Angels star Mike Trout backs away from the plate after swinging at a pitch in the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Latz throws to the Angels in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Angels’ Jo Adell celebrates his RBI double in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager follows through on a single in the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia follows through on a three-run home run in the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run as Angels shortstop Zach Neto, rear, looks on in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia (53) and Wyatt Langford, center, celebrate Garcia’s three-run home run as Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe kneels by the plate in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Joc Pederson advances to third on a Josh Jung double in the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Kyle Higashioka follows through on a sacrifice fly that scored Joc Pederson in the first inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels first baseman Oswald Peraza fields a ground ball off the bat of the Texas Rangers’ Joc Pederson in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford reaches out to catch a fly out hit by the Angels’ Jo Adell in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager follows through on a solo home run swing in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery makes a pitching change after talking with the infield and starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz, center in huddle, during the fourth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz walks around the front of the mound after giving up a double to the Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia, rear, during the fourth inning on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas. Recalled from Triple-A to make a spot start, Kochanowicz was charged with 11 runs in less than four innings in a 20-3 loss. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Angels’ Christian Moore hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Christian Moore celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Luis Curvelo winds up to deliver to the Angels in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels infielder Oswald Peraza, working as a pitcher, throws to the plate during the seventh inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia follows through on a two-run double as Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe and umpire Alan Porter look on during the seventh inning on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels position player Oswald Peraza (10), working as a relief pitcher in a blowout loss, hands the ball to interim manager Ray Montgomery, right, as position player Niko Kavadas, left, waits to take the ball during the seventh inning of a game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery walks off the field after making a pitching change involving a pair of infielders — yes, it was that kind of game — during the seventh inning of a 20-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels first baseman Niko Kavadas, working as a pitcher, throws to the plate during the seventh inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Kyle Higashioka follows through on a three-run home run swing as Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe and umpire Alan Porter look on during the seventh inning on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The score is displayed on a video board inside Globe Life Field after the Angels lost to the Texas Rangers, 20-3, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia (53) and Joc Pederson, right, celebrate with the rest of the team after their 20-3 rout of the Angels on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery speaks to reporters before a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
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Angels star Mike Trout backs away from the plate after swinging at a pitch in the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas — The test for Jack Kochanowicz and the Angels is now going to be if they can undo the damage done by this nightmare season.
Recalled from Triple-A to make a spot start, Kochanowicz was charged with 11 runs in the Angels’ 20-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. The Rangers scored the final eight runs with Angels infielder Oswald Peraza on the mound.
“You don’t want to let the one year or parts of a year define your career or who you are,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said of Kochanowicz. “He’s 24 years old. He’s got a bright future, and we’re trying to work through the different scenarios of what he needs to do to continue to be successful here or to gain success here, and we just have to get back to the drawing board a little bit and get him on that track.”
“It’s tough,” Kochanowicz said. “It’s obviously tough. It’s not a fun time out there, but I feel good. I’m young. I’ll figure it out.”
Kochanowicz started 23 games in the majors this season, and it would be a surprise if he started another this season. He’s already been sent to the minors twice.
Kochanowicz got this opportunity because the Angels decided to give left-hander Tyler Anderson an extra day on paternity leave and they believed that Kochanowicz was more rested than right-hander Caden Dana, who threw 99 pitches for Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
If this was the end of Kochanowicz’s major league season, the Angels will need to spend the time between now and spring training rebuilding his confidence and helping him solve whatever physical issues left him so ineffective.
They have seen him perform well.
Last year, he posted a 3.99 ERA in 11 starts, including a 2.78 ERA in nine starts after a brief demotion to Triple-A. That was enough to earn him a spot in the rotation out of spring training, even though he and Reid Detmers performed similarly in Arizona.
Since the season began, Kochanowicz has shown few glimpses of the pitcher he was last year.
“Just not where I need to be with my mechanics,” Kochanowicz said. “It’s not really just one issue. Feel like it’s just the start of my mechanics on every single pitch. Obviously, not where I need to be, but all I can do is work on it.”
To put it simply, he’s thrown too many balls over the middle of the plate. On Wednesday night, Kochanowicz gave up nine hits, including three home runs and two doubles. Five of those came on pitches essentially right over the middle of the plate.
“I think I’m just not confident in myself enough out there at the moment,” Kochanowicz said. “You’ve really got to trust your stuff to have success. And I’ve said it a ton, a ton of times last year, I was just really trusting my stuff. I just need to get back to that.”
Adolis Garcia got a first-pitch sweeper over the middle of the plate and he pounded it over the fence for a three-run homer in the first, quickly putting to rest the notion that Kochanowicz might be better this time.
Joc Pederson’s three-run homer in the second inning came on a changeup that was just below the zone. Even though it wasn’t a strike, it was still probably too high against a left-handed power hitter.
The Rangers hit 10 balls at more than 100 mph against Kochanowicz, including four that were outs.
The Angels tried to get as much as they could out of Kochanowicz, in part because the bullpen had worked four innings the night before and also to give him the opportunity to take something positive from the game.
He couldn’t even get out of the fourth, though. He gave up his third homer of the game, followed by three straight hits, before the Angels pulled the plug.
“He’s down,” Montgomery said. “He’s taking a few hits. Call it what it is. He’s taking a few hits. He knows that. Just in talking to him after the game, the good thing about him is he knows sort of the reality of that. He’s taking it head on, and he’s not running from it. So that’s good.”
Left-hander Andrew Chafin, right-hander Robert Stephenson and right-hander José Fermin pitched before the Angels turned the game over to position players. Peraza, pitching for the second time in a week, only recorded one out and gave up eight runs. First baseman Niko Kavadas got the final four outs.
The Angels (62-71), who fell a season-worst nine games under .500, gave up 20 runs for the first time since 2018, coming up one run shy of the franchise record.
Although the game was lost early, the Angels hitters didn’t even do much to pad their stats against the Rangers, who deployed a bullpen game.
Jo Adell drove in his 82nd run of the season with a first-inning double. Christian Moore hit his fourth homer of the season. Zach Neto had two doubles.
Mike Trout went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, extending his home run drought to 17 games. It’s the fourth-longest streak of his career.
