The Los Angeles Angels posted five runs in the ninth inning of Sunday’s series finale against the Detroit Tigers. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the six-run deficit, bringing their six-game winning streak to an end and missing out on a weekend sweep. But it closed out an impressive month for the club, led by some impressive individual performers like Taylor Ward and Logan O’Hoppe.
The Angels went 15-11 in June, sweeping two series’, winning four and getting a 1-1 split against the L.A. Dodgers. While the strong stretch wasn’t enough to dig the Angels out of a hole in the standings, they have firmly established themselves as better than the basement-dwellers of the league and proving that the young roster can hold up.
For Ward, the late rally was a symbol of what the Angels are at their best and how they’ve been able to fight through the 2024 campaign after a tough start, according to Doug Padilla of The O.C. Register:
“This group, we’ve done it a few times this year and you just never know with us,” Ward said, about watching the rally he essentially started when he was hit near the face. “We can rally on you real quick. We just want to take it into Oakland and keep it going.”
The Angels are still 9.5 games back in both the American League West and in the wild card race, making a run unlikely this season. And it’s very possible that the team ultimately decides to sell when the trade deadline comes at the end of July.
But even if the Angels choose to go that route, they can take comfort knowing that their young core has done plenty to help turn the 2024 season around and contribute to an above-.500 month. Their six-game streak this week was the team’s longest since the final week of the 2022 campaign.
And the Halos could continue this stretch, as they have series’ against the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners coming up. Only the Mariners have a winning record this season.
Angels’ Taylor Ward viewed as likely trade candidate
The Angels are likely to still end the trade season as sellers. And if they do, they have plenty of options of players to move for prospects. Anonymous MLB executives believe Ward is the most likely to be traded. In fact, those same polled executives by Jim Bowden of The Athletic call Ward the third-most likely position player to be dealt at the deadline.