ANAHEIM — The Angels’ three-game winning streak came to an end because of another disappointing night at the plate.
The Angels had just four hits in a 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night, the 11th time this season that they have been shut out.
The Angels, who rank 25th in the majors in runs, couldn’t muster much offense against Twins right-hander Tyler Mahle, an Orange County product who enjoyed his first time pitching at Angel Stadium in three years.
Mahle, 27, was the seventh-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds out of Westminster High in 2013. In his only previous game in Anaheim, in 2019, he gave up four runs in a five-inning start with the Reds.
He got a shot to return when the Reds traded him to the Twins earlier this month, and he made the most of it.
The Angels went quietly for the first five innings, with just two singles and a walk. They did not get a runner into scoring position until the sixth, when they were down 3-0.
Steven Duggar walked and went to third on Luis Rengifo’s two-out double. Taylor Ward threatened to tie the score, but his drive to right field was caught at the warning track.
“He got a pitch to drive,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “Hit it on the screws. Just right at ’em. That’s a couple degrees higher there, it’s a tie game.”
The lackluster offense provided no support for Patrick Sandoval, who had a typical outing.
Although he allowed only two runs – on a two-run homer by Gilberto Celestino in the second inning – he was not efficient with his pitches and he could not get through innings cleanly.
“I’m not happy with the way I threw the ball today,” Sandoval said. “Four walks is embarrassing. It’s unacceptable.”
Sandoval walked four and gave up five hits in five innings, throwing 95 pitches. He threw 55 strikes and 40 balls.
“He kind of teetered there, walking the No. 9 hitter twice,” Nevin said. “He was behind in the count a lot. The pitch count rose, but he got through five in a 2-0 game. We still had a chance to win the ballgame there if we can get something going offensively. We just didn’t.”
Sandoval has a 3.42 ERA this season, which would be perfectly acceptable, but he’s walked 4.4 batters per nine innings, which has contributed to his inability to get deep into games. Sandoval has completed six innings in just seven of his 19 starts, including just once in his last eight starts.
“The season has been pretty frustrating for me, pitching-wise,” Sandoval said. “I lose it in an inning or a couple at-bats in a row and it spirals. I have been able to limit damage this year, which is a positive, but I’ve got to pitch better. … The walks have been atrocious. It’s something I need to work on.”
The Twins then doubled their lead after Mike Mayers entered. He gave up a homer to Gio Urshela in the sixth and a run-scoring single to Luis Arraez in the eighth.
Mayers has allowed just those two runs in 7-1/3 innings of relief since coming back from the minor leagues.
The only positive on the night for the Angels was a throw from Jo Adell, whose defense has been an issue throughout his brief major league career.
Adell made a perfect throw from left field to the plate, all the way in the air, to nail Twins catcher Sandy Leon as he tried to score from second on a single in the third inning.
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