Suddenly, the Angels have won four of their last five. What sparked the turnaround?
Sarah ValenzuelaJuly 20, 2023
The Angels went through a catastrophic stretch in late June and early July, losing nine out of 10 games before the All-Star break and losing Mike Trout to a wrist fracture adding to a growing list of injuries the team was navigating.
Then Shohei Ohtani was removed from his start against the Astros last Friday due to lingering right middle finger sensitivity
due to after
a cracked nail
that
worsened into a blister. The eventual 7-5 loss was the Angels’ sixth in a row.
Since then, the Angels recovered some ground and clawed back above .500 by winning four of their last five games, including a sweep of the Yankees, one of the teams ahead of the Angels in the wild-card chase.
Although the Angels remain 4.5 games out of the final wild-card spot and FanGraphs gives them a 14.3% chance to reach the postseason, there appears to be signs of life. That momentum will be tested during a nine-game road trip starting next week that includes games against Toronto (a wild-card team) and Atlanta (best record in the National League) and will run through the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Chase Silseth continues Angels’ stellar pitching in sweep of Yankees
So what changed? Before the Angels take on the Pirates at home starting Friday, here are three takeaways from their first six games out of the break.
The starting pitching settled down
There was a snag in the rotations collective effectiveness that created a snowball effect that impacted the bullpen, similar to what happened early in the season. But after three straight strong starts against the Yankees, the starting pitching has started to trend back in the right direction. In the last three wins, Angels starters pitched to a 1.93 earned-run average, compared to the 7.35 ERA in the 13 games prior to that.
They also pitched deeper during those wins, with Griffin Canning and Chase Silseth pitching into the sixth inning, and Patrick Sandoval pitching into the eighth.
The rotations success is a big part of how the Angels picked up key wins through May and June. Its continued effectiveness will better complement the Angels offense which has held steady despite injuries and other changes, ranking in the top 10 in MLB in runs (sixth with 485), home runs (third with 147) and OPS (fifth at .778).
How do the Angels turn things around? Keep the ‘same attitude, same effort, same focus’
Our offense is doing their part, Angels manager Phil Nevin said. They have
been
even through some struggles there. Youre gonna have little hiccups here and there. Towards the beginning of the season we lost a few, were gonna do that again. Its just how you rebound from those things. Its a very resilient room.
The offense has picked up
Speaking of the offense, the Angels navigated several changes to the lineup starting in late June, which was reflected in the production, as the Angels averaged a little more than four runs a game during their 1-10 stretch.
Some things have shored up with the return of shorstop Zach Neto from the injured list right out of the break, allowing for a consistent top of the lineup of Neto in the leadoff spot, Ohtani batting second, and Mickey Moniak and Taylor Ward batting third or fourth depending on the game. All four have homered at least once during this homestand, and Ohtani continues to do Ohtani things as he leads the majors with 35 home runs.
Expect more offensive help to arrive whenever Brandon Drury (shoulder bruise), Trout (hamate fracture surgery recovery) and Logan OHoppe (labrum tear surgery recovery). Drury is expected back soonest, possibly before the end of July. OHoppe and Trout could come back by August but it could be later than that.
Nevertheless, without Trout and Drury, the Angels put up 26 runs against the Astros including 13 in a wild comeback win last Saturday and 16 against the Yankees. The mood after Wednesdays game?
What Zach Neto’s oblique strain and Gio Urshela’s pelvis fracture mean for Angels’ depth
I dont know about the other guys but I’m feeling pretty good after that, both sides of this whole homestand, Taylor Ward said. Its really exciting.
Can the defense stay sharp?
Defensive mistakes or miscues are easy to forget in a win. In a loss, like Fridays against the Astros, they are glaring.
That said, the Angels do need to continue to play as clean baseball as they had against the Yankees. Neto shores things up defensively, too he’s committed four errors in 61 games and has a .983 fielding percentage this season.
It’s a point that’s magnified when you consider the odds the Angels are facing as they chase a playoff spot.
Mistakes happen. Ill never have a problem with mistakes, Nevin said after that Friday loss. Its what happens after the mistakes. The next play is too damn important for our team and for the player and for our fans, quite frankly, to let those plays affect us.
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