Josh Lowe's 2 Errors Outweigh Three Angels Home Runs in Loss to A's

For most of the game the Angels bats were louder than the chants of "sell the team" tonight.

May 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Josh Lowe (3) runs during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

For most of the game the Angels bats were louder than the chants of "sell the team" tonight. An offense that had failed to score more than 2 runs in over a week eclipsed that total in back to back games this series. However, the Angels bullpen blew the lead late and horrible defense led to another loss. This one 6-5 to the A's.

Bullpen problems have been an issue all season and they do not appear to be solved. At least the closer's position is a revolving door of failure. Every one of Perry Minasian's off season additions had closing experience yet none have closed effectively for the Angels.

Josh Lowe is quietly turning things around offensively.

Lowe launched a mammoth 425 foot home run that scored 2 runs and pushed the Angels to a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Last night Josh Lowe cracked a key 2 run double as the Angels tried to fight back into the game.

Heading into the series against the A's, Lowe was 6 for 20 in the month of May. That is a .300 batting average. He went 1 for 2 last night then crushed a home run tonight. Most

Jo Adell and Jorge Soler also hit home runs.

Jorge Soler has been really struggling in the month of May. Entering tonight he was just 12 for his last 63 (a .190 batting average) with an unacceptable 22 strikeouts in 16 games. He got the Angels on the board with a mammoth 432 shot to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the first.

a 4️⃣3️⃣2️⃣ft Soler shot ☄️ pic.twitter.com/YLjLcM8ZMX

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 21, 2026

Jo Adell preceded Josh Lowe by homering in the bottom of the second inning. His seventh longball of 2026 tied the game at 3-3.

Josh Lowe's defense and the bullpen were both bad.

Josh Lowe giveth and Josh Lowe taketh away. In this case a fielding error in the top of the second inning allowed a run to score and gave the A's a 3-2 lead. It was a clear error that bounced off his glove. The runner at third was holding until Lowe bricked it but waltzed home as a result.

The real killer came in the top of the 10th inning. With the slow footed Nick Kurtz on second base as the free runner, a soft liner landed between Mike Trout and Josh Lowe. It was close enough to being caught that Kurtz had stopped midway on the base paths.

Once Lowe let it roll past him to the wall, Kurtz rounded third base and scored the winning run.

Granted, the Angels were only in the 10th inning because of Kirby Yates blown save in the 9th. Looking to pick up his first save of the year and protecting a one run lead, Yates gave up a leadoff home run to Jeff McNeil which set the stage up for Lowe's defense and another brutal loss.

At this point, it is tough to envision any noise drowning out the "sell the team" chants this season.