Entering play on June 10, the Los Angeles Angels have an uphill climb if they intend to compete for the American League West crown or make the postseason at all.
Sitting 6.5 games back of the Texas Rangers and 1.5 back of the Houston Astros, manager Phil Nevin’s club is locked into a tough division. With a record of 35-30, the Angels have played quality baseball, but still find themselves on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.
However, the fine line between falling out of the division and Wild Card is a huge issue, with this season being monumental toward the franchise’s future. But a few areas need to click their way, and when they do, the Angels believe they’ll come out on the plus side, via Sam Blum of the Athletic:
“It’s a long season, obviously we’ve got to start picking it up,” Angels center fielder Mike Trout said Saturday, before saying his team should “for sure” be able to hang with Houston.
Taylor Ward has been coming on as of late, Trout should break out of his odd funk relatively soon, and Shohei Ohtani seems to be figuring out his offense. When the pieces on offense click, they have a solid recipe for success:
“Of course, man. We’ve got the stuff,” Angels closer Carlos Estévez said of his team’s ability to hang with the division’s best. “We’ve got the guys. We’ve got the pitchers. I believe so. Things happen during the game. That’s what we’ve got to clean up and get better.”
A large thorn in their side remains their inability to have consistent production from their starting rotation. From May 15-June 6, they’ve held a collective 4.61 ERA with a 5-9 record. Meanwhile, the bullpen has held up their end, posting a 3.86 ERA.
The unfortunate position is a familiar one for Angels clubs, a lack of offense. Nevin’s offense scored an average of three runs per game in their four-game set against the Astros, losing three of the four.
That type of flip in a close division race is enough to put distance between the two teams as they both battle it out to keep pace. More needs to be figured out with the Angels, the needs heading into the summer have to become clear so general manager Perry Minsasan can have a shot to make the necessary moves.
Angels may have Shohei Ohtani pitch more often
Tyler Anderson, Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez were all expected to complement Ohtani as valuable members of the rotation. However, that has not proven to be the case.
There are positives to look toward as the talent level remains high and with the off days this month, Minasian is considering using those to keep his best arms on the mound as much as possible.
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