Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Taylor Ward steals second base as the Chicago White Sox’s Nicky Lopez reaches for the throw during the fourth inning on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Mickey Moniak steals second base as the Chicago White Sox’s Nicky Lopez reaches for the throw during the fourth inning on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe avoids getting hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar steals second base as Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez takes a late throw during the seventh inning on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Eric Wagaman hits an RBI double during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar scores on Eric Wagaman’s RBI double during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Eric Wagaman celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar celebrates in the dugout after scoring on Eric Wagaman’s RBI double during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Kevin Pillar celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the sixth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox fans wear bags over their heads during the second inning of the game between the White Sox and the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Jack López celebrates with third base coach Eric Young Sr. as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Jack López celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Angels’ Jack López, right, celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
A Chicago White Sox fans hold up a “121” sign in the stands during the sixth inning of the game between the White Sox and the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. The White Sox avoided a record-setting 121st loss, but they have to keep winning all week to avoid doing so. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Angels second baseman Jack López fails to catch a pop fly during the eighth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Angels second baseman Jack López fails to catch a pop-up by the Chicago White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. during the eighth inning on Tuesday night in Chicago. The Angels allowed three runs in the eighth and lost, 3-2. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Chicago White Sox’s Bryan Ramos celebrates after his RBI double during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Chicago White Sox’s Zach DeLoach scores on Bryan Ramos’ RBI double during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Chicago White Sox’s Lenyn Sosa, left, scores on Andrew Benintendi’s RBI single during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Justin Anderson throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Justin Anderson flips the ball to first base for the final out of the ninth inning in their 3-2 comeback win against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez, right, celebrates with infielder Lenyn Sosa after their 3-2 comeback win against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
The Chicago White Sox’s Miguel Vargas, left, celebrates with Luis Robert Jr. after their 3-2 comeback win against the Angels on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
A general view of the stadium with the rain tarp on the infield before the game between the Angels and the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
CHICAGO — Just moments after Jack López experienced the exhilaration of his first major league home run, he felt the sting of an embarrassing gaffe.
The Angels’ second baseman failed to catch a pop-up that would have ended the eighth inning with the Angels leading by a run. The tying run scored on that play, and the go-ahead run came on a single on the next pitch.
That cost the Angels a 3-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night, allowing the White Sox to hold at 120 losses, which has tied the major league record.
Everything was set up for a record-breaking night, with Jack Kochanowicz pitching seven scoreless innings and the Angels taking a two-run lead on RBIs from Eric Wagaman and López.
In the bottom of the eighth, though, Hunter Strickland retired just one of the four hitters he faced, cutting the lead to 2-1. Left-hander Brock Burke entered and seemed to be out of the inning, with a flyout and a pop-up.
López, drifting into shallow center field, never seemed to be fully camped under the ball, and it dropped. He put his hands on his head in disbelief after the play.
“I just dropped it,” said López, a 31-year-old journeyman who was playing in his 29th major league game. “It sucks. Cost Jack a win. Cost Burkey a (blown) save. Cost Strick a hold. It’s a tough one to swallow. … I gotta have that.”
Manager Ron Washington said Lopez went after the ball incorrectly.
“He drifted with it,” Washington said. “You do that on a pop-up that you’re not sure if it’s going to get over your head. You just run back there and get it. But when the ball goes up like that, you got to beat the ball where it’s going. So you got to run and get behind it and then work your way back to it. I saw he was in trouble the way he was backpedaling, and then he didn’t come up with it.”
Burke then gave up a run-scoring single Andrew Benintendi, snapping the tie.
The Angels also could have helped themselves by scoring more than two runs. Strickland could have done better when he entered to face of the bottom of the order.
It added up to another ugly loss for the Angels (63-94), who are now just one loss away from equaling the franchise record.
The positive on the night was Kochanowicz, who needed just 82 pitches to get 21 outs, including 12 of them on 11 ground balls. He induced one double play, ending the seventh. That came at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat.
“He was outstanding,” Washington said. “He gave us seven innings. In that last inning, they worked him pretty good to get through that inning. And he got through it. He had done his job.”
Kochanowicz struck out four and didn’t walk any. He used the same formula as for most of his rookie season, pounding the strike zone with sinkers.
Kochanowicz, 23, lowered his ERA to 4.01 through his first 10 major league starts, including 2.63 in the eight starts since he returned from a brief stint in Triple-A.
He might have started his final game of the season. The Angels could start him in the final game of the season, on Sunday. They could also opt to end a season that has seen him pitch 160⅓ innings across all levels, up from 94 last year.
“It’s been good,” Kochanowicz said of his current run of success. “It’s been good to just kind of build some confidence, for sure. Just to know where my feet are. Just building to next year. Just gives me some good confidence.”
