Eric Wagaman homers again as Angels end six-game losing streak
Rookie Eric Wagaman homered for the second straight game, Griffin Canning threw six innings of three-hit ball, and the Angels dealt the Chicago White Sox their 116th loss with a 5-0 victory on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.
The White Sox were trying to equal a season-high, four-game winning streak. Instead, they moved one step closer to the majors’ post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets.
Chicago is 36-116 with 10 games left and has the fourth-most losses in a season since 1900. The 2003 Detroit Tigers hold the American League mark with 119 losses.
The White Sox were shut out for the 19th time, tied for fourth-most since 2000, and finished with six hits. They had only two runners reach second base.
“We just didn’t get the momentum going. I thought we had had some chances and decent at-bats, but, just couldn’t string anything together to create some offense,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said.
The Angels stopped a six-game slide. They scored in the third through seventh innings and had 10 hits for the first time in five games.
Angels star Mike Trout is open to discussing a position change after missing 370 games over the past four seasons because of injury.
Wagaman connected on an elevated fastball from Enyel De Los Santos in the sixth inning for a 432-foot solo shot to left-center.
“It’s been cool to be able to get the first few hits out of the way and get a couple of home runs,” said Wagaman, who lived 20 minutes south of The Big A in Aliso Viejo and grew up rooting for the Angels. “It’s been a lot of fun from family and friends reaching out. We have 11 games left so hopefully we can finish strong.”
Five of Wagaman’s six hits have gone for extra bases, including the two homers. The third baseman also had an RBI single in the fourth to make it 2-0.
“He’s showing that he has tremendous bat-to-ball skill. He has some power. We’ll see where it goes,” manager Ron Washington said.
Canning (6-13) bounced back after giving up 10 runs (nine earned) in his last start at Minnesota on Sept. 10. He struck out six and walked two while earning his third win since the All-Star break.
“I really didn’t make any changes (between starts). I felt like I had better stuff in Minnesota, so that’s just the way the game works out sometimes,” Canning said.
Taylor Ward opened the scoring in the third when he lined a base hit to left field off Davis Martin (0-5), driving in Charles Leblanc. Ward also scored on Jake Eder’s wild pitch in the seventh inning.
Nolan Schanuel, who scored on Wagaman’s base hit, doubled to the right-field wall to bring home Gustavo Campero and extend the Angels’ lead to three runs in the fifth.
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