ANAHEIM -- Right-hander José Soriano bounced back on Thursday and looked more like himself coming off a tough outing against the Dodgers, but again it wasn’t enough for the struggling Angels.
Soriano retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed just two runs over 6 2/3 innings, but the Angels failed to score after the first inning in a 3-2 loss to the Athletics in 10 innings at Angel Stadium. Soriano was stuck with a tough-luck no-decision, but has posted a 2.44 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings over 11 starts this season.
“It's disappointing,” said right fielder Jo Adell. “He goes out and he’s shoving it every time out it feels like, and we couldn't get it done tonight. We struggled to get a rhythm going, so it was disappointing.”
Soriano simply didn’t get much help from the offense despite Nolan Schanuel connecting on a two-run homer off right-hander Luis Severino in the first inning. The Angels never had a runner in scoring position during the rest of Severino’s seven innings, as he struck out a season-high 10 batters.
They had their chances late after both Soriano and Severino departed, but the Angels went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position over the last two innings, with Adell providing the only hit to open the 10th -- but Vaughn Grissom, the potential tying run, was held at third. Josh Lowe struck out and Jorge Soler grounded into a double play to end the game after the A’s had scored in the top of the 10th inning when second baseman Adam Frazier couldn’t turn a double play because he had trouble getting the ball out of his glove.
“Definitely a tough loss,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “We started off the game really good, Soriano was really good too, and then we just lost it in the end. But definitely a tough, tough loss.”
Soriano cruised through the first five innings before allowing a run in the sixth on a two-out RBI single from Nick Kurtz after Shea Langeliers doubled. Soriano fell behind Kurtz in the count and gave up the hit on a 2-0 sinker over the middle.
He came back out for the seventh at 86 pitches and gave up an infield single to Tyler Soderstrom on a first-pitch sinker to open the inning. He then got Zack Gelof to hit a grounder to third, but the Angels couldn’t complete the double play, which proved critical after Gelof stole second base.
Soriano got Jeff McNeil to ground out and was one out away from getting out of the jam and getting through seven frames with the lead. But he gave up a game-tying RBI single to No. 8 hitter Darell Hernaiz on a 1-1 splitter that caught too much of the plate, ending Soriano’s night after 103 pitches. Reliever Chase Silseth came in and got Lawrence Butler to line out to escape trouble after Hernaiz stole second base.
“I thought Soriano was really good,” Suzuki said. “He pitched his butt off, moved the ball around, had a really good breaking ball today, some good split-fingers. So yeah, he pitched good. Should've won.”
It was a frustrating finish to Soriano’s night, but it was still another strong outing from him as he struck out seven and walked one. He also registered an impressive 17 swings and misses, including seven with his knuckle curveball and four with both his four-seamer and splitter.
“I’ll take the good, the positive things,” Soriano said. “I grinded into the seventh. I couldn’t complete the inning, but I feel good the way I pitched today. I helped the team the most I can. I can control what I can control, I don't try to do too much. We didn’t have the results we wanted today, but I battled. I feel good with that.”
With the offense struggling the way it has for more than a month, Angels starters know they have to be almost perfect to keep the team in the game, which Soriano admitted can be difficult. But, he said he believes things will get better for the offense.
“It's a little bit tough because we want to win, we want to compete,” Soriano said. “And when you get those results like that, you feel a little bad. But we have to keep grinding. It’s a long season and it's not over yet.”