Logan O’Hoppe likely will be hitting fifth in the lineup for the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday when they play the Oakland Athletics in the third contest of a four-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
It’s the spot in the lineup where the Angels catcher has started 45 games, compared to cleanup (three), sixth (22), seventh (six) and eighth (nine).
The middle of the order is precisely where Angels manager Ron Washington believes O’Hoppe belongs, despite having the added burden of calling a game behind the plate.
O’Hoppe, who went 3-for-4 in Friday’s 5-4 loss to Oakland, has become one of the Angels’ best and most important hitters in the lineup. He is tied for the team lead in runs (46) and hits (88) and is third in homers (14) and batting average (.282).
O’Hoppe hit cleanup last Tuesday in Seattle, a responsibility that Washington believes O’Hoppe is ready for on occasion. That wasn’t the case earlier in the season.
With the Angels losing top-of-the-lineup bats like Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon to injury, Washington had to scramble to put what he believed was a capable hitter in the cleanup spot. Washington admitted he was reluctant to put a young player in that spot.
“They don’t have control of their minds,” Washington said. “They all feel like when they’re someplace special, they’ve got to do something special. All you really want is just be who they are.”
O’Hoppe, though, has matured enough in Washington’s eyes to warrant putting him in the cleanup spot.
“Now I’m not so cynical about putting him in that spot as I was earlier in the year,” Washington said. “I don’t think he’s a fourth-place hitter, but I’m not afraid to put him there if I have to. I just want them to grow.
“I’m not saying you won’t see him there, but it certainly won’t be where I’m penciling him in there every day.”
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (8-8, 2.91 ERA) will make his 21st start of the season for the Angels, coming off an impressive performance in his first outing following the All-Star break. He allowed one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
Anderson is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA in six career starts against the Athletics.
Right-hander Mitch Spence (6-6, 4.67) will make his 13th start (24th appearance) for Oakland on Saturday. He is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA against the Angels in three starts, with all three coming over a 3 1/2-week span this summer.
While A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler has been the hottest hitter in the majors in the month of July, outfielder Brent Rooker has not been far behind.
Rooker, who went 1-for-4 with a home run in Friday’s game, is hitting .389 (28-for-72) with 10 homers, 25 RBIs and a 1.326 OPS in July.
“I think it’s a combination of my swing being in a good place and swinging at good pitches,” Rooker said. “It sounds simple, but that’s the goal every time I go up there. I’ve been able to do that fairly consistently this year and that’s led to good results.”
