CHICAGO -- The Angels ended one streak and extended another on Friday.
First it was Taylor Ward’s two-out single in the top of the fifth that snapped the club’s 22-inning scoreless streak — a welcome sign following back-to-back shutout losses in Oakland. But that was all the offense the Angels could muster, as they suffered their fifth-straight loss, falling 5-1 to the Cubs.
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele ruined the Angels' first trip to Wrigley Field in five years. He struck out seven and allowed two hits en route to a 95-pitch complete game.
The Angels are still searching for their first July victory as Steele became the second pitcher in the last three days to toss a sub-100-pitch complete game against them. Oakland’s Joey Estes did so in a 92-pitch shutout on Wednesday.
“It’s tough to put your finger on it,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “I think we’re pressing for it a little bit.
"I’m hoping that we can slow it down and not try to do too much these next couple of days.”
O'Hoppe was one of seven Angels who went hitless, underscoring the team-wide rut the club has dug during its five-game losing streak. They have scored one run in their last 27 innings.
The Angels' pitching hasn't been much better as starter Griffin Canning surrendered four runs in 4 1/3 — his shortest start since April.
The Cubs, who have had their share of offensive woes, were hitting the ball hard early and often off the Angels’ right-hander, starting with Seiya Suzuki’s first-inning, two-run home run. The 2-2, two-out pitch was hit a blistering 104.6 miles per hour over the wall in center field.
The Angels have surrendered five or more runs in six straight games and all five of Chicago’s runs on Friday came with two outs.
“I just wish he’d concentrate a little more on putting the inning away,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “(Canning) gets to two outs in an inning pretty quick, and then he has trouble finishing that inning off.
"So, we’ve just got to find out what it’s going to take for him to do that.”
The Angels announced before the game infielder Luis Rengifo, who was hitting .315, was placed on the 10-day injured list.
“That’s a kick in the gut for sure,” O’Hoppe said. “That’s a dude we rely on in the lineup, especially days like today when we need a hit to get going, you’d love to have him in there.”
Injuries and fatigue appear to be hitting them at an inopportune stretch. Just when the club believed it might be turning the corner on a difficult start to the season, they have slid back to 15-games under .500 with nine games to play before the all-star break.
"It’s on all of us,” Washington said. “Name of the game is scoring runs. We just haven’t been able to put any runs on the board and sustain anything offensively.
"We’ve just got to keep going to the drawing board until we get it back together.”