Wobbling Angels enter All-Star break determined to end their slump when play resumes
It was hardly more than a year ago that the bottom last fell out of an Angels season, a franchise-record 14-game losing streak so unexpected and horrific that widely respected manager Joe Maddon was unceremoniously canned.
The skein in June left the Angels four games under .500 and 3.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. They never recovered.
Here it is 13 months later and the Angels have lost nine of 10 entering the All-Star break. They fell 10-5 to the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium after losing 11-4 a day earlier, dropping them to eighth in the American League wild card standings.
Three wild card berths are at stake, and the Angels are 4.5 games out of the final spot. In other words, they are in a worse position than last season after the 14-game losing streak.
The Freeway Series was a free fall for the Halos. The Dodgers hit five home runs in each game, offering a prelude to the Home Run Derby on Monday in Seattle.
The Dodgers scored a 10-5 win over the Angels at Dodger Stadium on Saturday and enter the All-Star break grateful injuries didn’t leave a bigger dent.
This isn’t to suggest that Angels manager Phil Nevin is about to be fired. Maddon’s defiance of front office interference into his decision-making was tolerated while the team won and made cutting him loose an easier call 13 games into the losing streak.
Where Maddon was clearly clever, Nevin is unquestionably stoic. Twice a day — before and after each game — Nevin repeats the same message through the square jaw of a military man: The Angels have playoff-caliber talent. Injuries will heal. The losing will end.
“I keep telling you I’m not going to make excuses, but we are going through a hard time,” he said. “We’ve had two weeks where it’s been, for a lot of reasons, rough. We’ve had our share of injuries but we just have not played well.”
Nevin was the third-base coach under Maddon and replaced him after all but one of the 14 consecutive losses a year ago. Yet he couldn’t pull the Angels back into contention.
Phil Nevin was once known for his hot temper. The interim Angels manager has harnessed the passion and now hopes to lead the team to success.
Does he feel this squad is better equipped to bounce back?
“I know we are a much better team than what we had last year,” he said. “We are in a better position.... We go on one little nice run, which we are capable of doing, and we are right back in this deal.”
Nevin caught himself, recognizing his choice of words could be misconstrued.
“I’m not saying we aren’t in it,” he continued. “We are. We got to play better.”
And hopefully stem the nearly daily injuries. Jo Adell became the latest player sidelined when he pulled an oblique muscle during his at-bat in the first inning and left the game.
“I took a swing and felt something tug on the left side and knew I probably wouldn’t be able to put any more swings up, so I got taken out,” he said. “I’ll know more in the next couple days.”
Adell was called up from triple A Friday to replace center fielder Mike Trout, who is out for four to eight weeks after fracturing his left wrist. Now Adell is in limbo along with third baseman Anthony Rendon (deep shin bruise) and outfielder Taylor Ward (pulled groin), not joining the 14 Angels on the injured list, but not healthy either.
It’s painful, but Bill Plaschke argues the Angels have no chance of retaining Shohei Ohtani and must trade him to get as much as possible in return.
The Angels (45-46) dipped under .500 for the first time since they were 11-12 in April. Is this as bad as it will get, or have the last two weeks been an inevitable regression to the mean?
If this is who they are, general manager Perry Minasian might shift from acquisition mode and take trade deadline offers for two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who hit his 32nd home run Saturday.
But first comes the deep breath of a six-day All-Star break. Some injuries should heal. Resolve should be renewed. The Angels desperately need the time off ahead of a homestand that begins with the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, both ahead of them in the wild card hunt.
Nevin admitted as much.
“Getting away from it for these five days couldn’t come at a better time, to be honest with you,” he said.
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