Angels rookie Denzer Guzman (13) is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run Angels rookie Denzer Guzman runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. It was Guzman’s first major-league homer. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Angels starting pitcher Caden Dana throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich hits an RBI double during the first inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich hits an RBI double during the first inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Brice Turang hits a double during the first inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Brice Turang hits a double during the first inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Angels’ Carter Kieboom hits a single during the second inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras hits a single during the third inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Angels starting pitcher Caden Dana throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Caleb Durbin hits an RBI single during the third inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Angels starting pitcher Caden Dana throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich is congratulated after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Angels’ Denzer Guzman hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Angels’ Denzer Guzman hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins leaps but can’t catch a ball that was hit for a home run by Angels rookie Denzer Guzman during the fifth inning on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. It was Guzman’s first major-league home run. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Angels rookie Denzer Guzman runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. It was Guzman’s first major-league homer. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Sal Frelick hits a double during the sixth inning of a game against the Angels on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Angels rookie Christian Moore gestures before crossing home plate after hitting a solo home run Angels rookie during the seventh inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Brice Turang slides safely home to score on a double by Caleb Durbin as Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe waits for a late throw during the seventh inning on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. The Angels lost, 9-2, to clinch their 10th consecutive losing season. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
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Angels rookie Denzer Guzman (13) is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run Angels rookie Denzer Guzman runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Milwaukee. It was Guzman’s first major-league homer. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE — What seemed likely, then inevitable, finally became official Tuesday night in Milwaukee: for the 10th consecutive season, the Angels will finish with a losing record.
A 9-2 loss to the National League-leading Milwaukee Brewers clinched the dubious distinction and also extended the Angels’ losing streak to five games.
It’s the longest active streak of sub-.500 finishes in MLB and the longest in the franchise’s six-plus decades.
The Angels (69-82) last had a winning season in 2015, when they finished 85-77 and third in the American League West. Their last postseason appearance was the season before, when they won 98 games and were swept by the Kansas City Royals, 3-0, in an AL Division Series. It has been 16 seasons since they reached an ALCS and more than two decades since they last played in the World Series, when they won their only championship in 2002.
The Angels had seven consecutive sub-.500 finishes from 1971-1977.
“It’s disappointing,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “We put up a pretty good fight for a certain extent of the season and then to come into September and play like we’ve played the last four or five days – I think we were 8-8 before that – it’s not what these guys wanted and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth every night.”
Right-hander Caden Dana (0-2) found himself in trouble early, issuing a one-out walk to Jackson Chourio and an RBI double to Caleb Durbin in the opening inning. Milwaukee tacked on a run in each of the next two innings before striking the big blow in the fourth on a two-run home run by Christian Yelich that brought Dana’s day to an end after just 3⅔ innings.
“He was just kind of grinding early,” Montgomery said. “In back-to-back innings, he was kind of fighting himself, fighting his delivery, so it was tough.”
He was charged with five runs on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts and has allowed 10 earned runs over his last two starts, covering just 7⅔ innings in those outings.
“I knew from the first inning that I didn’t have my best stuff,” Dana said. “I kept telling myself that I had to battle through it, make some pitches and get some outs.”
Velocity wasn’t an issue for Dana – his 42 four-seamers averaged 95.8 miles per hour. Locating them, though, was a bit of an issue as was getting Milwaukee’s batters to bite on them. He generated only 14 swings with the pitch with zero whiffs – five balls put in play and nine hit foul.
As a result, he found himself behind in the count more often than not.
“That was kind of the moral of the outing,” Dana said.
Milwaukee added an insurance run in the seventh on Andrew Vaughn’s RBI double then broke the game wide open with a three-run eighth, with all four runs coming against left-hander Sammy Peralta.
Offensively, the Angels were stymied by Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (17-6). The All-Star right-hander allowed just a pair of hits and two walks while striking out 10 over six innings for Milwaukee (92-59).
“When you’re going against Freddy, you know what you’re going to get,” Montgomery said. “He’s not going to give you a lot of base runners, he’s gonna elevate and he’s gonna come at you.”
The Angels’ lone bright spots came via solo home runs from rookies Denzer Guzman and Christian Moore.
Guzman’s homer with one out in the fifth came on a 1-and-1 count when he connected with a 92.8 mph fastball. The 409-foot blast to center was the first of his major-league career.
“I felt a little nervous at first but now I feel comfortable,” said Guzman, who made his major-league debut Saturday in Seattle and will see significant playing time at shortstop over the final weeks with Zach Neto on the injured list. “I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity they give me.”
Moore, meanwhile, homered for the sixth time this season and also made an impression in the second when he fell behind, 0-and-2, then worked his way back to draw a nine-pitch walk off Peralta.
“I thought the kids gave us good (at-bats),” Montgomery said. “Moore, obviously with the homer the walk, he really battled.”
The Angels finished with three hits and two walks while striking out 14 times, including two by Mike Trout, who came within a few feet of his 400th career home run in the third and finished the game 0 for 3 with a walk.
Originally Published: September 16, 2025 at 7:39 PM PDT