The Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen struggles reached a painful new low on Friday night, as another late-inning lead slipped away in a 4-3 loss to the New York Mets, extending the team’s losing streak to seven games.

The Angels jumped out to a promising 3-0 lead, but the game took a dramatic turn in the sixth inning. Starting pitcher Walber Ureña, who had been effectively wild through five innings, was struck on the shin by a 103-mph line drive off the bat of Bo Bichette on the very first pitch of the inning. Though Ureña tried to shake it off and threw a couple of warm-up pitches, he ultimately left the game under his own power.

Manager Kurt Suzuki said the move was precautionary and that Ureña is expected to be fine—just a bruise, with no further testing needed. Before the injury, Ureña had been cruising, allowing just two hits and one run (which scored on the comebacker), striking out four, and walking three. His ability to get batters to chase pitches outside the zone was key, as 60% of his pitches were strikes despite only 44% landing in the zone.

“You can see him settling in a little bit now,” Suzuki said. “A few starts under his belt. Not pressure, but with the anxiety of going out there, you see him kind of moving slower, and it's fun to watch when he's like this.”

But once Ureña exited, the bullpen unraveled. Over four innings, the relievers surrendered three earned runs, turning a comfortable lead into another heartbreaking loss. The Angels’ bullpen has now allowed 28 earned runs over their last 28 1/3 innings—an ERA of nearly 9.00.

Left-hander Brent Suter spoke for the group, emphasizing accountability and resilience. “We're going to take accountability for it,” Suter said. “We're going to make some adjustments and keep on attacking. But the key is we've got to keep wanting the ball. Once you fold the tent and don't want the ball or don't want accountability, that's when stuff really goes wrong. So you've got to keep warrior effort and warrior mentality.”

For fans watching from home or the stands, the pattern is becoming all too familiar: a strong start, a bullpen collapse, and a silent offense after the first inning. The Angels will need to find answers quickly if they hope to snap this skid and get back on track.