They had the tying on second base in the eighth inning and on first base in the ninth, the go-ahead run at the plate both times Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Close but nothing more was all the Angels could produce in another tight, flustering loss to Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros.
This one ended 2-0 and arrived as a complete-game exclamation point delivered like his 96-mph four-seam, five-alarm fastball.
Since joining Houston last season, Verlander has faced the Angels four times. He's 4-0 in those games, with two earned runs and 11 hits allowed in 31 innings, striking out 31 and walking four.