Angels done in by sloppy defense and anemic hitting in loss to A’s
OAKLAND — Zach Neto slapped his hand into his glove and then put both hands over his head, with a look of exasperation.
Another play that the Angels’ shortstop expected to make had eluded him, as a run scored in the sixth inning.
Neto’s defense has been one of the shining spots for the Angels during this frustrating season, but it was an issue in a 5-0 loss to the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night.
“Those are plays I should make,” Neto said. “Plain and simple. They’re plays I should make and I didn’t.”
The Angels also had to take Luis Rengifo out of the game with an injury after he fouled a ball off in the ninth inning. Rengifo, who told the Angels that he had hurt his wrist, was taken for imaging after the game. There was no immediate update on his status.
It was all part of an overall lousy night for the Angels, whose offense came up empty against right-hander Joey Estes. Estes brought a 5.24 ERA into the game, but the Angels had only five hits against him, pushing him to throw just 92 pitches in a complete game.
“I thought he was pretty good tonight,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He was throwing his sweeper. Staying off the barrel of our bats, keeping us off balance. When we did center something, somebody was there making a play.”
The Angels, who had scored at least five runs in their previous eight games, weren’t going to win with that kind of offense, but the sloppy defense – which went beyond Neto – made it even worse.
The Angels were burned by their defense plays in the second inning, allowing the A’s to score two runs.
With one out, Zack Gelof hit a bouncer to Neto, who bobbled it. It was ruled an infield hit.
After Lawrence Butler lined a clean single into right, putting runners on the corners, right-hander Davis Daniel got a comebacker that should have been an easy, inning-ending double play. Instead, his throw was wide and got past second baseman Brandon Drury into the outfield, as a run scored.
Although the throw was slightly to the third base side of the bag, Washington said Drury should have been able to handle it.
“We’re in the big leagues,” Washington said. “That was a good throw. The second baseman has got to make an adjustment on that. … As long as that ball doesn’t touch the ground, we’ve got to make an adjustment and make the play.”
An out later, with runners still on the corners, Brett Harris took off from first to draw a throw from catcher Matt Thaiss. Butler came home from third. Neto looked home but determined that he didn’t have time to cut off the runner – a decision that Washington said was correct. Neto instead went after Harris for the final out, allowing the second run to score.
In the sixth, Neto came up empty on an attempted sliding backhand stop of a grounder. It was clearly not an error, but Neto still reacted as if he expected to make the play, or at least knock the ball down to hold the runner at third. The A’s scored their fifth run on the play.
Neto also couldn’t glove a chopper in front of him in the seventh inning. That was again ruled a hit. The Angels escaped that inning without it costing them a run.
“A couple plays that were tough plays,” Washington said. “He just didn’t come up with them. Sometimes that happens.”
The defensive mistakes cost Daniel three of the five runs he allowed in 5⅓ innings. The other two were on homers, by No. 9 hitter Max Schuemann and Brent Rooker.
On the bright side, Daniel again pounded the strike zone. He threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of 24 of hitters, after doing it to 22 of 26 hitters last week.