The Los Angeles Angels open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago on Monday night, with both clubs trying to steady themselves after losing their weekend series. The Angels arrive at 12-17 and third in the AL West, while the White Sox are 11-17 and fourth in the AL Central.
Los Angeles comes in carrying more than just a losing record. The Angels have dropped seven of their last eight games and three consecutive series, and Sunday brought another round of churn in the bullpen when Jordan Romano was designated for assignment and Shaun Anderson was also let go. That followed late-game losses in which Drew Pomeranz blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning and Joey Lucchesi, called up the same day, gave up a one-run lead in extra innings.
The pitching picture has not been much cleaner in the rotation. No Angels starter worked into the sixth inning over the weekend against the Royals, and each starter allowed at least three earned runs. Even so, the lineup showed some life Sunday, scoring seven runs against Seth Lugo and collecting 16 hits in the loss. The Angels also had to absorb a setback behind the plate, with Logan O’Hoppe suffering a left wrist injury on a foul ball while catching Saturday and then going on the 10-day injured list. Sebastián Rivero was called up to back up Travis d’Arnaud in his place.
That leaves the Angels leaning on a rotation that has been uneven but still has a chance to reshape the week quickly. Jack Kochanowicz was scheduled to start Monday, José Soriano on Tuesday, and Yusei Kikuchi in Wednesday’s finale. Soriano has opened the year with a 0.24 ERA, while Kikuchi has a 6.21 ERA through his first six starts of the year.
The White Sox are not entering the series cleanly either. Chicago just lost a home series against the Washington Nationals, but it had shown some offensive punch before that by hitting eight home runs in a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and then beating the Diamondbacks and the Athletics in back-to-back series. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery have been among the bats providing stability in the middle of the order.
The matchup now looks less like a polished early-season test than a search for answers on both sides. For the Angels, the immediate question is whether a weekend of bullpen changes and roster moves can hold long enough for the starting pitching to settle. For the White Sox, it is whether the recent power surge was a brief burst or a sign that Chicago can turn more of these games into wins.
