Angels' Clubhouse Leader Calls Worst Season in Franchise History 'Sickening'

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 27, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

The Angels were shut out by the Chicago White Sox, 7-0, on Thursday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep by a team that had started the series on the verge of tying a major-league record for losses.

Instead of the White Sox finally succumbing to the terrible baseball they've been playing this season, it was the Angels who were on the wrong side of history setting a franchise record for losses (96).

The Angels, somehow, could not muster one win against the 120-loss White Sox. It was Chicago's second sweep of the entire season and it has now won eight of its last 31 games.

The Chicago White Sox, making sure that ugly history won't be happening in front of their hometown fans, sweep the Los Angeles Angels, with their loss total stalled at 120.
They'll play the final three games in Detroit trying to avoid that 121st loss and MLB history.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 26, 2024

The Angels' clubhouse leader, Logan O'Hoppe, didn't mince his words after the 7-0 disaster.

“It’s pretty sickening,” O’Hoppe said. “Going in the spring and expecting things to turn around, and then it happens. We’ve got a good group in here, and it doesn’t feel like what the record shows, but the record is what it is. I don’t think anyone’s OK with it here. I’ll have a better answer when we have time to sit back and reflect on it, but I don’t know. It’s just tough right now.”

Left-hander Tyler Anderson took the mound for the last time this season and that was also a disaster. He was charged with four earned runs, ending his season with a 3.81 ERA. That's respectable on the surface, but he posted a 6.93 ERA over his final eight starts.

O'Hoppe wants to remain optimistic for next year and hopes the team can learn from its mistakes.

“It’s just frustrating,” he said. “Our fans come out on the weekends and they want to see us win. We want to win more than anybody. Sleepless nights all year get pretty old after a while. It’s just frustrating. You feel all the emotions, and at some point you just don’t have any more emotion you can feel. It’s just like another hit onto this year. It’s not fun to go through. I know we have to go through it, but doesn’t mean that anyone is OK with it.”

Zach Neto Injured In Angels' Loss

Adding to their problems, Angels shortstop Zach Neto left Thursday's game with right shoulder irritation. He was thrown out attempting to advance to second base on a pitch in the dirt. Sliding in head-first, he injured himself when he made contact with the ground.

Neto said he’s not concerned about the injury, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Manager Ron Washington said Neto might return to the lineup as soon as Saturday.

Neto's replacement, Jack Lopez, continued to play mistake-filled defense when he was unable to turn a key double play in a scoreless game in the fifth.