Ryan Vogelsong Roughed Up Again, San Francisco Giants Drop 11-4 Decision To Angels
By Phil Watson
Mar 24, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) tags Los Angeles Angels left fielder J.B. Shuck (3) late in the third inning at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong continued his spring struggles, allowing four runs in four-plus innings as the San Francisco Giants lost an 11-4 Cactus League decision Monday to the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Tyler Colvin hit his second homer of the spring for the Giants (15-10), but it was far from enough as the Angels (15-10) got to Vogelsong in the fourth and continued the offensive assault against the relief corps.
San Francisco took a 2-0 lead in the third. Brandon Crawford led off with a double to right and moved to third on Joaquin Arias’ single.
That’s when things got … strange.
Michael Morse grounded to shortstop Erick Aybar, who flipped to second for the force. But as Crawford scored, Albert Pujols couldn’t come up with Howie Kendrick’s relay throw, costing the Angels a double play. Brandon Belt walked and Hunter Pence singled to load the bases and Pablo Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Morse.
But the Angels started getting to Vogelsong (1-2) in the fourth after the veteran righty had thrown three scoreless frames. Raul Ibanez had an RBI single and J.B. Shuck later laced a two-run double to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead.
After allowing three straight hits, including doubles to Aybar and Josh Hamilton, Vogelsong’s day was done as he allowed four runs on eight hits in four-plus innings, walking two and striking out to. His spring ERA remained at 9.00.
Morse picked up his second RBI of the day in the sixth. Crawford grounded a triple down the right-field line and after Arias walked, Morse grounded a single up the middle to cut the Angels’ lead to 4-3.
But Chris Iannetta unloaded on the first pitch he got from J.C. Gutierrez to start the bottom of the sixth, launching a homer to center field.
The Angels put it out of reach in the seventh. Santiago Casilla gave up a bases-loaded walk to Ibanez and gave up an RBI single to Grant Green. Daryl Maday came in at that point and after getting a nice 1-2-3 double play, Maday balked home a run before surrendering an RBI ground-rule double to Brennan Boesch.
Colvin’s homer in the eighth came on the first pitch of the game from reliever Kevin Jepsen, but Green cracked a two-run double off Jean Machi in the bottom of the inning.
Gutierrez was touched for just Iannetta’s homer in two innings. Casilla was charged with four runs on a hit and three walks without recording an out. Maday gave up a hit in an inning, but wasn’t charged with a run. Lefty Bryce Bandilla was charged with a run on a hit in one-third of an inning and Machi was tagged with a run on three hits in two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.
The Giants did crack 12 hits, two each for Arias, Morse, Pence, Colvin and Crawford.
San Francisco goes to Maryvale Baseball Park on Tuesday to face the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:05 p.m. Pacific.