The Los Angeles Angels were outmatched by the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in the series opener Friday despite outhitting them 6-to-3.
The Los Angeles Angels were able to limit the Toronto Blue Jays to just three hits in their series opener, but the Blue Jays escaped with a 2-0 win after another strong pitching performance from right-hander Dylan Cease.
The Angels had six hits in the contest and five of them came against Cease, but the righty pitched seven shutout innings and struck out 10 batters without allowing a walk. Los Angeles didn’t have an inning where it was threatening Cease too much and he scattered the hits across several innings.
Lefty Reid Detmers didn’t have his best stuff for the Halos, pitching just 3.2 innings and allowing two runs on two hits and six walks with three strikeouts. Detmers struggled to find the strike zone and the walks bit him in the third inning.
Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto singled to center field to bring in outfielder George Springer before infielder Ernie Clement hit a sacrifice fly to score first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. A walk issued to center fielder Daulton Varsho allowed Guerrero to get to third base and eventually score on the sac fly.
Just like the first matchup between these two pitchers, Cease outdueled Detmers and struck out double-digit batters for the second time; I think it’s safe to say the Angels are happy to be done with Cease for the rest of the season.
The pivotal middle game will be settled between two right-handers, Los Angeles’ Jack Kochanowicz and Toronto’s Trey Yesavage.
Kochanowicz has been great for the Angels this season, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.05 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through seven starts (41.1 innings). The promising young righty has been locked in since allowing five runs to the Houston Astros during Opening Week.
His last time out came against the New York Mets, and although he took his first loss of the year, Kochanowicz threw 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while fanning six. He faces the following lineup:
1. Springer (DH)
2. Addison Barger (RF)
3. Guerrero (1B)
4. Okamoto (3B)
5. Jesus Sanchez (LF)
6. Varsho (CF)
7. Clement (2B)
8. Andres Gimenez (SS)
9. Brandon Valenzuela (C)
Yesavage began the season on the injured list and has made just two starts but he has looked like the guy that dominated the playoffs a season ago. He is 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 9.1 innings and last pitched against the Minnesota Twins, completing four innings and allowing one run on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
This will be the first time every player but outfielder Josh Lowe, who is 0-for-2 with a strikeout, is facing Yesavage; it will be interesting to see how the lineup fares against the big right-hander.
1. Zach Neto (SS)
2. Mike Trout (CF)
3. Nolan Schanuel (1B)
4. Jorge Soler (DH)
5. Jo Adell (RF)
6. Yoan Moncada (3B)
7. Vaughn Grissom (2B)
8. Sebastian Rivero (C)
9. Lowe (LF)
First pitch is at 12:07 p.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.