Angels Bats Silent In 8th Straight Road Loss, 3-0 To White Sox
CHICAGO (AP) — The situations were similar. The end results were the same.
The Los Angeles Angels squandered scoring chances in the first and eighth innings and lost 3-0 to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, getting shut out for the 10th time this season and the sixth time in the last month.
Shane Victorino started the game with a walk and Kole Calhoun followed with a single. Carlos Rodon (5-4) then struck out Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, before getting Erick Aybar to fly out to left and end the inning.
"(Rodon) settled in," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Worked ahead in the count and we didn't get too many good looks."
Los Angeles' other chance came in the eighth. With one out, Zach Duke allowed a Victorino single before walking Calhoun. Jake Petricka replaced Duke, and Trout grounded to Jose Abreu but his throw to second was dropped by Alexei Ramirez to load the bases.
Petricka ended the inning when he fielded Pujols' tapper and flipped to home for the force and Tyler Flowers threw to first for the double play.
"No excuse," Pujols said. "Obviously I didn't do my job, but he really didn't give me anything."
After that, Los Angeles couldn't make a winner of Santiago in his return to Chicago.
Santiago (7-6) was making his first start at U.S. Cellular Field since being acquired by Los Angeles from the White Sox in a December 2013 three-team deal. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits while striking out four.
That wasn't enough to prevent the Angels from losing their eighth straight on the road, their longest streak since dropping nine in July 1993.
Los Angeles also fell 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the AL West race, with the Astros playing late Tuesday at San Francisco.
"Two bad pitches. That's it," Santiago said. "Game over."
Chicago, meanwhile, got big nights from a pair of rookies, with Rodon throwing seven scoreless innings and Trayce Thompson hitting his first career home run,
Rodon had struggled in his previous four starts, going 1-2 with a 9.33 ERA. He did considerably better Tuesday, striking out a career-high 11, allowing four hits and finishing seven innings for the first time for the White Sox, who have won the first two of the three-game series.
"I've been trying to get seven innings this whole year and it just hadn't been happening for me," Rodon said.
Melky Cabrera gave Chicago the lead in the fourth with his two-run double against Santiago. Thompson put the White Sox in front 3-0 with two outs in the fifth when his towering drive landed a couple rows into the deep left-center field stands.
David Robertson picked up his 23rd save in 28 tries for Chicago by pitching a perfect ninth.
OH, HELLO
Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, met with Scioscia and a select group of Angels players along with retired Tigers manager Jim Leyland, whom Scioscia said also works for the league. Scioscia said the topics of discussion were pace of game and replay during what he called a "routine meeting."
Scioscia said he has noticed a difference in pace but not as much in time of game. He added that replay is "still evolving" but said there needs to be standardized cameras in every stadium and was looking for the "super-slow motion" views to get to the central office and teams quicker.
Torre had met previously with the White Sox.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson (left elbow) had an evaluation Tuesday but there was no update on how the appointment went. Wilson is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
White Sox: INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio (left oblique) was sent to Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment, while OF J.B. Shuck (left hamstring) took fly balls before the game.
UP NEXT:
Angels LHP Andrew Heaney (5-1, 2.45) faces Chicago LHP John Danks (6-9, 4.79). Heaney has a 1.83 ERA on the road, while Danks is 3-4 with a 3.11 ERA lifetime against the Angels.
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