ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Opening day got off to an ominous start for the Los Angeles Angels when hitting coach Don Baylor broke his leg while catching the ceremonial first pitch.
Although the Angels tried to shake off that unsettling beginning, they stumbled to a 10-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
Mike Trout hit a two-run homer and Albert Pujols had a run-scoring double for the Angels, who had won nine of 10 on opening day, including five straight. But nothing seemed normal about this opener after Baylor couldn’t stand up when he squatted to catch Vladimir Guerrero’s first pitch.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Don right now,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Obviously it’s a freak (injury). We’ll see how it turns out.”
The former Rockies and Cubs manager will have surgery on his femur Tuesday. Baylor’s leg bent awkwardly before he had to be helped off, leaving the Angels stunned as they took the field.
“It got me sick when I was warming up and hearing what happened in the dugout,” Trout said.
Trout’s new $144.5 million contract doesn’t even begin until next season, but the brightest young talent in baseball wasted no time delivering. After Kole Calhoun’s leadoff single, Trout put an emphatic drive over the left field fence against Felix Hernandez.
Although Trout and Pujols delivered, the Angels’ top newcomers didn’t impress for openers: David Freese went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, and longtime Mariners slugger Raul Ibanez was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. The bullpen also flopped, with Kevin Jepsen giving up five of the Mariners’ six runs in the ninth.
“We just had one bad inning,” Trout said. “We were still in it late in the game. We had a good spring, and we’ve got tomorrow to get things back on track.”
Pujols’ double boosted Los Angeles’ lead to 3-1 in the third, but the Angels didn’t score again.
Hernandez outdueled Jered Weaver (0-1), who yielded six hits and three walks in his club-record sixth start on opening day.
Abraham Almonte hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning and Hernandez struck out 11 in the new-look Mariners’ eighth consecutive victory on opening day.
Hernandez (1-0) gave up four hits over six innings in his seventh opening day start overall for the Mariners. After he allowed Trout’s homer, Hernandez settled into his usual brilliance - and unlike many nights last season, his teammates provided enough runs to win.
“You’ve just got to make good pitches, and we’re going to be OK this season,” said Hernandez, who passed Randy Johnson for the club record for opening day starts. “I can feel that. I made a couple of mistakes, but I felt really confident with these guys.”
Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer and Dustin Ackley had a three-run triple while the Mariners batted around in the ninth, roaring back from an early two-run deficit.
Robinson Cano went 2 for 4 with a double and an intentional walk in the $240 million second baseman’s debut for new Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon, who hesitated to ascribe much significance to a close game that turned into a blowout win.
“I thought our starter did a tremendous job and battled all night,” said McClendon, who replaced Eric Wedge. “The bullpen did a fantastic job, and the offense did a great job grinding out at-bats.”
Mike Zunino had an RBI triple in the seventh to chase Weaver, and Almonte drove him home with a double off Angels newcomer Fernando Salas. Smoak connected in the ninth off Kevin Jepsen while the Mariners batted around.
After Cano grounded out to short in his first plate appearance, the longtime Yankees second baseman got his first Mariners hit on a 50-foot squib to third base in the fourth inning. He rapped a solid double to right in the ninth before Smoak’s shot.
NOTES: Morrison had three strikeouts and two walks in his Mariners debut. … Weaver has started the last five consecutive opening days, while Hernandez has started six straight Mariners openers. … Ibanez has spent the majority of his career in Seattle during three stints with the club. He had 29 homers and 65 RBIs for the Mariners last year.
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