A costly defensive miscue in the eighth inning proved decisive as the Los Angeles Angels edged the New York Yankees 3-2 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The loss extended the Yankees’ losing streak to six games, their longest since a nine-game slide in August 2023.
The game was tightly contested throughout and featured multiple momentum shifts. With the score tied in the eighth, Angels batters Mike Trout and Taylor Ward drew consecutive walks off reliever Fernando Cruz. Luis Rengifo followed with a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Jo Adell then hit a sharply hit ground ball to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who bobbled the play and made a wide throw to second base. Trout came home on the error, putting the Angels ahead 3-2.
New York was unable to recover from the late-inning mistake. Kenley Jansen secured the win for Los Angeles, striking out Volpe to end the game and record his 15th season save.
The Angels scored early when Nolan Schanuel hit a home run just three pitches into the game, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. That lead stood until the second inning, when Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run to right, ending New York’s 30-inning scoreless streak. The Yankees’ longest scoring drought since September 2016 was when they went 33 innings without a run.
Cody Bellinger gave the Yankees their first lead in four games with a solo homer in the fourth inning. However, the advantage was short-lived, as Adell responded in the top of the fifth with a home run on the first pitch from reliever Ryan Yarbrough, tying the game at two.
Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge went hitless in four at-bats, striking out twice as his batting average dropped to .366. Giancarlo Stanton made a pinch-hitting appearance in the seventh inning but flew out to left field, continuing his struggles in that role, now 5-for-47 as a pinch hitter over his career.
Jack Kochanowicz started for the Angels and delivered a solid outing, allowing just two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out a career-high eight batters and walked three. Hector Neris earned the win in relief, improving to 3-1 after pitching a scoreless seventh inning.
New York’s missed opportunities extended beyond the fielding error. In the sixth inning, Bellinger reached on an infield single, but Trent Grisham was ruled out when his leg touched the batted ball. Paul Goldschmidt lined out on the next pitch, ending a potential rally. Bellinger fouled out in the eighth with two runners aboard, representing another missed scoring chance.
The Angels have won five consecutive games at Yankee Stadium — old or new — for the first time in franchise history. They will look to complete a series sweep on Thursday, with left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-4, 3.44 ERA) scheduled to start. The Yankees will counter with left-hander Carlos Rodón (8-5, 3.01 ERA). According to current betting odds, the Yankees are favored at -145, with the Angels listed as +125 underdogs. The over/under for total runs is set at 8.
