CLEVELAND — Mike Trout’s streak came up just short of history.
Trout failed to hit a home run in the Angels’ 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night, ending his streak at seven games.
The major league record is eight, achieved by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Don Long in 1956 and matched by New York Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly in 1987 and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993.
Trout is the sixth player to have his streak end at seven games since Griffey last reached eight.
Trout drew a walk and he hit three routine fly balls.
The Guardians, who are fighting for their lives in a tight American League Central race, did not give Trout much to hit.
Pitchers Cody Morris and Kirk McCarty – a pair of rookies who had pitched nine career big league games combined – pitched Trout even more carefully than opponents normally do.
Morris, a right-hander, did not throw Trout a pitch in the strike zone in either of his first two trips. Trout swung at a 2-and-0 pitch that was slightly outside in the first inning, hitting a fly ball to center field. In the third, he walked on four pitches when first base was open.
Trout came to the plate in the fifth inning with one out, a runner at first and the Angels up by a run, so the left-handed McCarty had to give him something. After falling behind 3-and-0, McCarty threw three pitches at the top of the strike zone. Trout took one, fouled one off, and then hit a fly ball to center.
Right-hander James Karinchak was on the mound in the eighth, and the best he gave Trout was a first-pitch fastball on the outside corner. Trout fouled it off. After that, he took a couple of pitches outside, then he swung at a pitch above the zone, hitting a routine fly to right field.
The Angels’ only run was on a Matt Thaiss homer in the third inning. Thaiss’ second homer of the season gave them a 1-0 lead that left-hander José Suarez held until the fifth inning.
Suarez gave up a run in the fifth after a single, a wild pitch and two fly balls.
In the sixth, the Guardians hit him hard, though. José Ramirez yanked a double down the left field line. Oscar Gonzalez then spun on a slider seemingly headed for his back foot and he lined it off the railing above the left-field fence, putting the Guardians up 3-1.
Suarez was knocked out after an out and another double, finishing his night with 5-1/3 innings and three runs allowed.
Suarez has a 2.14 ERA in his last eight starts, with 42 strikeouts and nine walks in his last 46-1/3 innings.
