ANAHEIM — Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the seventh and ninth innings representing the tying run as Angel Stadium came to life.
Both times, Ohtani walked.
The Angels never were able to push home that tying run and they lost, 6-5, to the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, while Ohtani continues his frustrating walk-a-thon.
Ohtani walked four times, becoming the first player since Barry Bonds in 2003 to draw at least three walks in three consecutive games. He’s drawn a total of 11 walks, including four intentional free passes, in those games.
He was intentionally walked with the bases empty in a one-run game in the ninth, and Phil Gosselin put the Angels in great shape to capitalize when he followed with a double. Jared Walsh was then intentionally walked to load the bases, but Jack Mayfield struck out and Jose Rojas grounded out to end it.
With the Angels out of playoff contention and Ohtani as the main player of interest, it’s obviously disappointing for fans when teams refuse to throw him strikes.
The recent increase in walks is probably less about opponents throwing him fewer strikes and more about Ohtani finally letting them go.
“I love that he’s taking the walks,” Manager Joe Maddon said before the game. “It’s much better than swinging at bad pitches, striking out, making bad outs. He can contribute in other ways, just by scoring runs getting on base, stealing bases. He needs to do that.”
Ohtani has been without protection in the lineup for much of the season, without Mike Trout or Anthony Rendon to hit behind him. Walsh, who was an All-Star, could hit behind Ohtani, but Maddon has been reluctant to stack left-handed hitters together like that.
Because Maddon lately has put Brandon Marsh ahead of Ohtani in the leadoff spot, if he put Walsh behind Ohtani that would be three straight lefties.
Right-handed hitting Gosselin has hit behind Ohtani lately.
“I’m not denigrating Goose by any means; Goose has done a wonderful job in this role,” Maddon said. “But if you’re on the other side, and you see how we stack up after (Ohtani), you’re not going to pitch to him. And that’s what’s going on.”
The Angels trailed 6-4 in the seventh when Brandon Marsh led off with a single, bringing Ohtani to the plate representing the tying run.
Left-hander Anthony Misiewicz threw him five consecutive curveballs. Only one was even close to the strike zone, and Ohtani fouled it off.
After the walk, the Angels still managed to get one run, on a two-out hit by Jack Mayfield, but it wasn’t enough to tie the score.
They couldn’t capitalize in the ninth either, although the bottom half of the Angels order had been productive.
Mayfield, who hit fifth, had two hits. Rojas had a double and an 11-pitch walk to set up the Angels’ two-run sixth. No. 7 hitter Max Stassi hit a two-run homer, his 12th of the season, and he drove in a run with a single. Stassi started the season as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, but he had been slumping throughout most of the second half.
The Angels offense took José Suarez off the hook for a loss on a night that he was charged with four runs in five-plus innings.
Suarez has not allowed more than four earned runs in any start this year, allowing him to maintain a solid 3.86 ERA. He allowed five or more in six of his 21 big league games before this season.
More to come on this story.
This post first appeared on ocregister.com
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxno528qbHIZqahrJGjtm7DwKWirGVkYsGqucSsZKKmXZa7qLHLrGSlp6OoeqK%2FjKaYq6Gemr%2B0ecCvpqKcXai5trPGnqlo