Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout can’t save Angels from season-opening loss to Astros

Anthony Rendon despatched a protracted fly ball into the left-field nook within the seventh inning Thursday night time, eliciting a full-throated roar from a sellout crowd of 44,723 in Angel Stadium, and when the right-field scoreboard flashed “HOME RUN,” it appeared the Angels had turned a one-run deficit right into a one-run lead.

One little downside: The drive was foul. Third-base umpire Ryan Wills made the right name, which was upheld by replay overview, and Rendon grounded right into a double play on the following pitch, his frustration and futility emblematic of a principally empty season opener for the Angels.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was dominant, giving up one run, 4 hits and putting out 9 in 4 2/3 innings, however Houston left-hander Framber Valdez was even higher on a scorching 93-degree night time, blanking the Angels on two hits over 6 2/3 innings of the Astros’ 3-1 victory.

The Angels managed 4 hits within the sport, and Ohtani, Mike Trout and Rendon, the highest three hitters within the lineup, mixed to go one for 11.

As excited as Angels followers have been when that seventh-inning drive left Rendon’s bat, supervisor Joe Maddon by no means obtained his hopes up within the third-base dugout.

“I believed it was foul, and so did [third-base-coach Phil Nevin],” Maddon stated. “It’s simply that’s one thing you ask a crew to have a look at in case you’re lacking one thing, and that’s what they did.”

Valdez, relying closely on a 95-mph sinking fastball and 83-mph curve, gave up two hits, each ground-ball singles by Matt Duffy, struck out six and walked one. He retired 15 straight from the second by means of sixth and wanted solely 67 pitches to finish six innings.

“Their pitcher was good, and we’ve seen him good up to now,” Maddon stated. “We have now not finished effectively on this division, primarily as a result of we haven’t hit effectively in opposition to good pitching.”

The Astros had a 1-0 lead when Trout reached on shortstop Jeremy Pena’s throwing error to begin the seventh. Valdez survived the Rendon long-ball scare, Duffy reached on an infield single, and reliever Phil Maton struck out Jo Adell to finish the inning.

Houston took a 3-0 lead within the eighth when two of reliever Ryan Tepera’s first 4 pitches as an Angel have been hit for dwelling runs, a solo shot to left by Alex Bregman and a solo shot to middle by Yordan Alvarez.

The Angels scratched a run throughout within the backside of the eighth when Brandon Marsh was hit by a pitch with two outs and scored on David Fletcher’s triple to left-center that made it 3-1.

Angels left fielder Jo Adell can’t make the catch on a solo dwelling run hit by Houston’s Alex Bregman within the eighth inning Friday at Angel Stadium.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Instances)

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Up stepped Ohtani, the reigning American League most precious participant who remained within the sport because of baseball’s new rule permitting a pitcher to proceed as a chosen hitter after he leaves the mound.

Ohtani, representing the potential tying run, obtained beneath a Hector Neris pitch and flied to deep proper discipline to finish the inning, the slugger unable to take himself off the hook for a loss.

“I believed it might need an opportunity to depart the park,” Ohtani stated by means of an interpreter, “however I simply obtained beneath it.”

Ohtani normally labored into his velocity final season, his fastball starting from 93-95 mph within the first inning earlier than ticking up in later innings, however he took the mound with a flame-thrower Thursday night time, hitting 100 mph twice and 99 mph thrice within the opening inning.

The suitable-hander struck out 4 straight within the second and third innings, three with fastballs clocked at 99, 98 and 97 mph, earlier than Michael Brantley banged a two-out double off the right-field wall.

Bregman adopted with a looping single to left discipline, the place Adell stumbled a bit throughout his glove-to-hand change and fired his throw dwelling about half-way up the first-base line, Brantley scoring simply for a 1-0 Astros lead.

Ohtani struck out the facet within the fourth, Yuli Gurriel on a 97-mph fastball, Kyle Tucker on a nasty 79-mph, down-and-in curve and Pena on an 83-mph slider. He closed his mound work by putting out Jose Altuve for a 3rd time within the fifth.