All of a sudden, a walk-off loss looks pretty good. The Mariners, after losing three of them in a four-game span last weekend in Cleveland, were never in the game Tuesday night in their worst loss of the season, a 12-0 blowout to the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The Mariners (20-26) have lost a season-high five in a row.
The Angels jumped on the hapless Aaron Harang for three runs in the first inning, tacked on four more runs in the fourth, four in the sixth and one in the eighth in sending Seattle to its worst loss of the season.
The Mariners allowed 16 runs to Houston April 9, but scored nine. The last similar pounding suffered by the Mariners occurred Aug. 29, 2012 when they lost 10-0 to the Minnesota Twins.
The Mariners, blanked for the fourth time this season, are 2-6 on a nine-day, nine-game road trip.
Mike Trout hit for the cycle. At 21, he became the youngest player in AL history to do so. His four hits produced five RBIs as the Angels pounded out 15 hits, including three home runs. The Mariners scratched out six hits, one for extra bases. Trout, struck out in the first inning, singled in the third, tripled in the fourth, doubled in the sixth, and homered in the eighth.
Trout was the first Angels player to hit for the cycle since former Mariner Chone Figgins did it in 2006.
Harang managed 3.2 innings. He gave up a three-run homer to Josh Hamilton in the first inning and was history by the fourth when he allowed a two-run homer to Howie Kendrick and an RBI double to Erick Aybar. In the inning, Harang gave up five extra-base hits, including a home run, two triples and two doubles.
“He (Harang) made two many mistakes up in the zone and it got away from him in the fourth,” said manager Eric Wedge.
Harang allowed seven earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He fell to 1-5 and his ERA jumped to 8.58.
The Angels pounded new callup Danny Farquhar for four more runs in the sixth, the key blow Trout’s three-run double.
L.A.’s big hitters, Trout, Hamilton and Albert Pujols, went a combined 8-for-14 with nine RBIs in support of starter and winner Jerome Williams (3-1), who allowed six runs over eight innings with six strikeouts and two walks.
The Mariners and Angels conclude the series Wednesday when Brandon Maurer opposes C.J. Wilson in a 4:05 p.m. start. Seattle has a three-game series against AL West leader Texas Friday night at Safeco Field.
3 Comments
Jeez, can we finally dump that POS Harang?? Hapless? He never had any hap to begin with. He was nothing when we picked him up, now he’s even less! Another great Jack Z “acquisition.” Maybe that should be a-QUIZ-ition, as in WTF??
Btw, you forgot to mention the M’s have coughed up 22 runs in the last two games. Maybe the pitchers are scared of this vial of anthrax I’m holding up. No, seriously. I’m pretty sure they’ve confused it with rosin.
A few seasons ago the M’s flirted with .500 for the opening months, then went into a horrible skid for the next 30 days that they never recovered from. This team is dangerously walking that path again if they don’t snap out of it soon. I hate to say it, but they could use a brawl like what the M’s did in Baltimore in Lou’s first year. Basically, something to serve as a catalyst to winning. You’d think Felix’s perfect game would have been that but it didn’t happen then. And it hasn’t happened this season yet either.
Well, you’re close. What the M’s need IS Lou! Good luck with that.