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Angels try to shake off slump with early and extra BP session

May 3, 2026

ANAHEIM — The Angels were going the extra mile on Saturday with multiple players taking early batting practice on the field against the breaking-ball pitching machine, while the hitters’ meeting had an increased sense of urgency.

Mired in a seven-game losing streak entering Saturday’s game against the New York Mets, the Angels were coming off a series-opening loss when their last 21 batters were retired in succession against five different pitchers.

Hitters like Jorge Soler, Yoan Moncada, Josh Lowe, Oswald Peraza and Jo Adell all were in the early BP session Saturday.

“Some of the guys were working on breaking balls,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Jo did some breaking balls and some fastballs. Just getting some extra work in.”

The breaking-ball machine is a regular training tool, but it was brought out into the sunshine Saturday.

“Yeah, (it’s) seeing the ball flight,” Suzuki said. “I know for myself, that was something huge that I like to see the ball flight. You can see it fading, cutting. You can kind of see how true it is off the bat.”

Suzuki even sat in on the hitters’ meeting after the extra session ended and before regular pregame batting practice began. His goal was to test the temperature of the team’s hitters.

“I try to do things individualized like that,” Suzuki said. “But I think for me, it’s the daily communication with these guys, so you don’t need to have a big meeting. I’m literally talking to these guys every single day, constant communication. That way it’s never panic. It’s like, ‘No, I talk to you guys every day, and we keep going about our business and keep working to get out of this.’”

During a four-game losing streak last month, the Angels scored six total runs. They finished off a 7-3 home victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on April 22 before starting the skid they brought into the current homestand.

On days the pitching staff performed, the offense struggled. On the occasions the offense put runs on the scoreboard, the bullpen melted down. There was also a 12-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals thrown into the mix.

The Angels entered Saturday tied for fourth in the major leagues with 43 home runs. But they were 12th in on-base percentage (.327) and 24th in batting average (.232). Even with all of those home runs, the team was 11th in runs scored (153).

Suzuki said that while his experience is limited as a manager trying to get an entire team out of a slump, he knows the feeling from an individual standpoint after playing 16 major league seasons.

“Obviously, the first month you do it, you can tend to panic. It gets overanalyzed,” Suzuki said. “If it’s in the middle of the year, you’re kind of like, ‘Yeah, it’s a skid.’ But at the same time, you just gotta stay with the work. You gotta trust that what you’re doing is the right thing.”

His goal in the meeting was to remind players to keep trusting in each other.

“I just said, the thing that’s special about them is they really, truly care about each other,” Suzuki said. “That stuff is special. We can fix mechanics, we can teach, but that stuff right there is different. So stay with that, and eventually we’ll get out of this, and we’ll be enjoying ourselves.”

A MAJOR HAPPENING

The minor league game at Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday had a major league feel with three Angels pitchers taking the mound.

One of them was right-hander Kirby Yates, who was supposed to pitch with the Single-A team Thursday as he recovers from a knee injury. But he was inadvertently left off that day’s roster and ended up throwing a bullpen session at the facility instead.

“Obviously, we would like him throwing a game, but we addressed the issue,” Suzuki said. “… It was a simple issue. I don’t know what went into it, but we know he didn’t pitch.”

In addition to Yates, right-hander Alek Manoah (finger) was scheduled to pitch for the Quakes as was right-hander Ben Joyce (shoulder). None of the three pitchers have appeared in a game for the Angels this season.

“The good thing is, they’re close. The bad thing is they’re all on (the injured list),” Suzuki said. “So I think we look at the bright side that it’s close.”

On Sunday, right-hander Ryan Johnson is scheduled to pitch for Rancho Cucamonga. Johnson has been out since the beginning of April with a viral infection followed by a hamstring injury.

AWAITING WORD

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi underwent an MRI on his shoulder Friday, but Suzuki said the club is not ready to reveal specifics from the exam.

“They want to be thorough,” he said. “They want to make sure they get all the information before sharing.”

Suzuki departed his road start against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday after two innings. He is 0-3 this season with a 5.81 ERA over seven starts.

ALSO …

After getting hit in the right leg by a comebacker Friday and departing the game, right-hander Walbert Ureña appears on track to make his next scheduled start. Urena held the Mets scoreless into the sixth inning before he departed and was eventually charged with a run.

UP NEXT

Mets (RHP Clay Holmes, 3-2, 1.75 ERA) vs. Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 2-0, 3.09), Sunday, 1:07 p.m., Angels Broadcast Television, 830 AM, 1330 AM

Orange County Register

News Details

Angels try to shake off slump with early and extra BP session

A MAJOR HAPPENING

AWAITING WORD

ALSO …

UP NEXT

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