After winning the first four series of the 2025 season, the Angels have now lost the most recent two series and are riding a 4 game losing streak. Houston and Texas are the big boys in the division and it feels like this past week was a reminder that we aren’t on their level. At least not yet.
But if I told you all back in March that the Angels would go 9 and 9 through the first 18 games, knowing that 15 were on the road, I think most of you would’ve taken that. I’m sure I would. A mixed record is the result of some mixed results for the team.
Only two teams have hit more home runs than the Angels and they’ve had extra games to do so. 11 squads have struck out in greater numbers than the Angels, which means they are just a tad below average in that department.
But our boys rank 23rd in On Base Percentage largely due to ranking 17th in batting average. Not enough hits, not enough walks, but when the hits do come they leave the yard.
There is some reason to think more hits will start falling in for our squad. Take a look at this:
That’s the profile of an All Star. Well above average in expected on base and slugging rates, nice K and walk rates, and a great barrel rate. As of this writing that hitter’s slash line is .179/.278/.463. So one could say Mike Trout should get hot soon.
Now take a look at Jo Adell’s page. The good clearly outweighs the bad but the bottom line results simply are not there…yet.
Over the course of a season, numbers tend to even themselves out. Hopefully Trout and Adell’s expected production and their actual production line up soon.
And the team will add a nice bat in the form of Zach Neto. Our shortstop has been on the mend, but will be back with the squad this weekend. And he put up some nice numbers while in AAA Salt Lake.
Not only will Neto boost the offense, his presence should prevent Kevin Newman from continuing his .136/.136/.136 slash line too often.
While I’m focusing on the offense, the primary reason for those 9 losses is pitching. The continual Achilles heel of the Angels, the team is still looking for answers and drawing blanks. The Halos are 28th in the league in ERA. You simply aren’t going to be good when you give up that many runs.
Continuing to grasp at straws and former Braves to solve this problem, Perry Minasian signed Hector Neris to a minor league deal this week.
Hopefully there’s a much more impactful addition to the staff coming soon. Caden Dana is on a tear.
Spraying to all fields, Rhett at the main site did an Ask Me Anything that is pretty informative.
As for my Highlight of the Week, I’m going with my heart here. The vintage Mike Trout swing is truly a thing of beauty. And we saw one last Friday.
Up next are my second favorite team, the SF Giants. I saw Jung Hoo Lee play this Spring and the kid looks the part. He’s flying under the national radar but is beginning to look like a legitimate star. That’s a really nice piece from FanGraphs.
From around baseball:
Team USA will have a new captain for 2026 and Mike Trout can’t wait to play next to him.
Andrew McCutchen is a great guy and universally respected in the game. So when you throw near his head, even maybe unintentionally, you get suspended. Why the dustup? Because of this scary, and accidental, but nonetheless painful event the night before.
Yeah, that’s a broken nose and an IL stint right there. Baseball is a far more dangerous game than people realize. Hope he’s fine soon.
How much would you have won betting both Atlanta and Baltimore would be sitting dead last in their divisions at this point in the season? Will either of them make the playoffs?
Happy Easter to those who celebrate and I hope others in the community are having a nice Passover celebration. I was very pleased to see a robust celebration of Jackie Robinson this past week and Jackie all over the front page of CtPG.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Jackie helped pave the way for most of the greatest relationships in my life. No sportsman has ever impacted the day to day life of a nation more than Jackie. And I’m thankful for the positive impact Jackie had on my life.
Link what I missed and enjoy your weekend.
