Angels Struggles Continue as Yusei Kikuchi Gets Injured in Tough Extra-Innings Loss to White Sox

CHICAGO — Rookie Sam Antonnaci tied the game with a triple in the ninth inning, and Colson Montgomery delivered a winning single in the tenth, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. This win completed a three-game sweep and extended the Angels’ losing streak to six games.

Mike Trout contributed to the Angels’ effort by hitting his tenth home run of the season, but the team has struggled, losing ten of their last eleven games and currently standing at 12-20. Compounding the challenges, Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi exited after two innings due to left shoulder tightness. During his brief outing, Kikuchi allowed no runs, recorded two hits and a walk, and struck out one, but saw his fastball velocity decrease from 94.9 mph in the first inning to 92.8 mph in the second.

The 34-year-old left-hander, an All-Star last season, now has an 0-3 record with a 5.81 ERA over 31 innings this year across seven starts.

With the White Sox trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Tristan Peters was hit by a pitch from Ryan Zeferjahn, advancing to score on Antonnaci’s triple. In the tenth, Montgomery singled off Drew Pomeranz, marking his first walk-off hit in the major leagues, and clinching the White Sox’s second series sweep of the season.

Seranthony Domínguez provided a strong performance, pitching a perfect tenth inning. Earlier in the game, former Dodgers player Miguel Vargas delivered an RBI single in the third, while Trout’s homer tied the game in the fourth. Vaughn Grissom’s first big league home run since September 7, 2022, gave the Angels a short-lived 2-1 lead in the seventh inning against Erick Fedde, who recorded a season-high seven innings, allowing five hits and striking out six without issuing a walk.

Upcoming Matches

The Angels will next see RHP Walbert Ureña (0-3, 4.77 ERA) take the mound at home on Friday against the New York Mets and RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 6.75). The White Sox, meanwhile, will have rookie LHP Noah Schultz (1-1, 3.52) making his fourth career start as they open a road trip in San Diego against RHP Germán Márquez (3-1, 4.38).