounded into double play, first to shortstop to pitcher, Simmons out at second. | 1 | 3 |
| Maldonado struck out swinging. | 1 | 3 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Bud Norris pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Norris relieved Álvarez. | 1 | 3 |
| Valencia singled to right. | 1 | 3 |
| Dyson hit by pitch, Valencia to second. | 1 | 3 |
| Zunino struck out swinging. | 1 | 3 |
| Heredia grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Valencia out at third, Dyson to second. | 1 | 3 |
| Segura grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Heredia out at second. | 1 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Casey Fien pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Escobar reached on infield single to pitcher. | 1 | 3 |
| Calhoun homered to right center (384 feet), Escobar scored. | 1 | 5 |
| Trout grounded out to pitcher. | 1 | 5 |
| Pujols grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 5 |
| Cron struck out swinging. | 1 | 5 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Bailey pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Bailey relieved Norris. | 1 | 5 |
| Haniger flied out to right. | 1 | 5 |
| Canó lined out to third. | 1 | 5 |
| Cruz struck out swinging. | 1 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Dillon Overton pitching for Seattle | SEA | LAA |
| Overton relieved Fien. | 1 | 5 |
| Maybin flied out to center. | 1 | 5 |
| Simmons singled to center. | 1 | 5 |
| Espinosa struck out swinging, Simmons stole second. | 1 | 5 |
| Maldonado struck out swinging. | 1 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Seattle - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Blake Parker pitching for Los Angeles | SEA | LAA |
| Parker relieved Bailey. | 1 | 5 |
| Seager grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 5 |
| Valencia safe at first on throwing error by third baseman Escobar. | 1 | 5 |
| Dyson struck out swinging. | 1 | 5 |
| Valencia to second on fielder's indifference. | 1 | 5 |
| Zunino popped out to third. | 1 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
Seattle Mariners
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segura SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | .261 | .292 | .391 |
| Haniger RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .200 | .333 | .400 |
| Canó 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .200 | .273 | .250 |
| Cruz DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | .105 | .227 | .158 |
| Seager 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .125 | .364 | .125 |
| Valencia 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .150 | .227 | .150 |
| Dyson CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .150 | .190 | .200 |
| Zunino C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | .176 | .176 | .235 |
| Heredia LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 33 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 139 | |||
| BATTING RBI: Cruz (1) 2-out RBI: Cruz Mariners RISP: 1-7 (Cruz 1-2, Zunino 0-2, Heredia 0-1, Segura 0-1, Seager 0-1) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Segura (2, 2nd base off Chavez/Maldonado) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Seager (3, ground ball) DP: 2 (Dyson-Valencia, Valencia-Segura-Fien). Outfield Assist: Dyson (Trout at 1st base). | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA |
| Attendance | 43,911 (96.5% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:56 |
| Weather | 65 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 7 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Chris Segal, First Base - Paul Emmel, Second Base - Brian O'Nora, Third Base - Quinn Wolcott |
No comments:
Post a Comment