Los Angeles Angels’ Chase Silseth deals against the Oakland Athletics during the bottom of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri May 13, 2022 (AP News photo)
Los Angeles (AL)). 2. 6. 0
Oakland. 0. 2 0
Friday May 13, 2022
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–My childhood friend the late Joseph Nigota used to live across the street from Madison Square Garden. Each year he eagerly awaited the day when the circus train would arrive in the Hudson Yards and make the circus parade past his home while he watched it through the apartment windows.
Today the circus came to Oakland, featuring Shoehei Ohtani and his accompanying trapeze artists, the High Flying Los Angeles Angels, at game time record well above .500 at 21-12, just a half a game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL West.
The boys and girls of the press peered through the windows of their apartment while a scattering of paying customers, announced as numbering 13,992, which qualifies as a crowd these days at the Coliseum watched from the stands as the A’s fell to the Angels 2-0.
Shohei Ohtani did not pitch for the visitors this evening, instead batting third as the designated hitter. He went 0-4 with a strikeout. Pitching duties for the Halos fell to Chase Silseth, making his major league debut. Indeed, last year’s 11th round draft pick hadn’t even thrown a ball at the AAA level.
He made three appearances for the Rocket City Pandas in ’21 and had gone 2-0 ERA 1.69 for the same team in the AA Southern League this year when he was called to the show this morning. He would get the win after an outstanding six innings of masterful hurling.
Oakland’s starter was a more known quality and quantity. Although he, too, technically is a rookie, Daulton Jefferies went 1-0 ERA 3.60 in five appearances for the green and gold in 2021 and 1-5 ERA 5.22 for them last season.
He held Philadelphia scoreless on two hits and two walks in his five inning stint against the Phillies back on April 10 but between then and his first pitch of Friday evening he had 0-5 record in the bigs. He took the loss. For this year Jefferies drops his record to 1-6 ERA 4.84.
The recently reinstated Ramón Laurano saved Jefferies’ bacon twice in the top of the third. Playing in right field, he made an exciting diving catch of Chad Wallach’s sinking liner to right center that opened the inning. Next, his rifle-armed throw to second on Tyler Wade’s hard single to right held the Angels’ second sacker to a single.
Jefferies struck out Andrew Velásquez on an 87.9 mph change up and then yielded an infield single to Taylor Ward but wiggled out of the threat by getting the dangerous Mike Trout to ground out to Elvis Andrus at short.
Andrus giveth and Andrus taketh away. His lead off single to center in the third was Oakland´s first hit. He reached second on Pache sacrifice to third and then made the mistake of trying to advance on Lowrie’s fly to left.
Brandon Marsh’s accurate throw cut him down easily to end the inning. Sheldon Neuse, the only Athletic with a respectable batting average (unless you count Pinder’s .253) was on deck.
The Angels didn’t give away their chance to score in the top of the fourth. Anthony Rendón smacked a one out double to left that left his bat at 107 mph. An out later, he scampered home Marsh´s single up the middle to center.
The team from SoCal doubled its lead in their half of the fifth. Number nine hitter Andrew Velásquez hit his first roundtripper of the season, a 372 foot blast to right that earned him his fifth RBI and made the score 2-0 in favor of the Angels. Mike Trout made the third out of the frame, striking out swinging. One never knows, do one?
Kirby Snead relieved Jefferies after six innings of play, in which the A’s starter allowed two runs, both earned, five hits, one of them a four bagger, and no walks while striking out four. He threw 88 pitches, 55 for strikes. A credible performance and an encouraging one.
Silseth also was removed after six innings of work. The 19 year old’s line was exceptional. He shut the Athletics out on just one hit and two walks. He K’d five A’s and threw 81 pitches, 52 of them considered strikes.
Aaron Loup replaced him on the mound, throwing a perfect seventh, followed by Ryan Teper for Oakland’s penultimate turn at bat. He allowed the A’s second hit, a single by Andrus, who was the only Athletic to hit safely all night.
Snead retired the Angels in order in his assigned frame, yielding to Lou Trivino in the eighth, who looked sharp as he set the Halos down 1-2-3 in his inning of work. Sam Moll took over for him. in the top of the final frame and allowed nothing more harmful than a single to Rendón.
Raisel Iglesias came in in the ninth to get the save, his eighth in eight opportunities. He did, putting Oakland down in order.
The teams will play a day-night doubleheader for Saturday. Games scheduled to start at 1:07 and 6:40. We can expect to see the Angels Jhonathan Díaz (1-0 ERA 0.00) against the A’s Paul Blackburn (4-0 ERA1.74) in the front game and in the night cap the Angels will start Patrick Sandoval (1-1 ERA 2.03) going against the A’s Frankie Montás (2-3 ERA 3.77).
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