ANAHEIM – Moments into his 2016 season, Matt Shoemaker found himself enduring another nightmare.
The first five batters he faced reached base, setting him on the way to allowing six runs in the Angels’ 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
For Shoemaker, who didn’t record an out in the fourth inning, it was a discouraging start to a season in which he is trying to prove that 2015 was a fluke.
After posting a 3.04 ERA in a breakthrough 2014, Shoemaker slipped to 4.46 last year. He showed some progress in the second half last season, but for most of spring training and now one game into the regular season, he has struggled.