DENVER -- With the Angels out of contention in their 10th consecutive losing season, the club turns its eyes to the future. And that means that in the season’s waning days, veterans are looking to finish on a high note and youngsters are looking to prove they belong.
So in the Halos’ season-long eighth consecutive defeat, a 7-6 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night, the agenda was clear. One established player, in particular, and a trio of young hopefuls were able to take something from this contest even though the team fell short.
Prior to the game, first baseman Nolan Schanuel was activated from the injured list after missing nearly a month with a left wrist contusion. He said he felt it was important to work his way back from the injury before the season ended.
“It’s a great opportunity to move on to next year, to take whatever you’ve got on[ward],” Schanuel said. “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Schanuel will be able to take two more hits and two more RBIs with him into 2026. He picked up a single in the third inning and delivered a two-run double in the fifth.
At the other end of the spectrum, a trio of players who were recently called up will also take some valuable experiences from Friday’s game.
Christian Moore, the organization’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline before graduating from prospect status during his first call-up to the big leagues in June, launched his seventh home run, a Statcast-projected 430-foot laser over the left-field wall in the second.
Two batters later, Denzer Guzman, the club’s No. 9 prospect, belted his second career homer, another drive over the wall in left.
Mitch Farris, making his third career start, had to deal with the altitude and vast outfield of Coors. While he said it was “frustrating” that he didn’t give his club the best chance to win -- surrendering seven runs (six earned) over 4 1/3 innings -- he said he felt as though he “executed his pitches to a high level.”
After belting his third homer in the last five games, Moore reflected on his second stint in the Majors.
“I think [my goal is] really just to prove to myself that I can play up here,” said the 22-year-old, who was hitting .189/.302/.396 with three homers when he sprained his left thumb on July 2 and missed nearly a month.
“When I first came up, I think it was tough, just dealing with the injury at the time, and then obviously being in the big leagues and being young and going through those trials and tribulations.”
Trials and tribulations as a young player can lead to one of two outcomes: more struggles and a career that fizzles, or progress toward maturity in the Majors. And sometimes, a strong finish to a debut season despite early adversity can make a notable difference.
“You want to end your season off on a good note and feel like what you did, and all the stuff that you prepared for that year, paid off,” Moore said. “Then you go into the offseason, take a little break, and then get right back to it. It’s huge for me, definitely, just getting that confidence.”
Moore said that he gained valuable experience from being sent back down to the Minors earlier this month. That brief stint seems to have been a significant driver of his recent success.
“Just being a little humbled by going back down to Triple-A,” Moore said. “Those two weeks definitely got my head back to where it needed to be. I got hungry again, and I’m still hungry.”
With the Angels hungry for their first winning season since 2015, and their first postseason appearance since 2014, going into the offseason feeling relatively good about things is important.
They’ve got eight games remaining to do that following their longest losing streak since a franchise-record 14 straight defeats in 2022.
“We talked about it when they came up that they’re going to play,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said of Moore and Guzman. “And it’s good to see them doing good things. It’s unfortunate that they’re happening in consecutive losses like this, and nobody wants to see that.
“But they have to keep taking their ABs and getting their experience because it’s super valuable for their careers moving forward.”
Even in a lost season, the conclusion is important. After all, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.