The Los Angeles Angels were hoping to take advantage of an uneven Tampa Bay Rays team and inch closer to first place in the American League West over the weekend. Instead, after taking the first of three games, they were shut out the rest of the way and now sit behind the Oakland Athletics in third place. They dropped the series finale on Sunday -- and the series -- by a final score of 2-0.
Zack Greinke pitched exceptionally well in his Angels debut, but took the loss to fall to 9-4. Greinke gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight over seven innings, but the Halos could only muster four hits, no walks and no runs while being shut out for the second straight game.
Mike Trout was scratched from the lineup before the game with a knee contusion, but the leadoff spot was not the issue in this game. Trout's replacement at the top of the lineup, Maicer Izturis, was responsible for two of the four Angels hits in the game.
The two runs in the game came off of Greinke in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Matt Joyce hit a two-out RBI single, while Carlos Pena doubled to lead off the seventh and scored on a wild pitch.
With the A's surging, the Angels can not afford to have their bats go quiet.
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