OAKLAND -- It was just the first start of the season for Felix Peña, but it was indicative of the impressive flashes he can show and also the inconsistencies that can plague him as he gets deeper into games. The right-hander started strong but couldn't get out of the fourth inning in a 4-2 loss to the A's on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Pena, in the rotation because Andrew Heaney is on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, retired the first eight batters he faced -- including three by strikeout -- until running into trouble with two outs in the third. He surrendered back-to-back singles to Josh Phegley and Robbie Grossman before hitting Matt Chapman to load the bases. Stephen Piscotty made him pay with a hard-hit single up the middle to bring home the game’s first two runs.

"He seemed to kind of lose command of his offspeed pitches," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. "The fastball was fine but it seemed like the breaking ball and changeup, especially the breaking ball, he had trouble with command. He was behind in the counts, walked a few guys and just seemed to kind of lose feel for his pitches."

It was more of the same in the fourth, as he walked Kendrys Morales to open the frame and retired Jurickson Profar and Marcus Semien on flyball outs before serving up a two-run shot to Mark Canha that knocked him from the game after 3 2/3 innings. Of Pena's 15 sliders, none were called for strikes, though he did get three swings and misses. Of his six changeups, only two went for strikes.

"I just started falling behind hitters," Pena said through an interpreter. "The [breaking ball] is very important for me. But I just couldn't throw it for strikes, wasn't commanding it for anything. That's the main reason I didn't have success."

Pena was solid last season, posting a 4.18 ERA in 19 appearances (17 starts) for the Angels, but ran into similar issues. Opposing hitters batted just .243 against him the first time through the lineup, but that figure jumped up to .276 the second time they faced him.

"The breaking ball is extremely important to him,” Ausmus said. “It's a very good breaking ball. It's kind of his go-to pitch, when he's in trouble or needs a crucial out. So when you don't have a feel for it, it's kind of an uphill battle."

Struggles vs. A’s starters continue

The Angels have yet to score against an A’s starting pitcher this season, as veterans Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada and Brett Anderson have each thrown six scoreless frames. Anderson kept the Angels off balance, scattering three hits and two walks with four strikeouts before handing it over to the bullpen.

The Angels rallied against A’s relievers in Friday’s win -- scoring six runs over the final two innings -- and made it interesting in the eighth after David Fletcher reached on an error, and Zack Cozart doubled off the wall with nobody out. Mike Trout followed with a sacrifice fly and Andrelton Simmons smacked an RBI single to left to force the A’s to bring in closer Blake Treinen for a five-out save.

Albert Pujols singled to put runners at the corners with one out but Treinen got out of the jam, striking out Justin Bour looking on a 3-2 fastball that appeared to be off the plate before Jonathan Lucroy popped out to end the potential rally. Treinen bounced back to throw a perfect ninth to record the save and drop the Angels to 1-2 on the year.

“Really I have no one to blame but myself,” Bour said. “I didn’t get it done. You can argue balls and strikes and all that stuff. Really, at the end of the day it’s a matter of getting it done, and I haven’t and didn’t there. Was it in the zone? No, but I still didn’t get the job done.”

The bullpen, however, has been a bright spot through three games, as Angels relievers have combined to throw 9 1/3 scoreless innings, including 4 1/3 shutout frames on Saturday. Noe Ramirez threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while Justin Anderson hurled 1 1/3 shutout frames and Luis Garcia added a perfect eighth inning.

"I thought the bullpen was outstanding across the board,” Ausmus said. “Noe got us through the middle part of the game. I thought Anderson did a good job and Luis did a really good job. The bullpen following Pena was strong."

Up next

Lefty Tyler Skaggs, who was a candidate to start on Opening Day before suffering from left forearm fatigue in mid-March, gets the nod on Sunday against the A's. The Angels are hopeful he can replicate his first-half form from 2018, when he posted a 2.57 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 98 innings over 17 starts. Right-hander Frankie Montas starts for Oakland.