Angels lose in bizarre fashion as injuries mount

The Angels dropped a close one to the Royals, 3-2 on Tuesday night in Kansas City, losing on one of the most bizarre ways possible on the final play.

On a pitch that was destined to get away from catcher Salvador Perez, the ball instead hit Jared Walsh in the batters box, helping Perez pick off David Fletcher at third base for the game’s final out.

From nearly being able to plate the tying run to game over, in a heartbeat.

J.P. Hoornstra at the Orange County Register captured the oddity of it all:

Fletcher said he was looking for Holland to throw a ball in the dirt “the whole time” Walsh was at-bat.

“Finally got it,” he said. “I was going to score pretty easy. Kind of bad luck.”

It was the end of a long day for the Angels, one that saw the injured list swell.

Catcher Max Stassi was placed on the injured list earlier Tuesday, and then before the game the Angels also placed Juan Lagares on the IL with a left calf strain, and scratched Justin Upton from the lineup with back stiffness.

Dexter Fowler, who tore his ACL over the weekend and is out for the year, was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make 40-man roster room for Jon Jay, who was called up to start in left field.

There were a few highlights, especially with three more hits from Shohei Ohtani, including his fourth home run of the season.

Mike Trout was 1-for-5 on the night, but also struck out four times for the first time since 2017, the sixth time in his career.

And just how did Greg Holland, who notched the fourth strikeout of Trout, in the ninth inning, approach the Angels superstar?

Tuesday particulars

Home run: Shohei Ohtani (4)

WP — Danny Duffy (2-0): 6 IP, 8 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Dylan Bundy (0-1): 7 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned runs), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts

Sv - Greg Holland (1): 1⅓ IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts