Trout's homer makes more Halos history

ST. PETERSBURG -- It’s been quite the eventful series for Angels superstar Mike Trout against the Rays.

Trout hit the ball twice on one swing for an RBI single in the series opener on Monday, reached 1,500 career hits with a solo shot off the C-ring of the catwalk at Tropicana Field on Tuesday and connected on a go-ahead solo blast in the eighth inning before reaching on a run-scoring error in the 10th inning on Wednesday. But it again wasn’t enough in a 4-3 loss in 11 innings, as the Angels have dropped the first three games of the series to Tampa Bay, scoring just five runs over that span.

“We’ve pitched well, and that’s how you win games when you face good pitching,” interim manager Phil Nevin said. “So it stings a little bit.”

Additionally, with his solo homer, Trout tied Garret Anderson for the most runs scored in Angels history with 1,024. It took Anderson 15 seasons and 2,013 games with the club to accomplish the feat, while Trout has played in 12 seasons and 1,373 games with the Angels. Trout remains under contract through 2030, so Nevin noted Trout is likely to break many more club records.

“He’s been there a long time and he’s going to be here a lot longer, so I’m sure he’s going to put a lot of things out of reach,” Nevin said. “I’m sure most of those numbers in the book.”

The Angels again scuffled offensively and failed to score with the bases loaded and two outs in both the sixth and seventh innings. But Trout helped make up for it with a solo homer off right-hander Jason Adam, who hadn’t allowed a run since July 16, snapping a streak of 13 straight scoreless appearances.

“He’s been really good, and I said it last night,” Nevin said. “He was facing one of the best relievers in the game right there. I know he hung a slider, and against good pitchers, you can’t miss those kinds of pitches -- and Mike didn’t.”

Trout jumped all over a 2-0 slider down in the zone from Adam and absolutely demolished it to left field for his 26th homer of the year, which is one off Shohei Ohtani’s team lead of 27. Trout got all of it, as it left the bat at 113 mph and went a projected 406 feet, per Statcast. It was his 16th career homer with an exit velocity of at least 113 mph, which is the eighth most among all Major Leaguers since Statcast was introduced in 2015. It was his second-hardest homer of the year, trailing only a 114.4 mph shot off Rays right-hander Chaz Roe on May 18.

Trout also factored into plating the go-ahead run in the 10th inning, when he hit a grounder to shortstop Taylor Walls with Jared Walsh on third and two outs. But with Trout’s speed, Walls rushed his throw to first and first baseman Isaac Paredes couldn’t handle the ball in the dirt, allowing the Angels to take the lead on an error by Walls.

Trout’s performance was yet another sign that he’s feeling better after missing a month with a back/rib cage injury before returning on Friday in Detroit. Trout, who went 2-for-5 on Wednesday, has batted .304 (7-for-23) with two homers and three RBIs in six games since returning from the injured list.

Trout, though, is scheduled to be held out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale, as the Angels are being cautious with him, especially with the club playing seven straight games on artificial turf -- a stretch that continues with a weekend series at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The Halos superstar also had an unusual single off lefty Shane McClanahan in the sixth inning, as Trout was able to connect on a 1-2 changeup just 0.62 feet off the ground for a clean single into left field. It was the lowest pitch Trout has turned into a hit since Statcast was introduced in 2015.

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 10-time All-Star, has still been productive when healthy this season. The 30-year-old is slashing .272/.366/.597 with 26 homers and 54 RBIs in 85 games.

But the Angels squandered the one-run lead in the 10th and again in the 11th after an RBI double from Taylor Ward. The game ended on a throwing error from Walsh as he attempted to cut down the winning run at home after jumping to field a high chopper to first.

“You have to rush that, and he jumped for that ball so his momentum was going back,” Nevin said. “I know people think it’s 90 feet away, but it’s a very tough throw.”