Facing a sizeable deficit early, the Los Angeles Angels never recovered and were defeated 7-3 by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. The Halos fell to 62-70, suffering their sixth loss of the last eight.
In a story that has gotten all too familiar with the progression of the season, Yusei Kikuchi once again looked like a different and much less effective pitcher on the road. The lefty, who made his Major League-leading 28th start, was quickly tagged for three runs in the first inning as things began to go downhill.
A pair of walks to Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager set the table as Adolis GarcÃa ripped an RBI double to right that got Texas on the board. He was followed by Josh Jung, who brought in another run on a single before Cody Freeman’s sacrifice fly put the Rangers ahead 3-0.
Lack of control burned Kikuchi yet again in the second, after a leadoff walk allowed Michael Helman to hit is second home run of the year and push the Texas lead to 5-0. He had now conceded three walks and hits, allowing five earned runs in a start for the first time in 2025.
After working his first 1-2-3 inning in the third, one final solo home run off the bat of Kyle Higashioka in the fourth gave the Rangers their sixth run against Kikuchi. His final line saw six runs allowed on four hits and three walks.
Falling to 6-9, Kikuchi continues to find issues away from Angel Stadium. He has now allowed 42 earned runs in 72 innings pitched on the road, compared to a mere 2.30 ERA across 82 innings at home. It’s the kind of disparity that has contributed to the Angels’ 4.70 team ERA, which is fourth-highest in Major League Baseball.
Out of the other dugout, Patrick Corbin spun his signature start of the season thus far. The 13-year veteran dominated across eight innings, allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters for the first time since the middle of May. Before Tuesday’s start, Corbin had compiled just eight strikeouts through the entire month of August.
It was a revitalizing performance for the 36-year-old, who improved to 7-9 and earned his first victory since July 10. The left-hander, who is pushing to finish with an ERA below five for the first time since 2020, tossed eight or more innings of shutout baseball for the first time since 2019.
The Angels would not be shut out, however, finally managing to get on the board against Danny Coulombe in the ninth. Zach Neto started the frame with a leadoff solo home run, his 23rd of the season, before Jo Adell collected a two-run shot of his own three batters later.
The blast marked the 30th of the year for Adell as he reached the milestone for the first time in his career. He joins Taylor Ward as the only other Angel to hit 30 this season, making them the first duo to do so in the same year since Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in 2022.
As the series hangs in the balance on Wednesday night, Los Angeles will look to avoid its fourth consecutive series loss. Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (3-10, 6.19 ERA) will battle Rangers’ left-hander Jacob Latz (1-0, 3.05 ERA).
First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. PT.