Napoli, Indians rain on the Angels

 

By Pete Zarustica

There were a lot of things that were bad for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Thursday night at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. Of course, the score was nasty, a 14-4 hammering at the hands of the American League Central leaders.

Then there was the weather, rain that dragged out the spanking until late into a forgettable evening. And then there was the pitching start by Jhoulys Chacin, who was lit up like a pinball machine by the Indians for seven runs in 1.1 innings.

But what might have hurt the most was not just this seventh loss in a row but that much of the damage was done by former Angel Mike Napoli. The bearded catcher went 4-for-4, homered, drove in four runs and scored three times. The Halos traded him to the Rangers after the 2010 season and he has turned into one of game’s best hitting backstops. His home run – one of three hit by the Indians – was his 29th of the season.

The Angels were outhit 14-6 and committed two errors. Cliff Pennington and Mike Trout (his 22nd of the year) homered for the Halos but that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the deluge of hits on a stormy night.

Losing the game dropped the team record to 49-65. The Angels haven’t been this far “underwater” since 2010. They are last in the AL West.

“Nobody is taking this in stride,” said manager Mike Estrada. “No one wants to get on a streak like this. But the process is important and once we get back to the process, we have got on a good roll. I think that’s what we need to focus on is the process.”

The Angels will get a chance to snap the skid Friday when they send Tyler Skaggs (1-0) to the mound, facing off against the Indians’ Carlos Carrasco (7-6).