CHICAGO — The Angels again disappointed everyone who came to see history on Wednesday night.
The Angels lost, 4-3, to the Chicago White Sox in 10 innings, for the second straight night allowing them to avoid what would have been a major league record 121st loss of the season.
Instead, the Angels reached a dubious milestone of their own.
The Angels (63-95) equaled the franchise record for losses. They also lost 95 games in 1968 and 1980. The Angels have four games left, one more in Chicago and three at home against the Texas Rangers.
Left-hander José Quijada allowed the winning run on an Andrew Benintendi single.
The Angels had ample opportunity to break this game open, but they couldn’t do it.
The Angels managed two runs in the fourth on Taylor Ward’s two-out bases-loaded single. In the eighth, they loaded the bases with one out, and got home the tying run when Michael Stefanic perfectly executed a suicide squeeze.
Manager Ron Washington has called for several squeezes this season, and the play has rarely been successful.
Still, they could have had more. Just after the squeeze, Ward grounded into an inning-ending double play. Kevin Pillar hit into a double play to end the previous inning. Eric Wagaman hit into a double play in the 10th.
Zach Neto helped to scuttle a pair of promising rallies earlier in the game by getting caught stealing twice. In the third, Neto was caught trying to steal third base with two outs, leaving before pitcher Davis Martin even delivered the pitch.
It didn’t help that the Angels played most of the game without No. 3 hitter Nolan Schanuel, who left with a contusion after fouling a ball off his right leg in the first inning.
Angels starter José Suarez gave up three runs in five innings. He surrendered a two-run homer to Korey Lee in the second and a solo homer to Lenyn Sosa in the fourth.
Suarez wasn’t as good as he had been lately, but he kept the Angels in the game.
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He allowed three earned runs in 17 innings, for a 1.59 ERA, in the four games since he returned to the big leagues this month.
Suarez was sent to Triple-A with an 8.15 ERA and then he had a 6.54 ERA in 11 starts in the minors. The strong finish for Suarez could change the way the Angels look at him over the winter.
Suarez, 26, was seemingly off the Angels’ starting depth chart, and the Angels were able to get him to the minors because no one else claimed him when he was designated for assignment.
Suarez is arbitration-eligible this winter, so he’s a candidate to be non-tendered.
More to come on this story.