Dan Haren suffers worst start of the season in Angels’ 6-1 loss to Mets
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Dan Haren was rocked for six earned runs and seven hits in four innings of the Angels’ 6-1 interleague loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field on Saturday night, by far his worst start of the season.
Haren (6-5) had gone at least six innings and surpassed 100 pitches in all 14 of his previous starts this season. Haren’s pitch count stood at 89 and he had not recorded an out in the fifth inning when he was pulled Saturday night.
Right-hander Mike Pelfrey pitched a complete game for the Mets, allowing one run and five hits, striking out five and walking none, to improve to 4-5. Of his 123 pitches, 83 were strikes.
Two of the Mets’ rallies were sparked by their fire-starter of a leadoff man, Jose Reyes, who singled, stole second and scored on Carlos Beltran’s single in the third and walked, stole second and scored on Justin Turner’s single in the fifth.
Angel Pagan also did his best Reyes impersonation in the fourth inning, opening with an infield single, stealing second and scoring on Jason Bay’s single to left-center.
Bay scored to make it 3-0 when Lucas Duda’s grounder clanked off the glove of first baseman Russell Branyan and trickled into center field for an error.
Beltran followed Turner’s fifth-inning RBI single with a two-run homer to deep right-center, his 10th of the season, to give the Mets a 6-0 lead and knock out Haren.
The lone offensive highlight for the Angels came when Mark Trumbo, who entered the game as part of a double switch in the fifth inning, crushed his 12th homer of the season over the 415-foot sign in right-center field in the sixth, a solo shot that made it 6-1.
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--Mike DiGiovanna in New York