Sure, the level of production Los Angeles is getting from their starters is good. The bottom line is, you can never have enough starting pitching. Michael Lorenzen has also been a nice surprise, pitching to a 3.05 ERA over seven starts.Īnd hey, even rookie starting pitcher Reid Detmers threw a no-hitter against Tampa Bay just a week ago! Ohtani, Syndergaard and Patrick Sandoval combine for a nice front three. While it seems incredibly redundant to continue to harp on the Halos’ lack of starting pitching, it’s still an issue. Now, let’s dive into the two true holes I believe this team possesses. And the corner outfield spots occupied by Ward and Marsh, as previously mentioned, are both giving phenomenal production.

370 on base percentage in his 14 games this season. Luis Rengifo has done a decent job filling in for the injured David Fletcher, posting a. Oh, and the designated hitter’s position is alright I suppose, with the monster bat of Ohtani occupying the spot.Ĭatchers Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki do serviceable jobs behind the dish. There you’ll find reliable starters like Jared Walsh at first base, and superstars like Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. Catcher, first base, second base, third base, and all of the outfield positions are solid at the moment. With a team that’s been so successful this season, naturally there are multiple positions that aren’t in need of adjustment. So, let’s dive into the holes this Angels roster has, and how they could possibly be fixed. Trout and Ohtani are great, but this team won’t succeed without the right pieces around those two generational superstars. The best teams in MLB have full, complete rosters that are filled with dependable players day in and day out. Star power can only get you so far in this league.

If the Angels truly want to conquer MLB, these holes need to be filled instead of ignoring them. While the Angels are oozing with talent, there are still issues that remain with this roster. Also with the three-headed monster of Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and Rasiel Iglesias in the pen, late wins are hard to come by against this team. Angels’ pitching has drastically improved in 2022 with the addition of Noah Syndergaard. 1B Mike Ford was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.Star third-baseman Anthony Rendon is starting to come back to form, racking up a higher WAR total than phenom Shohei Ohtani at 1.2. Manager Brian Snitker didn’t know the extent of Duvall’s injury after Sunday’s game. Duvall, the NL leader in RBIs last season and a Gold Glove winner, was placed on the injured list before the game. Interim manager Phil Nevin said Ward had a leg cramp and was fine.īraves: LF Adam Duvall could be facing season-ending surgery on his left wrist after hitting the outfield wall Saturday. Stassi’s RBI triple in the eighth made it 9-1.Īngels: Ward left the game for a pinch-runner after hitting a single in the eighth. It’s still fun to be around and be a part of it.”Īcuña’s RBI single in the seventh put Atlanta on the board. It’s been frustrating, but the team is playing good baseball. It’s probably the worst stretch of baseball that I’ve had in my life. “It’s been tough all season honestly,” Anderson said. The right-hander gave up seven runs and eight hits in three-plus innings. Rengifo scored on Stassi’s sacrifice fly.Īnderson (8-6) was 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in three starts this month but he looked more like the pitcher whose 6.91 ERA in June was the highest in the NL last month. Ward scored from first on the same play as right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Shohei Ohtani walked, advanced to third on Ward’s hard single that chased Anderson and scored on Rengifo’s single. The Angels tacked on three more in the fourth to go up 8-0. It just kind of loosened everyone up and kept us going.” “Once we scored those five, we scored runs the whole game. It’s a confidence booster,” Detmers said. Phil Gosselin followed with a walk, Brandon Walsh an RBI infield single and Andrew Velazquez an RBI single. Ward’s 13th homer barely cleared the wall in left-center before Jared Walsh and Luis Rengifo singled, and Stassi and Jo Adell each had an RBI single. 185 with only 39 runs in July, both last in the majors, but batted around to take a 5-0 lead in the first. You’re trying your damnedest but no matter what you do it doesn’t work.” That’s a tough place to be in as a pitcher.

Angels shortstop