Season's one-third point marked by streaks, Halos 'have to ride the wave'

ANAHEIM -- The Angels officially reached the one-third mark of the 2025 season, playing their 54th game of the year on Tuesday against the Yankees.

And if there’s one thing we know about this club, it’s that the Angels are a streaky bunch.

After reeling off an eight-game win streak powered by the offense, the bats have gone cold recently and they’ve now lost four in a row. Those offensive woes continued in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at Angel Stadium, as the Angels struck out 10 times in seven innings against Carlos Rodón and didn’t score until the ninth inning.

After averaging 7.6 runs per game during their eight-game winning streak, they’ve averaged just more than one run per game during their four-game skid, scoring five combined runs.

"It seems like when we go bad, everybody goes bad,” manager Ron Washington said. “We’re searching, we’re working, we’re putting in the time, and we’ve just got to get it done between those white lines.”

It’s emblematic of their season, as they started off hot, went cold, got hot again and are now cooling down again. Here’s a look at where things stand a day after Memorial Day with the Angels 25-29 on the year:

The offense has been too streaky

The Angels got out to an 8-4 start on the year and averaged 5.4 runs per game over that stretch before falling into a funk, going 5-16 over their next 21 games and scoring 2.5 runs per contest. But then came another uptick in offense, as they went 12-5 over their next 17 games, averaging exactly six runs per game.

Taylor Ward is the club’s streakiest hitter and the team’s offense seems to click when he has it going at the plate. He recently set a franchise record by recording an extra-base hit in 10 straight games, but has gone 1-for-11 in three games since then, including striking out with two runners on base to end the third on Tuesday.

"We just have to ride the wave,” said catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who popped up on a 3-0 fastball from Yankees reliever Devin Williams to end the game. “It passes and comes and goes for better and for worse. But our approach doesn’t change.”

The starting pitching has mostly held up

The Angels remain the only club in the Majors to use just five starting pitchers, with lefty Tyler Anderson turning in another strong season. He was solid against the Yankees on Tuesday, limiting them to two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

He’s posted a 3.39 ERA in 11 starts and has built on his All-Star campaign from last year.

José Soriano (3.73 ERA) and Jack Kochanowicz (5.07 ERA) both get grounders at an elite rate, which helps them get out of jams via double plays, but both have seen their walk rates increase this year. Soriano has been a bit more inconsistent than expected, while Kochanowicz hasn’t settled into a groove like he did last year and his strikeout rate (15.2%) remains concerning.

Veteran Kyle Hendricks (5.23 ERA) has been better recently with a 4.15 ERA in five starts in May, while Yusei Kikuchi (3.17 ERA) has also been much better this month, with a 1.91 ERA in five outings. The starters have mostly kept the Angels in games, but the offense has been inconsistent, while the front end of the bullpen has also scuffled.

"I feel like we've been trying to do our job,” Anderson said. “Everyone's kind of grown together, some guys have had some bad ones here and there but bounced back. We’re just trying to grow.”

The defense has been an issue

The Angels have played below-average defense this year, as they rank 27th in defensive runs saved and tied for 19th in Statcast’s outs above average. The defense hurt them in Monday’s series opener, when Yoán Moncada couldn’t handle a grounder to third from Aaron Judge with two runners on base and nobody out.

It happened again on Tuesday, as center fielder Matthew Lugo had a rough sixth inning. He dropped a long fly ball from Cody Bellinger near the wall for a three-base error and then misjudged a shallow fly ball from Anthony Volpe. It fell in for an RBI single despite a 70 percent catch probability, while the Bellinger fly ball had a 95 percent catch probability.

"Those types of plays have got to be made, and we didn't,” Washington said. “It was a play that should have been made, and they capitalized on it."