Suarez not swayed by choppy '23 debut

SEATTLE -- Before facing the Mariners on Tuesday night, José Suarez hadn’t pitched in a competitive game for more than two weeks.

Early on, it didn’t seem to matter. Suarez cruised through the first three innings, but then the wheels came off. Suarez ended up with one of his worst career outings in the Angels' 11-2 loss, giving up seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits and getting knocked out in the fifth inning.

Manager Phil Nevin said Suarez wasn’t helped by a schedule that meant Suarez’s last official Spring Training start came on March 17.

“Just the way his day lined up, he had to pitch on the back fields and didn’t have this kind of atmosphere at all,” Nevin said. “I’m not making excuses for him, and I know he won’t, but it is a little bit different when you’re thrust into that right away.”

As expected, Suarez didn’t share that sentiment: "That’s part of the game," he said. "There are good days and bad days. I know I’m going to be way better the next outing."

The six earned runs allowed tied his career worst, and the seven overall runs were the most Suarez had given up since allowing eight against the Rockies on July 27, 2021.

Suarez’s outing was the first time any Angels starter had run into trouble this year, with pitching a big reason Los Angeles started the season 3-1. Coming into this game, Angels starters had a 1.25 ERA, allowing just three earned runs in 21 2/3 innings, the third-best mark in the Majors.

Suarez started the day strong, essentially matching Mariners starter Luis Castillo through the first three innings. He did give up a double to Julio Rodríguez to lead off the first, with Rodríguez advancing to third on an error and scoring on Suarez’s only wild pitch of the game.

After the double, however, it appeared he had settled into a groove, Suarez retiring seven straight batters going into the fourth inning.

Then trouble struck.

Teoscar Hernández led off the fourth with the first of his two homers on the night, and Suarez gave up a single and a double to the next two batters. Only the defense of third baseman Luis Rengifo, who made a few diving stops to turn likely extra-base hits into outs, prevented more damage in the frame.

After allowing four hits (including Hernández's second homer) in the fifth, Suarez was relieved by Jaime Barría, who surrendered a two-run homer to AJ Pollock to cap Seattle’s five-run inning.

Despite the results, Suarez emerged from the contest feeling good about his approach on the mound.

"I felt great. I was feeling my pitches right, had good command,” he said. “I think only one was a slider kind of up, but other than that I think they were good."

Suarez wasn’t helped by a lack of offense and some squandered chances. The red-hot Taylor Ward led off the game with a double, but was stranded at third. That was the only hit for the Angels until Brandon Drury led off the fifth with another double -- before he ended the inning stuck on third base.

"It could have been different the first few innings, but it just got away from us," Nevin said.

The Angels fell behind 11-0 before getting a couple of runs in the eighth inning on a run-scoring single by Hunter Renfroe with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly from Drury.

Keeping the streak alive
Shohei Ohtani was held hitless for the first time this season, going 0-for-2 with a walk. The walk, however, kept alive Ohtani’s streak of reaching base safely in 28 straight games dating back to last season.

That’s the second-longest active streak in the Majors, behind the Yankees' Aaron Judge, currently at 38. Ohtani, who is slated to start in Wednesday’s series finale, was lifted in the eighth inning for pinch-hitter Brett Phillips.

"Just get him off his feet,” Nevin said. “I told him to get up here and get ready for tomorrow.”

Ward is the only Angel to get a hit in all five games this season, going 2-for-4 with a single, double and a walk on Tuesday.