​The Los Angeles Angels followed one of their tried-and-true losing formulas again today against the Philadelphia Phillies, as the pitched well early, barely hit at all and gave up runs late in a 5-2 loss that extended their latest losing streak to seven games. The Angels did get on the board first in the first inning against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, as Wheeler walked Wade Meckler to open the game, then hit Mike Trout with a pitch. A single by Vaughn Grissom loaded the bases, but Wheeler escaped with minimal damaget with a double play ball from Moises Ballasteros that scored a run to make it 1-0. It was all Phillies offensively after that. They tied the game at 1-1 on a solo homer from J.T. Realmuto, and another homer by Edmundo Sosa in the seventh made it 2-1. Yusei Kikuchi started for the Angels and gave them a high-quality start, especially given his recent struggles on the rehab trail of late. He wound up pitching seven innings of two-run ball, as he scattered six hits and a walk to go with six strikeouts. The relieveres were a different matter, however. Philadelphia broke the game open in the eighth against Sammy Peralta, as Luis Arraez drove him a run with a sacrifice fly and Brandon Marsh singled him another one to make it 4-1. Bryce Harper doubled home an insurance run in the ninth, and the Angels mounted their usual token half-rally in the ninth as Mike Trout also doubled home a run to produce the 5-2 final score. It’s hard to know what to say about the Angels at this point. Loads of teams would love to have their starting pitching down the stretch, but it’s starting to look like they’ve quit on manager Kurt Suzuki, and most of this lineup is made up of hitters who would have trouble scoring runs and winning games at Triple-A.The Phillies will leave with fond memories of their three-game stay in Anaheim, but they’re still give games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, as the Braves have now one-upped Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak with a seven-game run of their own. The Angels will welcome the New York Yankees to town tomorrow night, and we all know how much Mike Trout loves to play against the Yankees, so at least there’s that to watch as the Angels continue to be a favored vacation destination for contenders looking for a few wins and a breather from the hot competition of a pennant race.