10th

Spiraling Angels botch double play, sealing loss to Athletics

The Angels led for five innings before crumbling late en route to a 10-inning, 3-2 loss to the Athletics on Thursday night at Angel Stadium, all in front of a sparse crowd featuring fiery “sell-the-team” chants from shirtless fans in the upper deck.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 10th, the A’s Zack Gelof hit into a fielder’s choice groundout off reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.

Angels second baseman Adam Frazier had trouble getting the ball out of his glove after catching shortstop Zach Neto’s throw. That allowed Nick Kurtz to reach home as the go-ahead run.

Gelof was initially called out, but the A’s won the challenge — and ultimately the game 3-2.

“Yeah, [Frazier] looked like he just couldn’t get the ball out of his glove,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “You know, one of those things where the ball got in, and he was doing everything right to turn it, just couldn’t get out of his glove.”

Bare chested fans wave their shirts in right field during the seventh inning of the Angels' loss to the Athletics.

Bare chested fans wave their shirts in right field during the seventh inning of the Angels’ loss to the Athletics on Thursday at Angel Stadium. The fans chanted for Angels owner Arte Moreno to “sell the team.”

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

The Angels were unable to tie against A’s reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who earned the save, despite having runners on the corners and zero outs in the bottom half of the frame. Zeferjahn (2-2) took the loss.

Nolan Schanuel gave the Angels a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run homer. But the Angels’ offense, which has been outscored 84-32 since a May 9 loss in Toronto, continued to struggle.

“They believe,” Suzuki said of the Angels’ spirit, specifically on offense. “Every inning, you got all the guys — they’re all up there, rooting guys on and believing that we’re going to put up runs, and really, we’re just not. And it’s not for a lack of effort; it’s not for a lack of anything like that. We just need to find ways to score runs, that’s all.”

The Athletics took advantage of the small deficit, as Darell Hernáiz and Nick Kurtz hit RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to tie the game and force extras.

Angels starter José Soriano surrendered two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. A’s starter Luis Severino surrendered two runs on three hits over seven frames with 10 strikeouts.

“I’ll take away the positive things,” Soriano said. “[I] got into the seventh, but couldn’t complete the inning, but I feel good (about) the way I pitched today. I helped the team the most I can … I control what I could control … I battled; I feel good about that.”

After failing to split the four-game series with the AL West-leading A’s, the Angels have dropped four consecutive series and hold an MLB-worst 17-34 record.

That has prompted a growing group of fans to gather shirtless in the upper deck at Angel Stadium and chant that owner Arte Moreno should “sell the team.” The chants could be heard on the Angels’ TV broadcast.

The players, meanwhile, are trying to string together enough good plays to score more wins.

“Really just trying to get the rhythm going of just piling on good at-bat after good at-bat after good at-bat,” Angels right fielder Jo Adell said. “We just haven’t really had that rhythm. It’s like a good at-bat here, and we struggle to kind of pile up after one another and get that rhythm going. We’re hoping to, at some point, find what that is; we’ve had it, we know what it is. But it’s just one of those things, baseball can kind of just slip away from you.”

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Angels. The Angels host the Rangers (24-25), who are a close second in the AL West and riding a two-game winning streak.

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Athletics rally to beat the Angels in extra innings

Jeff McNeil hit a tying homer in the ninth inning and Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI single in the 10th to rally the Athletics past the Angels 6-5 on Wednesday night.

The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th but left-hander Hogan Harris got Jorge Soler to ground out, sending the Angels to their 23rd loss in 29 games.

A’s reliever Scott Barlow (1-0) threw a scoreless ninth for the win. Angels right-hander Chase Silseth (1-1) took the loss after giving up an unearned run in the 10th.

The teams combined for eight runs in the first two innings, with the Angels taking a 5-3 lead on Soler’s two-run homer in the first and Jo Adell’s solo shot and Josh Lowe’s two-run drive off A’s starter Aaron Civale in the second.

Soderstrom hit a two-run single in the first, and Henry Bolte scored when Lowe misplayed Carlos Cortes’ single to left field in the second.

Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz walked four and hit a batter with a pitch in the first two innings, but the right-hander retired 12 straight batters — six by strikeout — from the third through the sixth before handing the ball to the bullpen.

Mike Trout rounds second during the first inning Wednesday.

Mike Trout rounds second during the first inning Wednesday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn plunked two batters in the seventh, and Sam Bachman gave up an RBI single to Nick Kurtz, trimming the Angels’ lead to 5-4.

Bachman retired the side in order in the eighth, but Kirby Yates couldn’t convert his first save opportunity for the Angels, as McNeil led off the ninth by curling his second homer inside the right-field foul pole, tying the score at 5.

Cortes walked with two outs and Shea Langeliers was hit by a pitch, but Angels left-hander Tayler Saucedo, called up from triple-A earlier Wednesday, got Kurtz to tap back to the mound to end the inning.

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Oswald Peraza’s RBI single in 10th lifts Angels to win over Mets

Oswald Peraza hit a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning and the Angels snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night.

Jorge Soler drew a leadoff walk from Austin Warren (0-1) to open the 10th and Jo Adell singled to load the bases with no outs.

Warren got Josh Lowe and Vaughn Grissom on flyouts and was one strike away from escaping the jam when Peraza dunked an 0-2 curve into left-center for the win.

The Angels got 3 2/3 scoreless innings from their beleaguered bullpen. Sam Bachman struck out three in 1 2/3 innings and Ryan Zeferjahn (2-1) threw a scoreless ninth and 10th for the win.

Brett Baty reached on catcher’s interference to open the Mets’ 10th. But Zeferjahn got Bo Bichette to ground into a double play and, after an intentional walk to Juan Soto, Francisco Alvarez to pop out to second.

Reid Detmers limited the Mets to one run and four hits through six innings but ran into trouble in the seventh, when Mark Vientos doubled and Marcus Semien singled. Andy Ibáñez’s sacrifice fly pulled the Mets within 3-2 and Tyrone Taylor’s RBI single tied it.

Austin Slater and Ronny Mauricio then reached on infield singles to load the bases. But Bachman replaced Detmers and got Bichette to ground to third baseman Peraza, who threw home for a forceout, and struck out Soto with an 89-mph slider to end the inning.

Mets ace Nolan McLean was one strike away from escaping a second-and-third, one-out jam in the fourth when he struck out Lowe. But Grissom hit a two-run single to make it 3-1.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first on consecutive two-out singles by Nolan Schanuel, Soler and Adell. Schanuel crossed the plate as Soler was thrown out at third by Slater from right field.

Plate umpire John Tumpane ruled Schanuel touched the plate before Soler was tagged, allowing the run to score. New York didn’t challenge, but replays showed Soler was tagged before Schanuel reached the plate.

The Mets tied it at 1 in the third on Bichette’s RBI single.

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Yusei Kikuchi injured as Angels drop their sixth straight game

Rookie Sam Antonnaci hit a tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning and Colson Montgomery had a winning single in the 10th, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory Wednesday for a three-game sweep that extended the Angels’ losing streak to six.

Mike Trout hit his 10th home run of the season for the Angels, who have lost 10 of 11 and dropped to 12-20. Additionally, Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi left after two innings with left shoulder tightness.

Kikuchi gave up no runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout before exiting. His average fastball velocity dropped from 94.9 mph in the first inning to 92.8 mph in the second.

A 34-year-old from Japan, Kikuchi was an All-Star last season with the Angels. He is 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA in 31 innings over seven starts.

With the White Sox trailing 2-1, Tristan Peters was hit by a Ryan Zeferjahn pitch with one out in the ninth and scored on Antonacci’s triple.

Montgomery singled with one out in the 10th off Drew Pomeranz (0-3) for his first big league walk-off hit, giving the White Sox their second series sweep this season.

Seranthony Domínguez pitched a perfect 10th.

Former Dodger Miguel Vargas had an RBI single in the third off Mitch Farris, recalled from triple-A before the game, and Trout’s homer tied the score in the fourth.

Vaughn Grissom’s first big league homer since Sept. 7, 2022, for Atlanta gave the Angels a 2-1 lead in the seventh against Erick Fedde, who gave up five hits, struck out six and walked none in a season-high seven innings.

Up next

Angels: RHP Walbert Ureña (0-3, 4.77 ERA) takes the mound at home Friday against the New York Mets and RHP Christian Scott (0-0. 6.75).

White Sox: Rookie LHP Noah Schultz (1-1, 3.52) makes his fourth career start for the White Sox on Friday when they open a trip Friday at San Diego, which starts RHP Germán Márquez (3-1, 4.38).

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My family holiday to the massive resort celebrating its 10th birthday

SWEET stations in the lobby, statues of famous cartoon characters and a rip-roaring theme park right outside your bedroom window.  

This might just be the best family resort out there. 

A giant playground for children and adults alike Credit: Supplied
Huge decorative horses feature in kids’ show
Club Nick runs kids’ art classes

The new Nickelodeon Hotel, which opened last year at the Land of Legends complex in Antalya, is bursting with fun. 

On top of character meet-and-greets at all times of day, there’s free gaming stations and an energetic kids’ club.  

And that’s before you even get to the splash park and heated pool, available for hotel guests only. 

My kids had watched Land of Legends being built on other family trips to Antalya over the years, and the excitement had grown on each visit. 

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PLAY TIME

I took my kids to the huge slime ‘playground’ at UK’s most famous toy store

But with Joshua and Jessica now 12 and nine, my partner Jo and I wondered if we’d missed the boat, or rollercoaster. 

We needn’t have worried, though.  

Land of Legends, which turns ten this summer, caters for all ages, tastes and daredevil levels. Designed to be a giant entertainment resort, visitors have access to hotels, shopping avenue, waterparks and, of course, a theme park in one place. 

Best of all, anyone staying in the onsite Nickelodeon Hotel can use a private entrance to access the theme park — meaning they can ride when they want, pop back for meals and drinks and then go again.  

Spongebob’s Bikini Bottom became a solid family favourite. The new indoor addition to the park features rides for all ages, including an interactive coaster where you shoot targets as you go. 

Young kids will also love the Star Trek simulator, Family Coaster and the crazy Typhoon Coaster where you go up in a lift before splashing down log flume-style. 

And once me and Josh got our big-boy pants on, we were ready for Hyper Coaster — a ride that rollercoaster enthusiasts travel across Europe to try. 

Trust me, it’s not for the faint-hearted, but I had to at least pretend I was being brave by laughing when Josh was next to me on the ascent, saying: “Dad, I think I’m going to pass out.” 

I couldn’t really hear him over my screams after that, as we plummeted, looped, corkscrewed and flew our way across the park. 

I’m not ashamed to say it took me a good 15 to 20 minutes to be able to feel my knees again. 

For a little less speed, there’s a neat Paw Patrol section of the park and Masha and the Bear area — a favourite of our children when they were toddlers so the boat ride was a lovely trip down memory lane for us all. 

On days when the Turkish heat gets too much, holidaymakers can get more thrills at the waterpark (open April to October). 

Family time outside Disney-like castle Credit: Supplied

Dozens of flumes and the quite incredible Turtle Coaster, where you are propelled uphill in a boat by water jets at amazing speeds, were big hits. Although the group favourite was a rubber-ring ride — especially for Jess, as she found it hilarious that I seemed to go backwards the entire way down the steep slopes. 

As we went early in the season, it didn’t really matter what water attraction we went for first as there were no queues. 

You won’t need to splash out on food at the parks when you stay onsite, either. 

The Nickelodeon Hotel operates a “Full-Board+” concept, which means breakfast, lunch and dinner in La Spatula restaurant and all soft drinks are included.  

Alcohol is served at lunch and dinner times with meals, too. 

The food was tasty, fresh and plentiful — from the omelette station at breakfast to the grilled lamb kebabs in the evenings. 

Magic shows performed over breakfast added another element of fun and Jess was still trying to figure out just how the magician had done it by lunch. 

Most evenings, we were so tired that not even the multi-coloured, themed character rooms could have kept us awake.  

Rooms are spacious and our Dora the Explorer suite had a balcony overlooking the park, meaning the kids went to sleep dreaming of the next ride. You can request room types on different floors subject to availability, themed around Spongebob, Star Trek and Turtles. 

In-room fridges filled with glass bottles of pop, plus a pod-coffee machine and snacks in the drawer were a real bonus for the post-park chill before dinner. 

The “Club Nick” kids’ club was excellent, too, with art classes (we painted SpongeBob, obviously) and nightly dance and character shows. 

Included in longer stays is an afternoon trip to sister hotel Rixos Premium Belek, with a minibus laid on. 

Lunch out was good and it meant we could get a drink by the sea.  

This was our fifth visit to Turkey in three years and the destination never fails to impress. The locals delight at welcoming tourists and showing off their country. 

Not everything is still “cheap” here, but this part of the world definitely knows how to do value for money. 

Splash out with a post-shopping dip in the pool

And if you did want to spend a few more lira, the front of the hotel opens out on to the Land of Legends shopping avenue — a Las Vegas-style strip with a canal, high-end stores and evening shows all centred around a Disney-like castle. 

For a slightly more chilled vibe, there are dancing fountains scattered around the shopping district, which Jo and I enjoyed while Josh and Jess played on the PS5s and arcade games. 

I tended to avoid those because, you know, it’s hard to keep letting them win every game . . .  

GO: TURKEY

GETTING THERE: Jet2 flies to Antalya from Stansted, Bristol, Liverpool and other UK destinations from £60 each way. See jet2.com.

STAYING THERE: TO COME

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