Angels lose to Rockies, 6-4
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- John Lackey rebounded from a rocky first inning against the Colorado Rockies today, allowing only one hit in four innings after giving up game-opening singles to Scott Podsednik and Clint Barmes and Ian Stewart’s long three-run home run to right-center field.
The Angels lost to Colorado, 6-4, their Cactus League record falling to 10-3. Lackey was pulled after four innings, in which the right-hander allowed three runs and four hits, walked two and struck out one.
‘Three hitters in, they were up, 3-0, but then John started to make pitches,’ Manager Mike Scioscia said. ‘His fastball really had life. I thought he pitched well.’
The home run pitch to Stewart, a former Westminster La Quinta High star who was a first-round pick in 2003, came on a fastball. Most of the 26 homers Lackey allowed last season came on fastballs, but 17 of those home runs came with the bases empty.
‘I’m throwing more fastballs, so there is going to be more contact,’ Lackey said. ‘You leave one up, it’s going to get hit. I’m not that concerned about it. Most of them were solo shots. It would be a little different if people were on base.’
Lackey threw 60 pitches, 25 of them in the first inning. ‘I cleaned things up after that,’ Lackey said.
Howie Kendrick hit doubles to left-center field in each of his first two at-bats for the Angels, who scored in the first inning (Chone Figgins on the back end of a double steal) and second inning (Jeff Mathis sacrifice fly).
Colorado took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on Dan Ortmeier’s solo home run off Angels reliever Justin Speier. Kevin Jepsen allowed one hit, a single, in a scoreless sixth inning for the Angels.
Angels right fielder Reggie Willits was scratched from the starting lineup because of a sinus infection and replaced by Terry Evans. Torii Hunter tweaked his left shoulder on an awkward check swing in the sixth inning, but Scioscia said the center fielder ‘is fine.’
Vladimir Guerrero has not yet made his exhibition debut, but the right fielder took another step in his recovery from October knee surgery today, running the bases during pregame drills for the first time this spring.
There was a pretty cool retro scene before the game -- Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor and former second baseman Bobby Grich, teammates on the Angels’ 1979 American League West-winning club, leaning against the batting cage and chatting together, No. 25 and No. 4, side by side.
-- Mike DiGiovanna