CHICAGO — This was the exclamation point on an ugly season.
The Angels lost 7-0 to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, getting swept in three games by a team that began the series just one loss away from a major-league record.
The Angels (63-96) were the ones who made history instead, setting a franchise record for losses. The Angels lost 95 games in 1968 and 1980.
They couldn’t win a single game in this series against a White Sox team whose 120 losses tied the big-league record for futility. The White Sox have won only eight of their past 31 games, and four of them were against the Angels. The White Sox swept only one other series this season, in April.
Adding to the Angels’ misery Thursday, shortstop Zach Neto left the game with right shoulder irritation. He was thrown out trying to go to second on a pitch in the dirt. He slid head-first and seemingly got hurt as he hit the ground.
When Neto got hurt in the fourth inning, the game was scoreless.
In the fifth inning, the wheels fell off for the Angels.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson, who was trying to finish his rollercoaster season on a high note, got a ground ball that could have been a double play. Shortstop Jack López, who had replaced Neto, couldn’t handle it, and the Angels didn’t get an out.
Anderson got the next hitter to hit another grounder, but the Angels got only one out.
After that, Anderson issued a walk and gave up two straight hits. Reliever Carson Fulmer entered and allowed hits to four of the next five hitters.
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By the time the inning was over, the White Sox had scored seven runs, their season high.
Anderson was charged with four earned runs, ending his season with a 3.81 ERA in 31 starts, including an All-Star selection. He pitched a career high 179⅓ innings.
Everyone around the Angels would certainly have signed up for those numbers when the season began, but Anderson’s 2024 could have been even better if he hadn’t posted a 6.93 ERA in his final eight starts.
More to come on this story.