Starter Griffin Canning continued his recent struggles, while the offensive woes lingered on for the Angels in a 5-1 loss at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. 

Canning (3-9) continued what has been a very tough stretch, taking his fifth loss in his last seven appearances. The righty never seemed to settle into a groove, allowing runs to come across in three different innings.

He would be replaced after 4 1/3 innings, tossing 89 pitches (52 strikes), while allowing six hits and walking two. It was his first time throwing less than 97 pitches in a start since June 7.

The momentum for the batting order continued to collapse, with the team managing just two hits. They were held hitless in eight innings, with both of their hits coming in the fifth. It was the second time this season that Los Angeles has recorded just two knocks in a game (0-2).

The Angels are now 36-51 and 18-25 on the road. After going on a season-high six-game win streak, they now stand just one game away from erasing that progress completely. The Texas Rangers (39-48) hold a three-game lead over Los Angeles for third place in the AL West.

Here are three takeaways:

CANNING CAN'T CAPITALIZE

It was an unfortunate day for Canning, who was ultimately burned as he failed to record the final out in numerous innings. 

After starting his day by recording the first two outs easily, Cody Bellinger would extend the inning with a two-out single. The very next batter, Seiya Suzuki, blasted a two-run homer that got the Cubs on the board. It was a very quick change of events that immediately twisted the momentum the wrong way for Canning.

In the third inning, the 28-year-old would once again manage to record two outs, but then faced Ian Happ with a runner on third. Happ cashed in, scoring Michael Busch to extend the lead to 3-0. 

Canning would exit with four earned runs and four strikeouts. It was a frustrating day for him as he could not seem to get the important outs when he needed to. He has now earned just one victory since May 21, accumulating five losses since in the process. His ERA is now up to 4.87.

He is just one of three pitchers in the American League with nine losses. After posting a 2.60 ERA in the month of May, things have simply gone back in the wrong direction. He produced a 4.14 ERA in June and has allowed four earned runs in four of his last five starts. Canning will need to make some adjustments soon, or he could see the same fate as Reid Detmers and visit the Triple-A level. 

STEELE SHUTS DOWN ANGELS

Earning his first victory of the season, Justin Steele had the Angels' lineup searching for answers all day long.

He opened his start by easily cruising through the first four innings, holding Los Angeles hitless and striking out four. The only bump in the road for the southpaw came in the top of the fifth, where he allowed singles to Keston Hiura and Taylor Ward which gave the Angels their lone run of the game.

The RBI hit for Ward finally snapped what had been a 22 2/3 inning scoreless streak for the team. He finished 1-4 with a strikeout. The lineup finished 2-30 as a whole, lowering their average runs per game to 4.05. That mark is the fifth-lowest in the American League and the eighth-lowest in all of baseball.

As for Steele, the dominant showing helped him earn his first career complete-game shutout. It was just the 13th start of the year for the 28-year-old, who missed six weeks after injuring his hamstring in the season opener. He needed just 95 pitches (68 strikes) to get through all nine innings.

He is now the second pitcher in the last three days to throw a complete game shutout against the Angels. Oakland's Joey Estes also accomplished the feat in a 5-0 win on Wednesday.

Steele's ERA now sits at 2.95 this season. Last year, he finished 16-5 and posted a 3.06 ERA across 30 starts. The impressive campaign was good enough to help earn him his first All-Star selection. He even finished fifth in Cy-Young voting. The Angels clearly had no answer for him on Friday, and will certainly remember Steele for next time.

RENGIFO TO THE IL

After exiting Wednesday's game against the Athletics in the ninth inning with wrist pain, Luis Rengifo has been placed on the 10-day IL. He has officially been diagnosed with right wrist inflammation and will now be forced to miss the next few games for Los Angeles. 

It's a big loss for the Angels, who have heavily relied on Rengifo's hitting ability. Batting .315, he holds the third-highest average in the AL and the fifth-highest in baseball. 

He was officially placed on the IL before Friday's game after getting results on his MRI. For an Angels team that has run into a big hitting problem over the past few days, his absence will only make things even more difficult. Hopefully, Rengifo was able to avoid anything major and will be able to rejoin the team sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles third-baseman Anthony Rendon, who has been sidelined since April, is now facing live pitching. Manager Ron Washington announced that he will see pitches from Angels' minor leaguers as he continues to work his way back from a left hamstring strain. It's another step in the rehab process for the 34-year-old, who has struggled to stay on the field throughout the entirety of his tenure with the team.

The Angels and Cubs will meet for the second game of the series at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday morning. Left-hander Tyler Anderson (7-8, 3.03 ERA) will face off against Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks (1-6, 7.48 ERA). Hendricks is on a two-game losing streak and conceded seven earned runs to the Brewers his last time out.