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Angels lose to Cleveland; Jose Marte makes promising debut - OCRegister

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As the Angels’ season comes to a close, they might have to endure a few games like Friday’s at Progressive Field. Starting pitcher Jaime Barría was shelled for five runs in two innings. The offense mustered only four hits in response. Cleveland ultimately won 9-1, snapping the Angels’ three-game winning streak. But the blow was cushioned somewhat by a new arrival.

Pitcher Jose Marte made a smashing entrance in relief, the highlight of the Angels’ otherwise dreary evening in Ohio.

Consistently touching 99 mph with his fastball, Marte tossed two scoreless innings of relief in his major league debut. He struck out the first batter he faced, Myles Straw, with a cut fastball that painted the corner. He struck out three more batters before his outing was over. After four days traveling with the Angels’ taxi squad, the 26-year-old had arrived.

“It’s one of those moments,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “One eye’s here. One eye’s there. You’re looking to get on a nice run. At the same time, you’re looking to the future. It’s fun to watch (Marte), (Brandon Marsh), Jo Adell. … We’re waiting for the moment this all comes together.”

Marte was acquired from the Giants in July in the trade that sent Tony Watson to San Francisco. The Giants assigned the 6-foot-3 right-hander to their class-A affiliate in Eugene, Oregon to begin the regular season. When he was officially recalled Friday afternoon, it marked his fourth level of professional baseball in three months.

Marte made just three appearances at Double-A and four at Triple-A after the trade. During that time, he said through an interpreter, he learned the value of throwing strikes. It showed Friday: 22 of his 33 pitches were strikes.

“I never expected it to happen this quickly,” he said of his major league debut.

To make room for Marte on the Angels’ active roster, pitcher Aaron Slegers was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. It was arguably the most productive thing the Angels did all day.

A third-inning rally against Cleveland starter Sam Hentges resulted in the Angels’ only run, when David Fletcher drove in Shohei Ohtani with an opposite-field single. Kurt Suzuki had two hits, Fletcher drew a walk in addition to his RBI single, and Ohtani went 1 for 4 with a single of his own.

A three-run home run by Franmil Reyes plunged Barría (2-2) into a 3-0 hole in the first inning. Back-to-back doubles by Myles Straw and Amed Rosario extended the Angels’ deficit to 5-0 in the second.

Barría needed 45 pitches to complete the two innings. He allowed six hits, three of which went for extra bases. The Panamanian right-hander has seen his earned-run average rise from 4.12 to 5.87 in his last three starts.

“This start and my previous start was more about my location,” he said. “The catcher sets up, I keep missing my spots. I feel like for me, that’s what I need to keep focusing on.”

Sam Selman pitched a scoreless third and Marte kept Cleveland at bay for the next two innings. In the sixth inning, Junior Guerra took over and struck out the first two batters he faced. A double and two walks then loaded the bases for Reyes, who singled in two more runs. The former Padres slugger finished 2 for 5 with five RBIs.

A couple insurance runs, including Jose Ramirez’s 28th home run of the season against Jose Quijada, put the nail in the coffin.

After the Angels rallied from an eight-run deficit to win Thursday in Detroit, trailing Cleveland 5-0 after two innings was perhaps one mental hurdle too many.

“We just came off a big comeback,” Maddon said. “It’s hard to replicate that on a consistent basis.”

The Angels (62-62) have won three games and lost two to begin their 10-game road trip. They temporarily fell eight games behind Oakland and Boston for the second wild card berth in the American League.

Saturday they will find out if left-hander Reid Detmers, another rookie pitcher, is able to pitch into the third inning ― something Barría and Thursday’s starter, Jose Quintana, did not. The Angels’ present and future would both benefit.

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Angels lose to Cleveland; Jose Marte makes promising debut - OCRegister
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