Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa both delivered two RBIs during a seven-run fifth inning and Chris Flexen pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings as the host Chicago White Sox topped the Los Angeles Angels 7-0 on Thursday to earn a series sweep.
Chicago (39-120) again avoided surpassing the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the most single-season losses in Major League Baseball since 1901.
A mark for futility fell upon the Angels, however, as Los Angeles (63-96) set a club record for losses in a season, breaking a tie with the 1968 and 1980 teams.
Swept 24 times this season, the White Sox collected just their second home sweep and first since taking three in a row from Tampa Bay from April 26-28.
Chicago rolled behind its largest rally of the year. The White Sox sent 12 batters to the plate in the fifth, which featured a pair of hits from Dominic Fletcher.
Vaughn opened the scoring against Angels starter Tyler Anderson with a two-run single and scored when Sosa followed with a two-run double. Five straight White Sox reached base during one sequence. Bryan Ramos, Zach DeLoach and Fletcher also drove in runs.
Los Angeles managed six hits, all singles. Logan O’Hoppe went 2-for-4.
Flexen allowed a leadoff single to Taylor Ward but erased him on Zach Neto’s double-play grounder to third base one batter later. The veteran right-hander retired the next eight batters before Neto singled with one out in the fourth.
Flexen (3-15) won for the first time since May 8. He spaced five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over a season-high-tying 6 1/3 innings.
Anderson (10-15) allowed five runs (four earned) and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three, struck out two and hit one batter.
Vaughn led the White Sox attack with three hits. Sosa, DeLoach and Fletcher had two apiece.
Neto left the game with right shoulder irritation.
Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who left Wednesday’s loss with a lower right leg contusion after fouling a pitch off his leg, was out of the lineup.
Chicago took the season series against Los Angeles 4-2.
–Field Level Media
