ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels’ 9-7 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon will likely rank pretty high on the list of the most frustrating games of their season.
After taking an early three-run lead, the Angels gave up six runs in the third inning, mostly on ground balls and bloopers.
The pitching settled down after that to give the Angels a chance to get back in the game, but it was too late. An Angels lineup that produced five runs in the first three innings came up empty until Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, which only cut the deficit in half.
The Angels had to settle for a split of the four-game series against the White Sox after winning the first two games.
Patrick Sandoval took the loss, allowing seven runs in five innings.
His outing began ominously.
Tim Anderson dumped a bloop single into center and then Luis Robert Jr. hit a ground ball to snuck into right field, leading to Chicago’s first run of the game.
The Angels then gave Sandoval a 4-1 lead on the strength of homers from Mickey Moniak, Mike Moustakas and Hunter Renfroe, but in the third inning, Sandoval gave up six runs on five hits. Three of the hits were bloopers or grounders. He also hit a batter and walked one.
Manager Phil Nevin, perhaps feeling that Sandoval was pitching better than the results, stuck with him, though. Sandoval responded with two perfect innings, with five strikeouts. Mike Trout helped him out on the only ball in play by robbing Andrew Vaughn of a homer.
Relievers José Soriano (two innings) and Chris Devenski then held the White Sox without any more runs over the next three innings, giving the Angels plenty of time to get back in the game.
They couldn’t do it.
The Angels scored on a wild pitch in the third, pulling within 7-5, and came up empty for the rest of the game.
In the fourth, Trout doubled and then Ohtani was intentionally walked with two outs. Brandon Drury struck out. In the seventh, Trout led off with a single and then Ohtani walked, but Drury hit a flyout and Moustakas grounded into a double play.
The White Sox added two insurance in the top of the ninth against Jacob Webb, and those proved to be the difference after Ohtani’s homer.
Ohtani has hit 14 homers in June, setting the Angels’ record for homers in any month.
