Angels miss playoffs for 8th straight season after loss to Mariners

The Los Angeles Angels missed the postseason for the eighth straight campaign following a 9-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

Mariners designated hitter Carlos Santana hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to do most of the damage.

Santana's grand slam came off of Angels starter Jose Suarez, who allowed five earned runs over five innings.

The Angels' lone run came on a Taylor Ward sacrifice fly in the sixth, scoring Shohei Ohtani, who doubled two hitters earlier. Ohtani went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts.

"We've been playing better baseball lately, and we'll go out and have a good road trip now, but no, we've nothing to be ashamed of," interim manager Phil Nevin said, according to Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times.

Mike Trout didn't play, as it was a scheduled day off for the outfielder.

Los Angeles was 11 games over .500 in the middle of May but fired manager Joe Maddon less than a month later amid a historic losing streak that eventually reached 14 games.

The Angels haven't won more than 85 games since 2014 - their last playoff season - despite hefty payrolls and employing superstars like Ohtani and Trout.

*Shortened season
**15 games remaining