Washington, Halos 'optimistic' about future despite difficulties in '24

CHICAGO -- The Angels headed to Guaranteed Rate Field with the chance to make some history against the White Sox, who entered the three-game series just one loss away from a record-breaking 121 on the season.

Instead, it was the Angels on the wrong side of history, as they were swept, including a 7-0 loss on Thursday afternoon that handed them a franchise-worst 96th loss of the season. The previous high in losses was 95 set in both 1968 and '80. They’ll have to win two out of three games against the Rangers this weekend to avoid finishing with a winning percentage under .400 for the first time since the franchise was founded in 1961.

Manager Ron Washington, though, said he’s still seen plenty of positive developments from his young players this season, helping him remain optimistic about the future despite the Halos’ on-field struggles in 2024.

“I look at the positives,” Washington said. “Of course, we know we lost that many games. No one likes that. I certainly don't like it. But it's our record. But I imagine when we look back at it, I don’t want to say it took [losing this many games], but we were running youth out there and they were learning.”

Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe, however, said it was tough to go through it as a player being on the wrong side of so many games this season.

“It’s pretty sickening,” O’Hoppe said. “Going into the spring and expecting things to turn around, and then this 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 in here.”

But O’Hoppe, who has emerged as a clubhouse leader in his first full season in the Majors, believes things will get better because of what the Angels went through.

“What else can we do but be optimistic?” O’Hoppe said. “It’s just frustrating. The fans come out on the weekends, and they want to see us win. We want to win more than anybody. And sleepless nights all year get pretty old after a while, and it's just frustrating. I know we have to go through it, but it doesn’t mean any of us are OK with it.”

The Angels lost the first game in heartbreaking fashion on a dropped popup by second baseman Jack López with two outs in the eighth before coming up short in the second game in extra innings. But they were undone by a seven-run fifth in the series finale, as the White Sox set their season high for runs scored in an inning.

Again, it was aided by a critical miscue from López, who moved to shortstop from second base after Zach Neto injured his right shoulder on a headfirst slide into second on a stolen-base attempt in the fourth. Dominic Fletcher led off the fifth with a single, but Jacob Amaya hit into a potential double play that López couldn’t handle for a costly error.

The wheels fell off from there for lefty Tyler Anderson, who was making his final start of the season. After getting a groundout, Anderson gave up a two-run single to Andrew Vaughn and a two-run double to Lenyn Sosa before veteran reliever Carson Fulmer replaced him. Fulmer, though, came in and allowed three more runs.

Anderson was charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. But it was still a solid year for Anderson, who had a 3.81 ERA in a career-high 179 1/3 innings, as he made all 31 of his scheduled starts. He also believes things will get better for the Angels going forward.

“I think for us, obviously, the big thing is health,” Anderson said. “If our guys are healthy and on the field, we have a lot better chance.”

Washington agreed that a lot of the Angels’ struggles were due to injuries to key veterans such as Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Luis Rengifo, Brandon Drury and Patrick Sandoval throughout the season. But it allowed young players to get through their first full season in the Majors and gain key experience, which Washington believes will make the Halos contenders next year.

“We have to add some pieces that can help us,” Washington said. “We’ve just got to make sure that we can stay healthy. And the guys that we are looking for to be bus drivers, if they’re able to be bus drivers and be able to stay healthy, there’s no doubt about it [we’ll compete].”