Another rough outing for Patrick Sandoval sends Angels to 6th straight loss – Daily News

ANAHEIM — Patrick Sandoval endured a frustratingly familiar outing.

Sandoval gave up seven runs in the Angels’ 10-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, getting burned by walks and the failure to overcome a defensive mistake behind him.

The Angels have now lost six in a row and nine of their last 10, part of an 8-25 stretch that sunk their season just after the trade deadline.

Sandoval lasted into the sixth inning, but most of the damage against him was in a four-run third.

The inning began with Jorge Mateo hitting a routine ground ball to shortstop, but Luis Rengifo played it to the side and it kicked off his glove for an error.

An out later, Sandoval walked Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander to load the bases.

Sandoval then left a changeup over the middle of the plate and Austin Hays lined it into left field to drive in two runs, making it 3-0.

After American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner Gunnar Henderson popped up for the second out, Ramon Urias hit a chopper up the third base line. Sandoval had no chance to get an out, but if he let it go it might have gone foul. He grabbed it, and Urias was aboard with an infield hit.

“I just wanted to get to it as quick as possible and right when I got to it, I didn’t think it was gonna go foul,” Sandoval said. “I thought it was hit too slow. I thought it would stop. And then I picked it up and I turned to (third baseman Mike Moustakas) and said ‘Was that going to go foul?’ He said ‘Yeah.’ I felt pretty dumb after that.”

Aaron Hicks followed with a single to drive in two more runs, making it 5-0.

The last two runs that were charged to Sandoval were scored after he left. All four hitters that he walked ended up scoring.

Sandoval has issued 66 walks this year, which is six more hitters than he walked last year, in 17 more innings.

“I’ve just been grinding and trying to find a rhythm,” Sandoval said. “Something to help things click and stay consistent.”

He has a 4.31 ERA, a disappointment after he had a 2.91 ERA in 2022 and an impressive performance pitching for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Sandoval has also allowed 16 unearned runs, the result of his trend of allowing errors behind him to lead to runs.

Rengifo, whose error opened the floodgates for the decisive inning, also continued his torrid stretch at the plate, with a two-run homer and a single.

The reigning AL Player of the Week, Rengifo has hits in his last 14 games. He’s been sizzling for 237 plate appearances over 62 games dating to June 21.

Rengifo has hit .319 with 12 homers and a .965 OPS over that span.

Last season, Rengifo was good in July and part of August before coming back to earth in September, and for most of that time the Angels were out of it.

This year, he was one of the key offensive contributors throughout the push in July that led the Angels to become buyers at the trade deadline. Rengifo had a 1.069 OPS in July. When the rest of the team stopped hitting in August, Rengifo kept going.

Manager Phil Nevin said Rengifo has “clicked” with hitting coach Marcus Thames, helping with his pregame routine.

“I know he played well at the end of last season, but this is kind of a different Luis we’re seeing now,” Nevin said. “A little more power, more walks, not as much chase, swinging at the right pitches. So I think we’ve done a great job with him.”