Yusei Kikuchi exits early, Angels bullpen gives up another lead in loss to White Sox

CHICAGO – The state of the Los Angeles Angels bullpen hasn’t been a secret this season, but the latest loss against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday has made the situation undeniable. 

It was a much tighter affair on Wednesday, but still the Angels entered the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead before disaster struck yet again. 

Ryan Zeferjahn was on the bump this time for the Angels looking to close out the game, but Tristan Peters was hit by a pitch to put the tying run aboard. 

FINAL: White Sox 3, Angels 2 pic.twitter.com/G9S7DDMENC

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 29, 2026

Zeferjahn struck out the next batter he faced, bringing up Sam Antonacci, who sent a triple down the right field line to score Peters and square up the game 2-2 and eventually send it into extras. The Angels went down in order in the top of the 10th, but the White Sox proved more resilient in the bottom half of the inning. 

While the White Sox already had the designated runner on second, Drew Pomeranz, the new Halo hurler sent to preserve the game soon loaded the bases after walking the first two batters that he faced, one of those walks being intentional. 

Colson Montgomery WALKS IT OFF! pic.twitter.com/bVLUmegClp

— MLB (@MLB) April 29, 2026

Colson Montgomery came up with one out and on the first pitch of the at-bat, a knuckle-curve from Pomeranz that hung over the middle-inside portion of the plate, Montgomery ripped a walk-off single straight up the middle to win the game for Chicago 3-2.

Kikuchi Exits Early

The game was in the bullpen’s hands for the most of the day after starter Yusei Kikuchi left the game after just two innings with shoulder tightness. Kikuchi was scoreless in his two innings of work while the bullpen allowed just one inning heading into the ninth. But when the Angels were desperate for a save, their relievers couldn’t deliver.

Yusei Kikuchi said he felt shoulder tightness on his fastballs. He said he felt it a little during his last start and today from the first inning.

Not sure about his prognosis. He will undergo more tests.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 29, 2026

For the third time in the last four games, an Angels opponent has come from behind to take down Los Angeles and now the Angels have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are stuck in the midst of a six-game losing streak after back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the Kansas City Royals and White Sox.

Pitching for the Angels has been a Jekyll and Hyde story so far this season. 

Two Sides of Angels Pitching

The starting rotation has made major strides under pitching coach Mike Maddux. Led by José Soriano’s hot start to the season, the Angels starters have a 3.94 ERA, 13th in MLB. 

Angels bullpen last 16 games:

59.1 IP
6.98 ERA
1.67 WHIP
11 HR
7 Blown Saves

Angels are 4-12 during this span, have lost 6 straight. pic.twitter.com/H6QGoJlGNy

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 29, 2026

The bullpen on the other hand, which has historically been a weakness for the Angels, has the second-worst reliever ERA at 5.58, trailing only the Houston Astros.

Bullpen’s form the foundation of any team. They hold the keys to the end result of a game no matter how well a starter or offense performs. A struggling bullpen often translates into a struggling team, as the Angels are all too well aware of already this season.