Angels Suffer Back-To-Back Sweeps As Bullpen Falters, Bats Underwhelm
A little over one month into the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Angels are returning to regularly scheduled programming. After being swept by the Chicago White Sox in a three-game series, the Angels now sit at a 12-20 record .
It’s a back-to-back series where the Halos have been swept, first by the Kansas City Royals . Now the Halos return home to prepare for a six-game home stand at Angel Stadium, where they’ll look to slow down the downward spiral they’re in the midst of.
First, let’s take a look at how this series in Chicago played out.
Angels bats got off to a hot start in Game 1 of the series by bringing in seven runs. A good start by right-hander Jack Kochanowicz was spoiled by the bullpen in the seventh inning, however, as reliever Nick Sandlin allowed three runs while failing to record a single out before being pulled. The White Sox scored seven runs in the innings, going on to outduel the Angels by a score of 8-7 .
Game 2 felt like it was going to be an automatic win for the Angels with Jose Soriano taking the mound. In each of Soriano’s first six starts , the Angels finished the game in the win column. Against a not-so-threatening White Sox team, this game should have been no different.
Soriano proved he is, in fact, human after allowing two solo home runs over his five innings. That was all pretty much all that Chicago needed to secure their second win of the series, as the Angels only scored two runs after leaving 10 runners on base. The final score was 5-2 in favor of Chicago.
On the brink of being on the wrong side of back-to-back sweeps on the road, the Angels headed into the final game in Chicago with a chance to put an end to their horrible recent stretch. Things fell apart quickly, however, as left-hander Yusei Kikuchi left the game after just two innings due to shoulder tightness.
For a change, the Angels’ bullpen stepped up in Kikcuhi’s absence. Still, it wasn’t enough to push it for the Angels as their bats dried up, reaching base just six times.
The bottom of the ninth came around, and the Angels were protecting a one-run lead. With one out remaining, White Sox outfielder Sam Antonacci tripled to right field, allowing the runner on first to score and sending the game into extras. It only went one more frame, as Chicago walked it off in the 10th inning on an outfield single. 3-2 was the final score, solidifying the sweep.
The Halos have won just one of their last 11 games, and are in the midst of a six-game skid. Returning home against the struggling New York Mets team could be enough to put an end to the slide, but it seems we are now getting a real idea of the type of team the Angels will be this season, and it’s not a good one.
