Tim Lincecum put the Angels in a hole with a four-run, six-hit second inning Thursday night, but that’s nothing compared to the massive crater the Angels have dug for themselves this season.
A 5-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics dropped the Angels 16 games behind Texas in the American League West, their largest June deficit since 2001, when they fell 20 games behind a Seattle Mariners team that won 116 games.
The Angels rallied in the ninth inning when Johnny Giavotella doubled and Jett Bandy hit a two-run homer off Sean Doolittle to cut the deficit to 5-4.