LA Angels Monday News Crash: Tests

MINNEAPOLIS — The Angels’ offensive malaise starts with the most fundamental problem: putting the ball in play.

The Angels struck out 13 times and had four hits in their 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.

During their 15-game slump, the Angels have reached double digits in strikeouts in 12 games. They have struck out in 32.7% of their plate appearances, while batting .188 and averaging 2.3 runs per game.

Logan O’Hoppe, who was the cleanup hitter on Sunday, said the blame belongs entirely on the players, not with hitting coaches Johnny Washington, Tim Laker or Jayson Nix.

“Once they leave what’s being told to them and step in the batters’ box, it’s totally up to them,” Ron Washington said. “We can’t hit for them. All we can do is give them the work, get them in the right direction, and they’ve got to take care of the rest. It’s not happening right now. And it’s not just one or two people. This is up and down the lineup.”

Other than Zach Neto, who had a double on Sunday, no one has been hitting well over the past week. The collective slump actually began on April 11, the day after the Angels (12-15) scored 10 runs and hit six homers. They haven’t scored more than five runs in a game since. They’ve lost 11 of the last 15 games, getting shut out three times and scoring one or two runs four times.

“The way we’re going right now, it’s not working,” Ron Washington said. “But all we can do is just keep grinding. That’s all we can do. We know we are better. It’s a matter of making the adjustments that we’ve got to make.”

“It’s got to be up to (the players) to go up there and put better at-bats together,” Washington said. “They’re working on it. They’re working every day. They’re talking every day. But once the game starts and those guys go between the lines, they’ve got to get it done. … It’s not just a couple guys in that lineup. It’s up and down the lineup and that includes all the big guys. If our big guys don’t go, where are we going?”

https://www.ocregister.com/2025/04/27/slumping-angels-hitters-strike-out-13-more-times-in-shutout-loss-to-twins/