Patrick Sandoval came into a Wednesday afternoon battle against the Philadelphia Phillies with a goal. And that was to erase the poor start that has defined his 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels thus far. The Halos had a chance to win their first series since the second series of the year, and Sandoval had been a contributor toward some of the team’s missteps in the first month.
Through April — six starts — Sandoval had a 6.33 ERA, a 1.778 WHIP and had 28 strikeouts compared to 14 walks in 27 innings. For an Opening Day starter, those numbers simply couldn’t continue for an entire season. And on Wednesday, he finally gave the Angels a glimpse of the pitcher that showed so much promise in 2022. He struck out 10 batters over five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.
And although the Angels lost 2-1, dropping their fourth consecutive series and eighth in 10 this season, Sandoval finally saw something positive from himself. He spoke about his mindset going in and how it helped in the afternoon bout, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I’m just trying to get back to who I am as a pitcher,” said Sandoval, who gave up two runs on four hits and two walks. “I don’t want any outside influences to dictate how I pitch or how I go about my work.”
While referring to both the offense and the pitching staff, Taylor Ward offered some words of wisdom for the Halos roster that could directly apply to Sandoval as well.
“I think a lot of us are struggling, and so once we get back to what we’re supposed to do in the big leagues, things will turn around,” Ward said. “I think the last few days was a good step in that direction. We just have to get back to doing our thing.”
Perhaps the loss of both highest-paid players due to injury over the last two weeks has something to do with the Angels’ slump. And it’s possible that, with Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon sidelined, this is what the Angels are going to be this season. But on an individual level, players are still hoping to find success and a long-term home in Anaheim.
Angels superstar Trout speaks about knee injury
It was a frustrating day for both Trout and the entire Angels organization when it was announced that he would miss the next 8-12 weeks undergoing knee surgery for a torn meniscus. Barely holding back tears, Trout spoke about how he is going to approach his rehab and get back to baseball as soon as possible. The hope is that he can return this season.
