ANAHEIM ― The Angels went to work quickly Monday, intent on reversing their recent fate.

Their second batter of the game, Shohei Ohtani, hit a line drive into and out of the glove of Boston Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story for a single. Mike Trout hit the next pitch from Michael Wacha into left field for a clean line-drive single. It was his first hit after 26 consecutive at-bats without one, the longest drought of Trout’s career.

The Angels’ bats packed it in just as quickly.

Jared Walsh hit a line drive to first baseman Franchy Cordero, who threw to second base to pick off Ohtani, who had wandered too far toward third base. The double play ended the first inning, and the Angels never got another runner past second base en route to a 1-0 loss before an announced crowd of 29,395 at Angel Stadium.

The loss was the Angels’ 12th in a row, the second-longest losing streak in franchise history. It matched the single-season record of consecutive losses set from Sept. 19 to Oct. 2, 1988.

Only two other teams – the 1978 Oakland A’s and 1970 Chicago Cubs – pulled 10 games above .500 before losing at least 10 in a row to fall below .500 in the same season.

“I don’t think anybody here is pressing the panic button,” Angels pitcher Noah Syndergaard said. “We’ve lost 12 in a row, but we have the talent, the guys, everything around to easily win 12 in a row. I don’t think there’s a guy in here that’s too worried but still taking it in a serious manner each day, getting your work in, focusing on being a good teammate, trying to win some ball games.”

After escaping the first-inning jam, Wacha (4-1) allowed only one hit over the game’s final eight innings. He threw 105 pitches and struck out six. The right-hander has a 1.99 ERA this season after handing the Angels their fifth shutout loss of 2022.

Syndergaard deserved better.

The right-hander rebounded nicely from a rough outing in New York six days earlier, in which he allowed five runs in 2⅓ innings against the Yankees. This time he allowed just one run in six innings, despite not coaxing a swing-and-miss from a Boston batter until the fourth.

Syndergaard (4-4) pitched around some hard contact early. Of the five hits he allowed, only one went for extra bases: a double by Xander Bogaerts in the third inning. After that, he retired 10 batters in a row, finishing the sixth inning with his 99th pitch.

Boston scored its only run with two outs in the second inning. Alex Verdugo was on first base as the result of a single when Christian Vazquez ran up a full count. Syndergaard missed over the plate with the eighth pitch of the at-bat, a slider, and Vazquez pounded it to center field for a single.

Verdugo, running all the way, scored ahead of the throw from Trout in center field. Vazquez ultimately wound up on third base after a throwing error, but Syndergaard came back to retire Jackie Bradley Jr. to end the inning.

A 96.2-mph fastball to Bradley in the second inning was the fastest pitch he’s thrown since April, according to Statcast.

“Still building up,” Syndergaard said of his velocity. “Moreso focusing and trusting my delivery. As the season goes on I think it’ll creep up more and more, just as I get more comfortable and confident with my delivery. I’m not too concerned about it.”

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Jimmy Herget threw two scoreless innings in relief of Syndergaard. Andrew Wantz threw a scoreless ninth. The Angels have lost five one-run games during their losing streak.

Trout, who took extra batting practice against live pitching on the field before most of his teammates, also reached on a walk to lead off the seventh inning.

“When you’re grinding at the plate, just trying to get your timing right, it helped,” Trout said of his extra work early in the afternoon.

As is so often the case, one player could not lift the Angels out of their doldrums. The seventh inning ended when Max Stassi grounded into a double play – the game, and the losing streak, in a nutshell.

“Look up and down the lineup. It’s just not enough,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “We worked hard at it today. We’re going to work hard at it again tomorrow.”