Angels lose 7th straight as offense sputters against Phillies

ANAHEIM — The Angels continue to play the same game, over and over, like a recurring nightmare.

Their starting pitching has been outstanding lately, but the hitters and the bullpen have faltered.

The Angels lost, 5-2, to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, dropping their seventh straight game.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gave up two runs in seven innings, leaving with a one-run deficit that relievers Sammy Peralta and José Fermin inflated to three runs by giving up two runs in the eighth.

The Angels (52-85) had eight hits, two of them in the bottom of the eighth. After Moisés Ballesteros and Christian Moore singled against Phillies lefty José Alvarado, Josh Lowe struck out and José Siri grounded out.

By the time the Angels got another chance in the ninth, left-hander Mitch Farris had given up another run, to put the game even further out of reach.

A Trout RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth cut the final deficit to three runs.

The game began ominously for the Angels when they blew an opportunity at a big inning against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.

Wade Meckler led off the game with a walk. Trout was hit by a pitch. Vaughn Grissom then blooped a single into left, loading the bases. Ballesteros hit a slow roller up the middle, and the Phillies converted an easy double play, with one run scoring. Moore then struck out.

Meckler led off the third with a double, but the Angels didn’t even get him to third, let alone get him home. In the sixth, they drew a pair of two-out walks before Siri struck out.

In the seventh, Oswald Peraza led off with a walk. The Angels bunted him into scoring position, but Meckler struck out and Trout grounded out weakly.

While the Angels were making a string of routine outs, Kikuchi did his best to keep them in the game.

In his second start after missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury, Kikuchi was significantly improved. He gave up five runs in five innings last week.

This time, the only runs he allowed in seven innings were solo homers from J.T. Realmuto in the third and Edmundo Sosa in the seventh. Sosa hit a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the ninth on Friday night.

Kikuchi struck out six and walked one, throwing 61 strikes among his 92 pitches.

As most Angels pitchers are doing these days, Kikuchi streamlined his repertoire. He threw 52 fastballs and 23 sliders, with the other 17 pitches split among his curve, splitter and cutter.

More to come on this story.