The Los Angeles Angels have become the bottom feeders of the American League after losing 12 of its last 14 games, including three against the Chicago White Sox.
The Los Angeles Angels are falling apart as the team has lost 12 of its last 14 games and currently own the worst record in the American League at 13-22.
The Angels dropped its first series of May, a three-game series against the New York Mets, Major League Baseball’s worst team. Los Angeles lost the opener 4-3, won the middle game 4-3 in 10 innings and lost the rubber match 5-1 over the weekend.
In typical Angels fashion, the team jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the finale but coughed up the lead in the fourth inning and failed to score another run.
Designated hitter Jorge Soler singled home shortstop Zach Neto and it looked like the offense would get to Mets right-hander Clay Holmes, but he settled in nicely and pitched 6.2 innings and allowed the one run on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
Angels righty Jack Kochanowicz continued his strong performance of late and finished 6.1 innings of two-run ball on five hits and three walks with six punchouts of his own, but the first of two Mark Vientos two-run home runs was enough to hand Kochanowicz his first loss of the season.
April started off well for the Halos but the team finished with a 9-17 record for the month, prompting ESPN’s David Schoenfield to give Los Angeles a D-minus grade.
Schoenfield noted that the Angels provided two of the league’s best storylines, Mike Trout being back and José Soriano being the AL Pitcher of the Month, but a rough last couple of weeks derailed what was a positive beginning.
“The Angels were hanging around .500 until a 1-11 run dropped them to the bottom of the AL,” Schoenfield wrote Monday.
Speaking of Soriano, he takes the rubber in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox today, just a week removed from Chicago sweeping the Angels in Chicago. It will be a rematch of Soriano and White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who outpitched Soriano in the first meeting.
Soriano is 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 49 strikeouts through seven starts (42.2 innings). Soriano was tagged for three runs on six hits and three walks while fanning six in five innings against these pesky White Sox on April 28.
Martin is 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 33 strikeouts through six starts (37 innings). He pitched 5.2 innings of one-run ball on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven to earn the win over the AL Cy Young candidate.
First pitch is at 6:38 p.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.