The Los Angeles Angels opened their three-game set against the A's last night, and it didn't go well.
The Los Angeles Angels traveled to scenic West Sacramento to play the Athletics, and on paper, this was a series that look like it might feature plenty of offense. But the Angels were shut out, 5-0, as a five-run burst in the first inning by the A's left no doubt about who the winner of this one would be.
The starter for the Angels was Ryan Johnson, and that’s not good. Johnson has proved over and over again that he needs more time in the minors, but the Angels keep running him out to the mound and letting him get shelled.
The A’s took care of that simple chore in the first inning as the first two hitters posted a single and a double, and Shea Langeliers hit a three-run home run to give the boys from West Sacto the early lead. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a solo shot, and Henry Bolte finished up the scoring for the first frame after two more hits with a sacrifice fly.
That made it 5-0, and the Angels offered little resistance after that. A’s starter Gage Jump shut down the Angels by allowing just one hit over seven innings, and a pair of relievers followed up with a scoreless inning each.
There weren't any offensive bright spots for the Angels in this one, although new call-up Christian Moore did have a single to go with three strikeouts.
Johnson managed to pitch five innings, and the A’s couldn't score after putting up that crooked number in the first. That represents good news compared to some of the numbers that Johnson has posted in the past, but he's a long way from being anything close to a viable starter.
The Angels should know that by now, but they keep running him out anyway. Relievers Brent Suter and Ryan Zeferjahn chipped in with three more scoreless frames to finish this one up, but it didn’t matter much given the lack of offense.
The Halos lineup was diminished by the loss of outfielder Mike Trout, who went on the IL before the game yesterday. Trout was close to the only reason to watch the Angels and now he'll be gone for a while, although the hope is that he can play in the upcoming All-Star game on July 14 if he can recover in time.
Meanwhile, the Angels will send Jose Soriano to the mound tonight against Jeffry Springs, and Soriano has to hope the Angels will bring their hitting shoes for this one.
