Late rally falls short in White Sox 6-5 loss to Angels

Before Sunday’s game against the Angels, White Sox manager Tony La Russa seemed confident in struggling starter Dallas Keuchel.

“Most times out there, he’s thrown the ball well,” La Russa said. “The one day in Cleveland, it was kind of a wash for our whole team that day. I think he’s going to give us a chance to win today.”

The Sox did give themselves a chance but still took a 6-5loss, their 11th defeat in 13 games.

Keuchel went fiveinnings, giving up fourrunsand six hits while walking five (one intentional). Over his last two outings, Keuchel has walked 10 batters, though on Sunday his ERA actually dipped to 8.40 through four starts.

The lineup didn’t produce until the ninth. And it almost produced a miracle.

Trailing 6-0, the Sox got back into the game on Leury Garcia’s two-run double, Josh Harrison’s run-scoring double and Tim Anderson’s RBI single that pulled the Sox to within 6-4. Luis Robert was initially called out on a two-out grounder, but the call was overturned to keep the game alive.

Facing Angels closer Raisel Iglesias with the winning run at the plate, Yasmani Grandal walked to load the bases before Jose Abreu was hit by a pitch to make it 6-5. Former Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera replaced Iglesias and got Gavin Sheets to ground out softly to end the game.

That ninth almost turned around an otherwise-rough day for the Sox.

Mike Trout punished Keuchel in the first, driving a cutter out to right-center field. The 429-ft. homer left Trout’s bat at 111.4 mph, and was the first of five times he reached base.

Los Angeles got more against Keuchel in the third. Following a Taylor Ward infield single and a Trout double, Shohei Ohtani’s groundout brought in Ward to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Trout scored on Anthony Rendon’s sacrifice fly to right, pushing the Angels advantage to 3-0.

Keuchel’s issues continued in the fourth when Andrew Velazquez doubled in Max Stassi on a ball that AJ Pollock couldn’t reach after taking a circuitous route. The Angels couldn’t build on that 4-0 lead after leaving the bases loaded on an Ohtani groundout.

The Sox finally threatened Lorenzen in the sixth, getting runners to first and third with one out. But Sheets grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the scoring chance.

Pinch-hitting for Ohtani in the ninth after he was removed with right groin tightness, Jack Mayfield’s single against Tanner Banks pushed the Angels’ lead to 5-0. The run snapped Banks’ career-opening 13 2/3 scoreless streak, the second-longest in franchise history. Los Angeles scored again when a soft liner went off Josh Harrison, allowing Trout to cross home for a 6-0 lead.

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