Angels’ hitters come up empty in loss to Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Yusei Kikuchi deserved a better fate.

The Angels left-hander finally pitched the way they hoped when they signed him over the winter, but he got no support and the Angels lost, 4-0, to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Kikuchi gave up one run in six innings, the best of his four starts this season. He took the loss because the Angels’ hitters came up empty, and then the bullpen gave up three more runs.

The Angels had five hits and two walks. They also had a batter hit by a pitch.

Their best opportunity was in the fourth, when the Angels had runners at the corners with one out in a scoreless game. Travis d’Arnaud took a fastball down the middle for strike three, and then Nolan Schanuel struck out swinging.

D’Arnaud, who was still hitting in the cage 30 minutes after the game, said he wasn’t looking for something different on that pitch.

“Just didn’t pull the trigger,” he said. “That’s what I was just working on (in the cage) just now. I think I’ve been trying to do too much in those situations, instead of just staying short and not trying to do too much. I’ve got to go back to seeing it, seeing it deep and keeping things simple and not trying to go get the outcomes. Just let it happen.”

D’Arnaud is hitting .091 so far this season. Manager Ron Washington continues to bat him fifth when he plays because he trusts his experience in those spots more than some of the young players hitting behind him. D’Arnaud was in the lineup on Tuesday instead of starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe because he was coming back from a stomach illness the day before.

“D’Arnaud is a professional hitter,” Washington said. “He’ll find his way. He’ll find his way.”

After the missed chance in the fourth, the Angels didn’t get another runner into scoring position until the ninth, on their way to their first shutout loss of the season.

The Angels (9-7) have lost three of their last four games.

They’ve also lost all four games started by Kukuchi. They could have won all four of them, though.

In Kikuchi’s previous start, he gave up a first-inning grand slam on a ball that dropped over the short right field porch at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field.

Kikuchi didn’t allow anything else. After that game, Washington said they wanted to get see the Kikuchi who “bears down” from the first pitch, instead of after he’s gotten in trouble.

“I made some adjustments throughout the week, and and I think I’m back where I want to be,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter after Tuesday’s game.

This time Kikuchi zipped through the Rangers’ order without much trouble. He only gave up three hits.

One of those was Leody Tavares’ bunt single leading off the sixth. Tavares stole second and went to third when catcher d’Arnaud’s throw bounced into center field.

Tavares scored the only run against Kikuchi on a fly ball that left fielder Taylor Ward caught with a leap at the fence.

“Kikuchi did a great job,” Washington said. “I’ll take six innings, one run every time he goes out there.”

Through his first four starts, Kikuchi has pitched exactly six innings each time, with a 4.13 ERA.

“So far, I’ve been able to keep the team in the game, so I take that as a positive,” Kikuchi said. “I think today, being the fourth start, was the best start so far. So I just want to carry that momentum into the next start.”