Angels manage just 5 hits in shutout loss to Rangers

ANAHEIM — For each of the caller speech astir however Jack Mayfield has opened eyes lately to gain regular playing time, it’s astir apt not a large happening for a squad to person him arsenic the No. 3 hitter.

That’s wherever Mayfield was hitting successful the Angels’ lineup erstwhile they lost, 4-0, to the Texas Rangers connected Monday night.

The Angels’ lineup has been anemic for overmuch of the 2nd half, with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Justin Upton each injured and Shohei Ohtani slumping. Phil Gosselin, who has go 1 of the much accordant hitters and usually successful the mediate of the order, was disconnected connected Monday, pushing Mayfield into the No. 3 spot.

The Angels produced conscionable 5 hits, going softly against Rangers rookie A.J. Alexy for six innings.

Alexy was pitching conscionable his 2nd large league game, aft moving 5 scoreless innings successful his debut past week. The 23-year-old right-hander had spent the past 4 years successful the Rangers strategy aft the Dodgers dealt him to Texas arsenic portion of the Yu Darvish commercialized successful 2017.

The Angels deed 4 balls astatine 100 mph oregon harder against Alexy and each of them were outs.

With runners astatine archetypal and 2nd and nary outs successful the second, Brandon Marsh deed the hardest shot of the nighttime against Alexy. But his 107 mph bouncer went consecutive to 2nd baseman Nick Solak, who started a treble play.

The Angels didn’t negociate different deed until Alexy was retired of the crippled successful the seventh. They enactment runners astatine the corners aft singles by Jo Adell and Marsh, but Max Stassi stranded them with a brushed flyout.

The quiescent nighttime for the Angels’ hitters stuck Jaime Barria with a loss, contempt his 7 coagulated innings.

Barria gave up a first-inning tally aft a brace of brushed singles, 1 successful which DJ Peters broke his bat, and a deed batter. In the second, helium gave up a tally connected 3 coagulated singles.

Double plays helped him flight each of those innings with minimal damage, and helium had nary occupation cruising done the Rangers’ bid aft that.

Barria retired 14 successful a row, until a Yohel Pozo infield deed successful the seventh inning, which led to the 3rd run.

It was reminiscent of his July 25 outing successful Minnesota, erstwhile helium gave up homers to the archetypal 2 batters successful the archetypal inning, and past thing other done 7 innings.

More to travel connected this story.