Agonizing Angels win over White Sox actually provided fans with silver linings

It does not seem likely, but the Angels' stressful victory against the historically-horrific White Sox on September 18th actually offered multiple silver linings. It took 13 innings to hand Chicago their 117th loss of the year in a 4-3 finish, but Los Angeles can be somewhat satisfied with what they saw on the field.

The 2025 season for the Angels is going to live or die on the young players fans are currently seeing play each night, so the rollercoaster, 62nd victory hinted at several positive takeaways.

LA Angels' recent call-ups continue to produce

The most obvious takeaway is Jordyn Adams' walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning. He poked the game-winning hit to the left side of the infield for his first career walk-off, which comes just six days after powering his first MLB home run. Adams has a hit in six of the nine games he has played since being called up.

Eric Wagaman is another call-up who has been basking in his new threads. Wagaman scored a run and drove in an RBI, just one game after going deep in back-to-back contests. Wagaman is now on a six-hitting streak, batting .267 with five extra-base hits.

LA Angels' young stars have not slowed down

Zach Neto sprinted for his 30th stolen base of the year. He pinch-hit in the eighth inning, drawing a walk before swiping the milestone base. Neto eventually came around to score, ultimately forcing extra innings. Neto now has 21 home runs, 31 doubles and 30 stolen bases in his first full season with the Angels, making him the third player in franchise history to hit this mark (Devon White, Mike Trout).

Nolan Schanuel has been rather forgotten about since his subpar August, batting .234 with just one home run. However, he's turned things around in September. His hitting streak extended to nine games, which is tied for the sixth-longest stretch among active streaks, after singling in the sixth inning on Wednesday. Schanuel has a .369 OBP this month, which is his second-best in 2024.

LA Angels' newer arms have found consistent success

Jack Kochanowicz turned in the best start of his career. He battled for seven innings, allowing one run on five hits with no walks. He struck out five White Sox batters and lowered his ERA to a season-best 4.56.

Normally a sinker-baller, Kochanowicz was finding more success with his 4-seam fastball against the White Sox, reaching 97 MPH.

“I feel like I just was able to use the four-seamer pretty naturally today,” Kochanowicz told the LA Daily News. “Just been working on that a lot with (pitching coach Barry Enright). … Didn’t shy away from the game plan, mainly throwing sinkers. But the four-seamer just gives it a little more room.”

José Quijada and Ryan Zeferjahn each fired a scoreless relief inning for Los Angeles in the extra-innings affair. Quijada picked up the win, improving to 2-0 in 19 appearances. What is most glaring is that both relievers are riding impressive scoreless streaks.

Quijada has not allowed a run since August 9, which is 12 consecutive outings without surrendering a run. He's tossed 11 innings over that stretch, twirling 16 strikeouts.

Zeferjahn allowed two runs in his MLB debut on August 25. Since then, he's appeared in eight contests and has gone scoreless each time out. That stretch is across 11 2/3 innings, striking out nine batters and allowing three hits.