The Angels’ Gustavo Campero runs after hitting an RBI single for his first major league hit during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi hits a two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi hits a two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi watches the flight of his two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi, right, celebrates with teammate Luis Robert Jr. after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Vaughn watches the flight of his two-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Vaughn, right, celebrates with teammate Bryan Ramos after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Vaughn is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Jacob Amaya, below, slides home to score on a single by Luis Robert Jr. as Angels catcher Matt Thaiss stands at the plate during the second inning on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels catcher Matt Thaiss talks with starting pitcher Reid Detmers during the third inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. Detmers was charged with seven runs on seven hits (three homers) and three walks in 5-1/3 innings. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Lenyn Sosa watches the flight of his home run during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Lenyn Sosa hits a home run during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Lenyn Sosa, right, celebrates with teammate Miguel Vargas after hitting a home run during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel steals second base in front of the Chicago White Sox’s Jacob Amaya during the fourth inning on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Charles Leblanc hits a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Charles Leblanc watches the flight of his home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Charles Leblanc runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Charles Leblanc (33) celebrates with Manager Ron Washington as he returns to the dugout after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox second baseman Jacob Amaya fields a ground ball hit by the Angels’ Jordyn Adams during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Guillermo Zuñiga throws to the plate throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi hits a home run — his second of the game — during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi runs the bases after hitting a home run — his second of the game — during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels relief pitcher Guillermo Zuñiga gathers himself after giving up a home run to the Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Benintendi during the seventh inning on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels right fielder Gustavo Campero makes a catch on a ball hit by the Chicago White Sox’s Andrew Vaughn during the seventh inning on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Gustavo Campero runs after hitting an RBI single for his first major league hit during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas throws out the Angels’ Eric Wagaman at first base during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn throws to the plate during the eighth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Fraser Ellard throws to the plate during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Angels relief pitcher José Quijada throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Justin Anderson throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Chicago White Sox right fielder Zach DeLoach makes a sliding catch on a ball hit by the Angels’ Charles Leblanc for the final out of the game on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Chicago White Sox catcher Chuckie Robinson, left, and relief pitcher Justin Anderson congratulate each other after the final out of their 8-4 victory over the Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Angels’ Gustavo Campero runs after hitting an RBI single for his first major league hit during the seventh inning of their game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM — After two encouraging starts – against contenders – Reid Detmers turned in a dud against a historically awful team.
The Angels left-hander gave up seven runs in an 8-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox, who have lost 115 games.
The White Sox might be just six losses away from breaking the dubious record set by the 1962 New York Mets, but they still hammered Detmers. He gave up three runs in the first – on two homers – and then three more in the second.
Detmers gave up a third homer in the third inning, before settling down to get 10 more outs without further damage. He made it through 5⅓ innings.
“They’re still big leaguers,” Detmers said of the White Sox. “If you leave it over the plate, they’re gonna hit home runs. So you can’t leave pitches down the middle. Obviously, the pitches I had on the corners, they were fouling them off. Just trying to get a little too cute with it, leaving them over the plate. That’s when you give up home runs.”
Detmers had given up four runs in 12 innings in consecutive outings against the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins in his first two starts after returning from a three-month stint in Triple-A.
Angels manager Ron Washington said it was clear Detmers didn’t have the same command this time, and then he wasn’t able to adjust once he fell behind.
“Tonight it looked like he was fighting himself,” Washington said. “You can see the body language out there. He didn’t have the feel for the things he wanted to do. And when it didn’t happen, he didn’t stay focused and try to make it happen. Looked like he just gave in to it. That’s the type of thing that he’s got to fight. We all know what his ability is, but the mental side of it is where he has to fight.”
Offensively, the Angels got a pair of homers. Eric Wagaman (Aliso Niguel High, Orange Coast College) hit his first major league homer in the second. Charles Leblanc hit a homer in the fifth.
Gustavo Campero picked up his first major league hit with an RBI single in the seventh, pulling the Angels within 8-4.
The Angels (60-90) have lost their last six games and are 30 games under .500 for the first time since 1999. This is the quickest (150 games) they have reached 90 losses in franchise history.
With 10 consecutive losing seasons, the Angels are trying to avoid having the most losses in franchise history. They twice lost 95 games in a season – in 1968 and 1980.
Andrew Benintendi homered twice and drove in four runs for the White Sox, who have their first three-game winning streak in nearly three months. It is only the fourth time the White Sox have won at least three in a row – and the first since June 27-29, when they beat Atlanta and Colorado. Chicago took two of three from Oakland over the weekend to snap a string of 20 consecutive series losses. On Tuesday night, Chicago will try to match its season-high winning streak of four, which happened May 8-11 against Tampa Bay and Cleveland.