Just one night following a blunder from home plate umpire Laz Diaz, the Los Angeles Angels were the unfortunate victims of another missed call that benefitted the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
If the Angels and Mariners hadn’t had enough fireworks this season, the ninth innings of both Monday and Tuesday’s games were added to them.
With one out in the ninth inning on Tuesday, Jesse Chavez notched a 2-2 count on Eugenio Suarez when Brian O’Nora called a fastball down the heart of the plate a ball, leading to a walk, which kicked off a series of hits that led to an eventual five-run outburst for the Mariners.
Chavez admitted that his own frustration led to his meltdown in the final frame, and said he has to be better, via Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
“I know we’re all human; we all make mistakes, but situations like that can’t happen,” Chavez said. “You can’t get fooled by a pitch and get crossed up on something when it’s right in front of you. … I’ve got to sit here and answer questions about a 2-2 pitch that shouldn’t even be an answer. That’s his job to do. I’m supposed to do mine. Things happen. I let it snowball. I’ve got to make better pitches, but that can’t happen in a game like that.”
The loss brought the Angels’ record to 51-66 and they remain 11 games out of a Wild Card spot, but at this point of season, the drama of the growing feud with the Mariners looms much larger.
Defensive miscues lead to ninth-inning meltdown
It’s almost difficult to describe exactly what went wrong for the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning of their Monday night loss to the Seattle Mariners. For eight innings, the two sides were deadlocked in a game that seemed destined to come down to extras.
Then, as it has done several times over the past two seasons, the Angels’ defense completely fell apart in the top of the ninth. Aaron Loup was the pitcher attempting to hold the Mariners scoreless. After retiring the first batter, he allowed a single to Sam Haggerty, and things got ugly from there.
Loup threw a pitch in the dirt to Carlos Santana, and while Haggerty had no intention of trying to take second base, Max Stassi gifted it to him when he lasered a ball past Luis Rengifo and into the outfield. Haggerty stole third on the next pitch.
Then, due to all the chaos of that moment, home plate umpire, Laz Diaz lost track of the count.
More must-reads: