CHICAGO — A nearly flawless game for the Angels nearly turned into a nightmare on Sunday.
Michael Lorenzen took a shutout and a six-run lead into the ninth inning, but the Angels had to hold for dear life in a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Three of the runs were charged to Lorenzen and two to closer Raisel Iglesias before Ryan Tepera ended it by getting Gavin Sheets on a groundout, leaving the bases loaded.
All of that happened just after Shohei Ohtani was pulled from the game in the top of the ninth because of right groin tightness.
Ohtani bounced into a double play in the seventh and did not appear to be running full speed down the line. There was no immediate detail on whether he will miss any time with the injury.
The drama in the ninth cast a shadow over what should have been an unmitigated celebration of Lorenzen.
Lorenzen was two outs from the Angels’ first individual shutout in nearly four years. He ended up pitching 8 1/3 innings, just after throwing six scoreless innings in his previous start. Lorenzen now has a 3.04 ERA in his first four starts with the Angels.
The leader on the offensive side was Trout, who hit his sixth homer of the season in the first inning. He set up another two-run rally with a double in the third, and he also walked three times.
After missing most of last season with a strained calf, Trout has started this season performing as well as at any time in a career that has included three MVP awards. He’s hitting .344 with a 1.247 OPS.
While no one should be surprised by Trout, few would have expected Lorenzen to do what he’s done. He had been a reliever for most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds.
On Sunday, Lorenzen sliced through the White Sox lineup effectively and efficiently, needing just 91 pitches to get through eight innings.
He took the mound with a shot to finish the Angels first individual shutout since Andrew Heaney in June 2018, but he allowed a pair of runs on three hits. Manager Joe Maddon then pulled him after his 100th pitch — the first Angels pitcher to reach that threshold this year.
Lorenzen had a lead before throwing his first pitch because of Trout’s homer.
In the third, Trout doubled after a leadoff single by Taylor Ward. Ward had two infield singles and a walk, continuing his hot start. Ohtani and Anthony Rendon each made productive outs to drive in Ward and Trout.
In the fourth, the Angels used walks to Jared Walsh and David Fletcher to set up a run. No. 9 hitter Andrew Velazquez doubled off the glove of left fielder A.J. Pollock, driving in a run.
The Angels scored two insurance runs, which proved to be vital, in the top of the ninth. Jack Mayfield, hitting for Ohtani, singled home a run. Jo Adell drove in another with a double.
