Despite Ohtani's big night, reeling Angels' skid reaches 5 games

LOS ANGELES -- It was yet another injury for the Angels, and this time it caused a domino effect in a disastrous second inning of an eventual 10-5 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. That extended the Halos' losing streak to a season-long five games to end the first half.

It started when left fielder Jo Adell exited the game after feeling left oblique discomfort on a swing while striking out to end the first inning. With Adell out and Taylor Ward also limited because of a groin injury, the Angels put infielder Luis Rengifo in left field for the seventh time in his career.

Rengifo’s inexperience in the outfield was apparent with two outs in the second inning after the Angels intentionally walked the red-hot Mookie Betts to load the bases for Freddie Freeman. Lefty Reid Detmers appeared primed to get out of the inning by getting Freeman to line a catchable ball to left (95 percent catch probability, per Statcast), but Rengifo couldn’t make the play, allowing two runs to score on what was ruled a double. And on the very next pitch, Will Smith ripped a two-run single that featured Rengifo uncorking a wild throw off the backstop behind home plate.

“The game is a lot different for Reid, obviously, but it’s a tough play for a guy who doesn’t play outfield very often,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “Reid made a great pitch to get Freeman there, but we just didn’t convert.”

It capped a five-run fifth inning for the Dodgers and was emblematic of the Angels’ recent struggles. They head into the All-Star break with a 45-46 record, having lost five in a row and nine of 10. It’s the first time they’ve been under .500 since they were 11-12 on April 24. And it also marked their 10th straight loss in the Freeway Series, dating back to 2021.

“We've been going through a hard time the last two weeks, and it's been for a lot of reasons,” Nevin said. “At the end of the day, we haven't played well. We've had our share of injuries, but we just have not played well. We're better than this.”

The Angels are in a tough spot heading into the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, as two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is in the last year of his contract and the Angels have tried to be aggressive in their bid to make the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Ohtani, who went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a triple, still isn’t expected to be traded, no matter their record, but it could change how the club approaches the Deadline. Ohtani, who has been one hit shy of a cycle six times this year, leads the Majors with 32 homers and six triples.

The Angels found themselves in a good position in late June, and even made two additions via trade, acquiring veteran infielders Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas. The moves helped shore up depth with Gio Urshela out for the season and Zach Neto out with an oblique strain.

But the injuries have continued to pile up, led by superstar Mike Trout being out for the next four to eight weeks with a left hamate fracture suffered Tuesday. Brandon Drury is also on the injured list with inflammation in his left shoulder and Anthony Rendon is sidelined after fouling a ball off his left shin on Tuesday. And now with Ward and Adell ailing, the Angels’ depth will be even more tested. Adell will undergo an MRI exam on Sunday.

“Even with the bodies that we do have here, we need to pitch better, play better defense and take better at-bats in situations,” Nevin said. “Getting away from this for six days couldn’t come at a better time, to be honest with you.”

As Nevin noted, injuries and misplays aren’t the only reason the Angels have been struggling, as the rotation has also been a culprit. Angels starters have a 7.83 ERA over the last 10 games, and Detmers gave up several hard hits, including three homers. Detmers, who had a 1.42 ERA over his previous five starts, lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits.

“We just need to get our heads right,” Detmers said. “Hopefully this break will get us back and back to winning. Obviously, we’re down right now and have a lot of guys hurt and had another guy go down tonight. But the guys here, we need to put our heads down and get us to a good spot heading into the Deadline.”