Angels win with top prospect Logan O’Hoppe making his MLB debut behind plate

ANAHEIM — The Angels got their first look at the player they expect to be their catcher of the future.

Logan O’Hoppe made his big league debut in the Angels’ 4-1 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night.

O’Hoppe singled in his first trip to the plate, which was his only hit of the night, and he handled five pitchers who combined to give up just five hits, with 11 strikeouts.

“It definitely exceeded my expectations,” O’Hoppe said after the game, with the lineup card and the ball from his first hit sitting on his chair as mementos.

Manager Phil Nevin said that O’Hoppe “did a phenomenal job” behind the plate and “on the offensive side, he looked good.” Starter Michael Lorenzen said O’Hoppe was “great” with the game plan.

Although O’Hoppe’s performance was the main attraction in the Angels’ 155th game of a forgettable season, they won because of the pitching and just enough offense, with Mike Trout providing his 38th homer as part of a three-run fourth and Taylor Ward belting No. 22 for insurance in the eighth.

The biggest negative of the game was that Mickey Moniak came out after getting hit in the left knuckle by a foul ball in the sixth. X-rays were negative, so he’s day to day. Moniak was visibly upset as he walked off the field. This year Moniak has already suffered a broken right hand, at the end of spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies, and a fractured left middle finger, in his first few days with the Angels.

“It’s just been a long year,” Moniak said. “Luckily it’s not broken. I should be able to come back from it. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

Moniak came to the Angels in one of two trades with the Phillies at the deadline. O’Hoppe came in the other deal, for Brandon Marsh.

The 22-year-old immediately became the top prospect in the Angels’ system, and he didn’t disappoint in his first two months. He torched pitchers at Double-A to the tune of a .306 average and a 1.147 OPS, with 11 home runs, in 29 games after the trade.

That was apparently enough for the Angels to believe he deserved a cameo in the big leagues at the end of the season.

Batting eighth, O’Hoppe lined a clean single up the middle, after falling behind, 0-and-2, in his first major league plate appearance.

“I chased those two sliders, and then then I realized there was no clock anymore and I can take my time,” O’Hoppe said, referring to the pitch timer used this year in the minors. “So I stepped out and kind of caught my breath. That definitely helped. I think that helps in all aspects of the game, knowing that there wasn’t that clock and I could take my time if I needed to.”

In the fourth, he grounded out to shortstop. He struck out in the sixth, leaving the bases loaded.

As for his work behind the plate, the A’s stole two bases against O’Hoppe. On one, he bobbled the ball and couldn’t get off a throw. He made a nice play in the seventh, pouncing on a bunt and throwing to third to get a force.

O’Hoppe handled Lorenzen for five innings, and then lefty Aaron Loup, righty Jaime Barria, lefty José Quijada and righty Jimmy Herget.

Lorenzen said he and O’Hoppe spent about three innings of Tuesday’s game watching together and going over how Lorenzen would attack various hitters and situations. O’Hoppe then watched the video of Lorenzen’s last start.

“He came prepared today,” Lorenzen said. “I didn’t feel like we were ever out of whack. We were always on the same page. … He never lost composure. I thought that was a huge thing. I think the game stayed slow for him tonight.”

Lorenzen struggled through the first inning, throwing 34 pitches and allowing a run, but he and O’Hoppe worked through the next four without giving up anything else.

While it was O’Hoppe’s first game wearing an Angels uniform at Angel Stadium, it might have been Lorenzen’s last. A free agent at the end of the season, Lorenzen has just one start left – next week at Oakland. The Orange County native has a 4.52 ERA after 17 starts and 91-2/3 innings.

“I hope tonight wasn’t my last one at home in an Angels uni,” Lorenzen said. “I would love to play here for as long as I possibly can, for sure.”