Angels Swept In Seattle With 1-0 Loss, But Urena Takes No-Hitter Into Sixth Inning
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Angels lost another game, 1-0, but rookie starter Walbert Urena continues to make an impression as he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners.
The loss was disappointing, but Urena’s performance was memorable. He continues to impress with both his stuff and his composure, as manager Kurt Suzuki noted.
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“It’s the composure to keep it together and execute a pitch when needed to,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said in a piece written by Luke Olson of MLB.com. “And he’s done that time and time this year so far.”
Urena’s composure emerged immediately, mostly because it had to. The Mariners loaded the bases with just one out in the first inning, but the young right-hander was able to get a double-play grounder from Josh Naylor to get out of the inning. Urena dominated after that, though, striking out the side in the second and allowing just one baserunner until the sixth.
“After that [first] inning, I just tried to let go and have fun out there,” Ureña said.
He gave up his first hit of the game to J.P. Crawford, who doubled to right-center, and the Mariners once again loaded the bases. A walk to Cal Raleigh scored the lone run of the game, and that was when Suzuki decided Urena was cooked after throwing 107 pitches.
His final stat line was impressive, as it included 5-2/3 innings, one run, one hit, four walks, two HBP and six strikeouts. He tried to sound oblivious to his bid for the no-hitter, but it’s unlikely anyone was buying into that.
“I really didn’t know that,” Ureña said of his no-hit bid. “I just tried to focus on making pitches every time.”
Urena is now firmly entrenched as a member of the Angels rotation. He’s appeared in 16 games, 14 of them starts, and he’s 5-7 with a 3.03 ERA. He’s struck out 75 batters over 77-1/3 innings.
Command is still an issue, however. His walk rate is over 10 percent, so reducing free passes and traffic on the base paths will be the big task going forward. Urena seems very aware of this, so that’s the good news.
Said Ureña: “My command wasn’t the best today,” he said. “I made good pitches sometimes when I needed it. That helped me a lot -- a lot of ground balls, no hard contact.”
The Angels got just two hits off Seattle starter Bryce Miller, who combined with a pair of relievers to throw a four-hit shutout. The Mariners swept the series, but the losses hardly matter compared to the developmental aspect of the Angels situation right now, as Samy Natera Jr. and and Sam Bachman also were just as strong behind Urena.