RECAP: Angels 3, Brewers 2
- Updated: March 5, 2015
Diablo Stadium in Tempe. (Image via @Brewers)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim opened their Spring Training schedule at home on Thursday, and three costly errors by the Milwaukee Brewers proved the difference in a 3-2 Halos’ victory.
An error by Pete Orr in the sixth inning off a Ryan Wheeler ground ball scored Daniel Robertson, who himself had reached on an earlier error by Luis Sardinas, and that run held up as the difference in the game, pushing the Angels to a 1-0 Cactus League record Thursday afternoon.
Hector Santiago, in a battle for a spot in the starting rotation this season after starting 24 games for the Angels last season, threw two scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and a walk.
Cory Rasmus, one pitcher presumed to be battling with Santiago for that rotation spot, entered in the third and immediately allowed a Martin Maldonado double followed by a Matt Long single and a sacrifice fly by Scooter Gennett to start the inning. He would settle down thereafter though, only allowing that run, on three hits with two strikeouts, in his two innings of work.
The Angels got on board in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a C.J. Cron double and some luck in the infield. Kole Calhoun singled off Brewers’ reliever Ariel Pena’s glove, advancing Cron to third, and Mike Trout followed up with his own infield single that scored Cron.
The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the fifth off Brewers newcomer and former Dodger reliever Chris Perez after a Josh Rutledge RBI single. Rutledge, who is battling for the starting job at second base, drove in D’Arby Myers from second, who had just entered as a pinch runner for catcher Chris Iannetta.
Later in the inning, with Rutledge on third and two outs, Taylor Featherston couldn’t bring him home, ending the threat and grounding out to shortstop. Featherston, like Rutledge, is competing for time in the middle infield.
The sixth inning run off Orr and Sardinias’ errors would make the score 3-1 in favor of the Angels, as Robertson scored his first run of the spring.
The Brewers got a run back in the top of the seventh off Angels reliever Trevor Gott, when Shane Peterson scored on an Elian Herrera single up the middle, but that’s as close as the Brewers would come.
Errors weren’t the Brewers’ issue alone, however. In the eighth, the Brewers were threatening with a man on first and no one out in a one-run game off Angels’ reliever Adam Wilk. Wilk then got Hector Gomez to fly out to center, and struck out Sardinias.
With two outs, Wilk attempted to pick Bryan Petersen off first, missed his target on a throwing error, and Petersen moved up to second. Attempting to take third on the overthrow, though, Petersen was gunned down by another second base candidate, Johnny Giavotella, and the frame ended with the Halos preserving their 3-2 lead.
Kyle Lohse had a very solid start for the Brewers, extending to 2.2 innings, striking out three while allowing no walks and only one hit – the Cron double – and one run which scored after reliever Ariel Pena couldn’t strand his inherited runner in the third.
Cron, who went 2 for 2 with a run scored, and Rutledge, who drove in one and went 1 for 2, led the way for Los Angeles.
The Angels return to spring action tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. Pacific Time, hosting the Colorado Rockies who are 0-2 this March. On Saturday, the Angels take their first road trip of the season, playing the Oakland Athletics at 12:05 p.m. Pacific Time.
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