NEW YORK — Mike Trout had three chances to be the hero, and he came up empty.
Trout struck out twice with runners on – including a chance to break the game open in the fifth – and he popped out to end the game, sending the Angels to a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
“He’s obviously the guy you want in that situation there,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “He didn’t get it done. He was upset about that, but I’ll take my chances with him in that situation.”
The Angels (49-52) have lost the first two games of this series, despite taking early leads in both.
After giving away an early four-run lead on Monday, they were up 2-0 in the fifth inning on Tuesday, with a chance to double the lead with a hit. Trout was at the plate with runners at second and third and one out. It was Trout’s third look at Frankie Montas, including a single in the first inning.
Three of the four pitches that Trout saw were over the middle. He fouled off two of them and then swung through a 95 mph fastball.
“I gotta put the ball in play,” Trout said. “Gotta be better.”
Trout also struck out with a runner on in the seventh, whiffing on a slider over the middle.
Nolan Schanuel’s fourth hit of the game brought Trout up with the potential tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first in the ninth, but he popped out.
Trout said his swing has felt off since the All-Star break. He’s 5 for 21 with 11 strikeouts since returning from the break. His .821 OPS for the season is still the best on the team.
“I feel like I’m seeing the ball good, just my path is not there,” Trout said. “I tried to take a nice, easy swing (in the ninth), try to hit it up the middle, and got beat.”
Trout did get one hit, and it came with a runner in scoring position, but the Angels still didn’t score. In the first inning, he singled to right field with Schanuel at second base, but Schanuel was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Juan Soto. Montgomery said “it was a tricky one,” for third base coach Bo Porter because Schanuel didn’t get a great jump. A case could be made that Schanuel should have been held at third for Taylor Ward to have a chance to drive him in.
The Angels had 11 hits, including three from Logan O’Hoppe, but they scored only two runs, which was not quite enough for starter Kyle Hendricks.
Through the first four innings, Hendricks gave up one hit and no runs. He got the first two outs of the fifth, but he couldn’t get the third.
Hendricks gave up a single and then a two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Francisco Alvarez.
“I was beating guys with my heater in, and he just took a few heaters in,” Hendricks said. “I went with the (four-seam fastball) for a strike there, and he just put a good swing on it. Could second-guess it all day. Should have gone with the (two-seam fastball) off the plate or back to the changeup. But again, I was convicted, made the pitch I wanted to make. The other balls just found holes.”
After the homer, Hendricks gave up two straight singles. Hendricks said the stolen base in between also frustrated him. That put a runner in scoring position, so Brandon Nimmo’s hit drove in what proved to be the decisive run in the game.
Angels relievers, who have struggled lately, did well to keep the deficit there.
Ryan Zeferjahn had a particularly encouraging outing, striking out Nimmo, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso (with the bases loaded) in a scoreless seventh inning.
They kept the game close enough for Trout to have a chance in the ninth. When he popped out, he dropped to 6 for 50 in “late and close” situations this season.
Asked if he was pressing in those situations, Trout said it’s just a matter of his mechanics being off.
“When I feel good in my swing, when it’s where it should be, I get good results,” Trout said. “I’ve just been battling through some stuff in the cage since the break. Good thing we’ve got a game tomorrow.”