When they look back at Saturday evening’s 6-5 loss to the Mariners, the Angels might lament a rookie reliever’s mistake pitch to an established veteran. As this disappointing season peters out, they might wonder if they trusted him too early with a tight assignment.
But they will also sort positives out of a defeat that caused their season record to fall to 73-76.
Like this one: Mike Trout ambushed Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez’s first-pitch 89-mph offering in the first inning for a two-run homer.
Five pitches later, rookie Shohei Ohtani launched a home run of his own.