Jeff Mathis hits it hard, but gets no hits in loss to Seattle

Seattle 6, Angels 4
AT THE PLATE:
Robb Quinlan
,
Kendry Morales
and
Howie Kendrick
had two hits each, but
Jeff Mathis
, who wound up hitless, may have had the best day at the plate. Mathis stung the ball in both his at-bats but was robbed of extra-base hits by
Ichiro Suzuki
and
Jose Lopez
. Both of Kendrick’s hits were doubles while Morales drove in his team-best 10th run of the spring. He also leads the Angels with a .400 average.
ON THE MOUND:
Scot Shields
was hit hard for the first time, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in his lone inning. But he said that poor performance had nothing to do with the knee surgery that shortened his 2009 season. “Pitching-wise, I just didn’t hit spots,” he said. “The ball was just right down the middle. One of the best pitches I threw was the one to Lopez. That’s how bad it was.” Lopez hit that pitch over the wall for a two-run homer. “He just needs to refine that command,” Manager
Mike Scioscia
said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on in his last 3-4 outings.”
EXTRA BASES:
Although
Michael Ryan
was sporting a swollen left eye and a nasty cut on his face, he pronounced himself ready to play. Ryan, the Angels’ second-leading hitter this spring with a .391 average, was injured in a collision with shortstop
Gary Patchett
in Monday’s game.
UP NEXT:
Joel Pineiro
faces Kansas City and right-hander
Brian Bannister
at Tempe Diablo Stadium at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
ON THE AIR:
TV: FS West.
--Kevin Baxter