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Angels midseason report: Clock is ticking to turn things around

July 12, 2023

FIRST-HALF REVIEW

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Angels (45-46) have been consistently inconsistent, at times getting by because of their offense and at times with their pitching. There have only been rare moments when both were clicking at once. Hopes were high during a late June stretch when they won 11 of 14 games to reach eight games over .500. At that point, they were in a playoff position. After that, though, they finished the first half in a tailspin, losing nine of 10. Lately, they’ve been decimated by injuries, with center fielder Mike Trout, third baseman Anthony Rendon, infielder Brandon Drury, shortstop Zach Neto and infielder Gio Urshela all getting placed on the injured list in the past month. Outfielder Jo Adell is also hurt, but not yet on the injured list. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe has been out since April.

SECOND-HALF PREVIEW

KEYS TO SUCCESS: Shohei Ohtani, of course, has had a sensational season, both at the plate and on the mound. Beyond him, though, most of the Angels have actually failed to live up to expectations, either because of injuries or poor performance. Players like outfielder Mickey Moniak and catchers Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach have all played well enough to cover some of the holes. The Angels have also made deals to acquire infielders Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas, veterans who are better than the type of fringe major leaguers the Angels have relied on as replacements in the past. They could get Neto, Rendon and Drury back in the first week after the All-Star break. Trout could be back by mid- to late August, and O’Hoppe could be back by the end of August.

BIGGEST CONCERN: The Angels’ pitchers have mostly been healthy, and they still haven’t performed. They rank 21st in the majors with a 4.42 ERA, including a major league-worst 7.73 ERA during their 1-9 stretch to finish the first half. They need left-handers Patrick Sandoval (4.41), Reid Detmers (4.31) and Tyler Anderson (5.25) to pitch better. All have been worse than in 2022.

TRADE POSSIBILITIES: The Angels are not expected to trade Ohtani, even if they slip farther out of contention, because they want to try to re-sign him in the winter. If they do continue their free fall, though, they could move players like outfielder Hunter Renfroe or left-handed reliever Matt Moore, who are both free agents at the end of the season. If they are still within striking distance of the playoffs in a couple of weeks and decide to add, they could use a hitter to pick up some of the production lost by the injuries. They have enough holes and enough versatile players that they could fit someone who plays any position.

SCHEDULE HURDLES: The Angels’ first two series after the break are at home against the Houston Astros (50-41) and New York Yankees (49-42), two of the teams they are chasing for a wild card berth. After that, it gets slightly easier with series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-49) at home and the Detroit Tigers (39-50) on the road. They then travel to face the Toronto Blue Jays (50-41), another team they are chasing. The series against the Astros, Yankees and Blue Jays are even more important because the tie-breaker for a playoff spot is head-to-head record. The Angels are 2-5 against the Astros with six games left. They are 1-2 against both the Yankees and Blue Jays, with three games left against each.

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Orange County Register