Angels lose leadoff batter Kole Calhoun to a right ankle sprain

A frustrating 10-9, 11-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics grew even more painful for the Angels on Tuesday night when they lost Kole Calhoun to a right ankle sprain, an injury that will send their starting right fielder and leadoff hitter to the disabled list.

Calhoun was just starting to heat up at the plate with three consecutive multi-hit games, raising his average from .178 to .250. Tuesday night, he singled and scored in the first inning, hit a two-run homer to right field in the fourth and doubled ahead of Mike Trout’s score-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

But after hitting a routine grounder to second to lead off the 11th inning, Calhoun twisted his right ankle in a divot beyond the first-base bag and had to be carried off the field. He was on crutches after the game, and Manager Mike Scioscia said Calhoun is “definitely” going to be put on the DL.

“I don’t know what happened, man, it wasn’t anything that special,” Calhoun said. “I didn’t see a replay or anything. I just rolled it, and it hurt real bad. It’s just a freak thing, you know?”

The Angels are already down an outfielder with Josh Hamilton sidelined by a torn ligament in his left thumb, so in the short term, they will likely keep J.B. Shuck in left field and start Collin Cowgill in right.

Another outfielder -- either Brennan Boesch or Matt Long -- is expected to be called up from triple-A Salt Lake, but the Angels could also pursue speedy and versatile outfielder Sam Fuld, who was designated for assignment by the A’s last weekend and can play right field and bat leadoff.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna