ANAHEIM -- The first full month of the baseball season is complete with the Angels posting a 12-18 record after Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Tigers that saw them fail to hold a late two-run lead.
The Angels started off strong, winning nine of their first 14 games but have recently fallen into a rut, losing six in a row and 12 of their last 15 games. But they do have a break with their schedule in May, as they play 26 straight games in California, which is the longest such streak in club history (topping 23 in 2011 and ’21). The Angels, though, need to get going, as they’ve sputtered since their solid start.
Manager Ron Washington, however, is staying optimistic about his club and believes it can get back to the way it was playing at the start of the season.
“It's coming back together,” Washington said. “We’ve just got to stay in the process and stay the course and see where it takes us. But no sense in us getting down on ourselves right now. First two weeks of April, we played well. Last two weeks of April, we didn’t. We just have to keep working, continue to try to keep getting better.”
The offense has struggled
The Angels fared well early in the year offensively, especially with their power numbers. They were the first team to reach 30 homers and still rank well in that regard, as their 43 homers are tied for fifth in the Majors, including hitting two more against Detroit. But they are simply striking out too much and not walking enough.
Their 26.6 percent strikeout rate heading into May was the second-worst mark in the Majors ahead of only the Rockies at 28.4 percent. Last year, it was 23.7 percent, which ranked in the middle of the pack. The club has nine players with at least 50 plate appearances this season but only Luis Rengifo (14.8 percent) and Nolan Schanuel (16.4 percent) entered May with above-average strikeout rates. Kyren Paris (37.8 percent) and Logan O’Hoppe (36.6 percent) both closed April with two of the highest strikeout rates in the Majors.
They’re also not walking much as a team, as their 6.2 percent walk rate entering May was the worst mark in the Majors. Last year, it was 8.1 percent, which was tied for 15th in the Majors. They did take better at-bats in Seattle, but they’ve been in a team-wide slump over the last two weeks even with Zach Neto bringing a spark by returning from his offseason right shoulder surgery on April 18. Second baseman Christian Moore, ranked as the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has been heating up offensively and could be called on soon if he keeps it up.
The pitching has been inconsistent
The Angels have seen some bright spots from starters like Tyler Anderson and even Yusei Kikuchi, despite his record, but Jack Kochanowicz (5.29 ERA), José Soriano (4.50 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (6.65 ERA) have scuffled. And in the bullpen, veteran closer Kenley Jansen has been impressive and Ryan Zeferjahn has one of the highest strikeout rates in the Majors.
Much like the offense, they’re just not getting it done in terms of strikeouts and walks. They're striking out 18.7 percent of batters this season, which is the fourth-worst mark in the big leagues. And they're also walking 10.5 percent of opposing hitters, which is tied for the fourth-worst mark in the Majors.
The good news, however, is that there should be help on the way. Prospects such as Caden Dana (No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline), George Klassen (No. 3), Sam Aldegheri (No. 5) and Samy Natera Jr. (No. 16) are all pitching well in the Minors and could provide a boost sooner than later.
The defense has been underwhelming
The Angels closed April ranking third-to-last in the Majors with -20 Defensive Runs Saved, getting positive marks only at pitcher, second base and shortstop. Neto helps their defense and Paris has been a solid defender but the advanced metrics have Schanuel, O’Hoppe, Rengifo, center fielder Jo Adell and right fielder Mike Trout as among the worst defenders at their positions, according to DRS.
Statcast’s Outs Above Average has the club in the middle of the pack, ranking tied for 14th in that metric. Getting Yoán Moncada back at third base should help and Trout figures to get better with more experience, but he’s now dealing with a left knee injury he suffered on Wednesday.