Shohei Otani and Mike Trout wrestle as the Marlins beat the Angels

Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval returned to his usual self on Sunday against the Miami Marlins.

On the other side of battling food poisoning that slowed him down during his last start against the Minnesota Twins, Sandoval pitched six innings, giving up two runs and eight hits, striking out two and walking two.

Those two runs didn’t seem like much, but they were more than enough for the Marlins. The Angels had already lost the series on Saturday night when errors on the pitch doomed them. On Sunday, a three-game sweep was capped off with a 2-0 loss to the Marlins (28–26), who now share the same record as the Angels.

“Now we are getting on a plane and leaving this one behind,” the Angels said. manager Phil Nevin said. “It’s not a very pleasant taste in the mouth, obviously after housework has been going on. In the end, we won more than we lost, but that’s definitely not what we were looking for after what we did in the first two series against two good teams.

“And we didn’t play our best this weekend, that’s no secret.”

After opening the home tribune with five wins in six games, including Boston Red Sox three-game offset and a winning streak over the American League Central League leaders Minnesota Twins, the Angels ended it with a three-game losing streak. They were closed for the first time in 95 games since August. February 21, 2022. It was the longest streak in the majors.

Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval plays against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning on Sunday.

Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval plays against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning on Sunday.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)

The Marlins, who did not go unnoticed in the National League East, featured the Angels in all series. On Sunday, 20-year-old 2-1 starter Euri Perez — the youngest pitcher in Marlins history, debuting on May 12 and being compared to his Cy Young Award-winning teammate Sandy Alcantara — received the nod. The Angels hit 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base stranded.

The Angels are down to fourth in the American League West, six games behind the No. 1 Texas Rangers, and will hit the road this week to face the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

The Angels made some noise in the bottom of the ninth inning as the tie moved into scoring position with Mike Trout on the plate and two strikeouts. Trout jumped out to second base.

Shohei Otani of the Los Angeles Angels prepares for the fight while in the dugout during the fourth inning.

Angels star Shohei Otani prepares for action while standing in a dugout in the fourth inning against the Marlins on Sunday.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)

On Sunday, Trout scored no goals but extended his streak on base to 10 games when he was deliberately beaten in the seventh. Shohei Ohtani received his only hit in the series, a single in his fourth. Nevin said he was not bothered by offensive performances by stars.

“Things like this happen,” Nevin said. “I’m not worried about them. I mean, they come out of it and go crazy. It just so happens that they’re both not in the best shape right now, maybe.

“Nevertheless,” Nevin continued, “we have come to a point in the game where Mike has a chance to win, draw? I will take it every day.”

Sandoval was grateful for his team’s six innings, but noted that he was still waiting for his last year’s “things” to return. His passing speed this season is down slightly from his 2022 average, and his serving and chasing speeds are also down slightly.

Sandoval (3-4) is confident his numbers will improve but is still pleased with some of the final results.

“Give my team a chance to win, that’s all I really care about. The materials will come,” Sandoval said. “If you were to just compare my clothes from last year, they are a little cheaper. You can’t hide it, you can’t hide behind it.

“So compete with what I have and I think I’m pretty good at it.”