The White Sox offense reached a level of futility Saturday night not seen from the club since 1972 in a 1-0 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium.
The Sox's scoreless streak reached 32 innings, tied for the team's fourth-longest streak since 1912. The last time the Sox went that long without scoring in a single season was when they went 34 straight in May 1972. The Sox also were shut out for a third straight game for the first time since 1968, according to STATS, LLC.
"Offensively we're struggling, and we have to find a way to get around it and start putting some runs on the board," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You wear it if it's just one game, let alone three. We have to figure it out. We'll get there."
The slump spoiled a stellar performance from Sox right-hander James Shields, who gave up one run on two hits over eight innings.
Yunel Escobar led off the Angels' first with a triple to center field and he scored on Mike Trout's groundout for the game's only run.
The Angels reached base on a Tim Anderson fielding error in the third inning and a walk in the seventh, but Shields didn't give up another hit until Ji-Man Choi's double in the eighth.
"There are not very many times the leadoff hitter decides the game," Shields said. "It's a tough loss. We definitely want to win those games. There's no doubt about it. We just have to move on and start playing better baseball right now."
Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker outdid Shields, pitching a complete-game and squashing the Sox's ninth-inning comeback attempt.
Adam Eaton hit a leadoff double to left field in the ninth and Melky Cabrera followed with a one-out single to put runners on the corners.
But Todd Frazier and Justin Morneau struck out as Shoemaker completed his first career shutout. He gave up six hits and walked none while striking out 13.
"He was effective," Shields said of Shoemaker. "He was getting strike one, getting ahead in the count. He pitched well. You have to tip your cap to him."
The club record for consecutive scoreless innings is 39, set in 1968.
The Sox entered the night scoreless in their previous 23 innings. The Braves shut out the Sox last Sunday before the All-Star break, and the Angels pitched a 7-0 shutout Friday in the first game of the second half.
The previous two shutouts also spoiled solid performances from Shields and right-hander Miguel Gonzalez.
Only first baseman Jose Abreu reached base in the first five innings, on doubles in the first and fourth innings. But Abreu struck out with Eaton on second to end the Sox sixth, and they couldn't do anything with Cabrera's leadoff single in the seventh.
"Shields pitches his absolute butt off," Eaton said. "He can't give us a better outing than what he did. … Very frustrating, but we have to worry about tomorrow. We can't worry about how many innings we have not scored in. If we do that, we are going to grip the baseball a little tighter and grip the bats a little tighter and try to do too much."