The Los Angeles Angels made the somewhat controversial decision to be buyers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, going for the team’s first postseason appearance since 2014. Since then, the Halos have lost five straight games and are back to .500 at 56-56.
Angels manager Phil Nevin, who has guided the team through plenty of ups and downs during his first full season at the helm, has had to manage injuries to nearly half of the team’s starting lineup. The five losses don’t appear to be a representation of who the Angels are, but the losses sting nonetheless.
Nevin spoke about the mentality of the clubhouse amid the losing streak and why he remains optimistic on the rest of the regular season, according to J.P. Hoornstra of The O.C. Register:
“Certainly the losses, the disappointment and the hurt, that’s a tough room to be in right now,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “We also know we have 51 games left, however many, and a lot of things can happen. We’ve seen a lot of messed-up baseball stuff happen in the last 50 games of a season. The last 30, if you will. Certainly, with the amount right now, it hurts. Yeah, everybody in there.”
The Angels can still begin to salvage their season by avoiding the sweep and dropping below .500 on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners. But three straight losses against their American League West opponents have put them in a tough spot.
Prior to Sunday’s game against the Mariners, the Angels are six games back of the final wild card spot in the AL postseason picture. But more importantly, three teams — including the Mariners, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees — sit ahead of them with the same goal.
If Nevin is going to inspire the clubhouse to turn things around, it almost has to begin with a victory on Sunday. A lot can happen in 50 games, but L.A. must pick up the offensive slack quickly to leave nothing up to chance.
Mike Trout’s next steps towards return are imminent
Angels superstar Mike Trout is still working his way back from a broken left hamate bone and the Angels offense has suffered as a result. But it appears he’s nearing a return as he progresses through the recovery stages.
“As soon as he feels good enough to swing and hit a ball, which I think is imminent, (a return) will be pretty quick after that,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “Once he can just get a feel for swinging a bat, it’s a pain tolerance thing. This is about the time, or the earliest that recovery starts to happen, and he’s right on top of that.”
