Angels rally past Mariners 12-5, Seattle loses Yusei Kikuchi to injury

ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 5: Yusei Kikuchi # 18 of the Seattle Mariners reacts on the field after being hit by a line drive by David Fletcher # 22 of the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on June 5 Anaheim was hit? , 2021 in Anaheim, California. Kikuchi left the game. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Shohei Ohtani made his 16th homer of the season, Taylor Ward kicked off and the Los Angeles Angels rallied 5-12 at the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.

Angels 12, Mariners 5: Box Score

The Angels came back after Seattle starter Yusei Kikuchi was hit in the right knee by David Fletcher’s comebacker in the fifth inning. Kikuchi fell to the ground, doubled over in pain, and walked away with a bruise.

Ward gave Los Angeles a 6-5 lead with a two-time homer with two outs in the sixth ahead of Drew Steckenrider (2-2).

Hang that up to dry. pic.twitter.com/lnScRqcG8k

– Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 6, 2021

Max Stassi also played for the Angels, who have won five of the last seven. They stand 9-9 as three-time AL MVP Mike Trout went on the injured list due to a sore right calf.

Los Angeles were down 5-1 in the fourth inning after Jake Fraley scored his first grand slam of his career. The Angels then scored in five straight innings, which were topped off by an eighth in five runs.

Alex Cobb (4-2) completed seven innings and allowed three hits in his third straight win. He withdrew the last 11 thugs he faced after giving up the Grand Slam.

Ohtani, who skipped 10 on Friday night as he tossed the Angels past the Mariners, scored a solo home run in the first. He added an RBI double in the eighth.

Stassis solo homer made it 4-2 in the fourth game.

With an out and a runner on the first in the fifth, Fletcher hit Grounder Kikuchi. Catcher José Godoy grabbed the ball and tried to knock Fletcher out first, but his shot sailed high into right field, allowing Ward to score first.

Seattle coaches took care of Kikuchi and the Japanese left-handed, who got off with the Mariners, led 5-3. Fletcher later scored a hit on an Anthony Rendon single.

The Angels added a run on a Rendon RBI Grounder in the seventh before breaking it up in the eighth.

Cobb pulled out of Seattle to order the first three innings before getting into trouble in the fourth. JP Crawford started with a walk and Mitch Haniger hit a bloop single. Ty France was hit by a pitch to load the bases to load the bases with an out.

Taylor Trammell then hit a tall infield chopper that Cobb couldn’t put on and locked the game at 1. Fraley put a splinter of Cobb right over the wall in midfield and Juan Lagares’ glove.

First homer on Thursday ✅
First Grand Slam on Saturday ✅ pic.twitter.com/I1yza2QHGm

– Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 6, 2021

Fraley got into the weekend streak with four games without homers but has scored two in three games.

MORE INJURY?

Kikuchi, who came into the game with a 3-3 record, was well placed against the Angels. He had eight strikeouts and allowed two runs, both on home runs, through four innings.

Seattle right-handed Justin Dunn was added to the injured list earlier this week with an infection in his right shoulder, and shortstop Kyle Lewis, last season’s AL rookie of the year, is expected to be injured due to a ruptured meniscus in his right side Missing considerable time knees.

SWEET 16 FOR OHTANI

Ohtani went deep into midfield on a 436-foot drive for the first time in eight games. He is two behind Toronto Major League home run leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sweet 16 pic.twitter.com/2ouqoaBFkd

– Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 6, 2021

It’s also the most home runs Ohtani had in his first 56 games in a season in the major leagues. In 2019, he was 14 at this point.

TRAINER ROOM

Mariners: Steckenrider has been removed from the COVID-19 casualty list. He was in the IL on May 21 and had spent most of the past two weeks in quarantine in San Diego before returning to the team on Thursday.

Engel: SS José Iglesias was reinstated from the injured list after INF Jose Rojas chose an option for Triple-A Salt Lake. Iglesias missed nine games with a left hamstring injury.

NEXT

Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (0-2, 5.94 ERA), the 14th overall selection in the 2018 draft, is making his fifth career start. He will be faced by Angels LHP Patrick Sandoval (0-1, 3.80 ERA), who threw five goalless innings in his last start on May 27 in Oakland.

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