Angels continue to struggle against A’s

A's starter Mitch Spence beat the Angels for the third time this month, his only victories since May 28.

ANAHEIM — The struggle is real.

The Angels couldn’t figure out the Oakland A’s again on Saturday evening and lost 3-1 in the third game of their four-game series at Angel Stadium.

The A’s (44-63) sit at the bottom of the American League West division, where they’ve finished the past two seasons, but they’ve won eight of the past nine games against the Angels, all in the month of July.

Over the past six seasons, the Angels are 37-55 against Oakland.

The Angels will have one last chance to stymie that trend when they face the A’s for the final time this season on Sunday afternoon.

A’s starter Mitch Spence (7-6) beat the Angels for the third time this month, his only victories since May 28.

The right-hander limited the Angels to one run and three hits in six innings, striking out three and walking two. Twelve of his 18 outs were on the ground.

Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson gave up a three-run homer to Shea Langeliers in the first inning, but then settled in and blanked Oakland over the next six innings.

Anderson (8-9) allowed six hits, struck out 10 and walked one.

The Angels lost their best reliever on Saturday when they traded closer Carlos Estevez to the Philadelphia Phillies for two pitching prospects, and they could say goodbye to their best starter if Anderson is dealt before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Nolan Schanuel homered for the second straight game and walked twice for the Angels (45-60), who came into the series on a high note after sweeping the Seattle Mariners on the road.

The game started ominously when Lawrence Butler lined the first pitch into right field for a single.

One out later, Brent Rooker hit a hard grounder to third that Brandon Drury slowed with a diving backhand, but he didn’t make a throw.

Langeliers then hit the first pitch high in the air and the ball carried over the fence in left-center field for a three-run homer and a 3-0 lead.

It was the league-leading 41st home run in the month in July for Oakland.

Langeliers is also the second catcher in A’s history to hit at least 20 homers in consecutive years. Gene Tenace hit that mark in four straight seasons from 1973-76.

The Angels put runners on second and third with two outs in their half of the first on a ground-rule double by Willie Calhoun, but Logan O’Hoppe struck out to end the threat.

Schanuel, who moved into the leadoff spot with third baseman Anthony Rendon getting the night off, lined a solo homer over the yellow line on the right-field wall with one out in the third to cut it to 3-1.

That was the only base runner for the Angels from the second inning until Jo Adell legged out a two-out double into the left-center field gap in the fifth.

The Angels didn’t get a runner back into scoring position the rest of the game, even after Schanuel battled back an 0-2 count to earn a seven-pitch leadoff walk in the eighth.

Anderson didn’t record a 1-2-3 inning until the sixth.