LA Angels try to shake-up line-up but get same result in 3-2 loss

The LA Angels started the season 6-2 and there was reason for a lot of optimism in Anaheim. Especially since 2016 didn’t go their way fans were looking for any glimmer of hope. A 4-game losing streak has brought the Angels back to reality.

After two consecutive late-inning comebacks early in the week, the LA Angels have come back to reality losing three games in a row and in all but one them the did not come close to winning.  On Saturday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to shake-up the line-up in hopes of ending the losing streak.

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Scioscia decided to give both C.J. Cron and Jefry Marte the day off at first base and played Albert Pujols at first base for the first time since late August.  He also but Ben Revere in the second spot in the line-up and dropped Kole Calhoun to the fifth spot.  In addition he gave Mike Trout his first day off in the field this season, starting Cameron Maybin, a natural center fielder the nod in center.  Unfortunately the team did not respond offensively the way Scioscia had hoped.

The Angels only scored two runs on six hits, marking the fourth game in a row that the team failed to score more than three runs in a game and it resulted in a 3-2 loss for the Angels, their fourth straight set back. The positives in the game for the Angels was a 2 for 5 performance for Revere and Matt Shoemaker had his best outing of the season going 5.1 innings and giving up only two runs.

Shoemaker left the game trailing 2-1 in the sixth and the Angels tied it up in the top of the seventh on a Revere RBI-single, but an eighth solo homer by the Royals Mike Moustakas off of reliever Jose Alvarez gave the Royals the 3-2 victory.

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The Angels are hopeful that Tyler Skaggs will be able to stop the bleeding and end the losing streak tomorrow as he takes the mound for the first time in Kansas City since his 2016 debut. In that game Skaggs totally shut down the Royals for seven innings holding them to three hits and no runs. He will square off against Ian Kennedy who is 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA so far this season.

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The Angels will then travel to Houston for a 4-game series against first place Houston before returning home to face Toronto and Oakland for a seven-game home stand.