OC Register: Angels bracing for tough homestand against A’s and Dodgers

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels, who have gotten off to a slow start, are about to face a tough test.

This week the Angels will have a six-game homestand including three games against the Oakland A’s and three against the Dodgers.

The A’s took an eight-game winning streak and an 11-4 record into Sunday’s game, and the Dodgers were off to a 10-5 start.

“I’m looking forward to playing both of those teams, I really am,” Maddon said before Sunday’s game. “I do believe that we’re going to start hitting. I like the way the pitching is trending.”

The Angels entered the final game of Sunday’s trip hitting .211, which was 12th in the league.

Maddon shuffled the lineup, moving slumping Anthony Rendon down to the No. 5 spot and Tommy La Stella up to the No. 2 spot. He said it was primarily to split up the left- and right-handed hitters so they wouldn’t be susceptible to the Rangers’ lefty relievers.

Besides that, he said the solution to the hitting woes was likely for the players to just relax and let their talent take over.

“Try easier,” he said. “I mean they can’t try any harder than they are. I mean that’s what happens. Guys get in a little bit of a rut and they get tighter, try harder, swing harder, which means you get longer and slower. I think less work is better than more right now.”

TEHERAN’S TURN

Julio Teheran is scheduled to make his second start of the season on Tuesday. Teheran was pulled after just 52 pitches and 2-2/3 innings in his first start, because he was on a pitch count of about 55, Maddon said.

This time Teheran will be allowed to increase that significantly.

“If he’s really cruising  you could probably let him go to 90, but I’m thinking 75-80 would be the appropriate number.”

Teheran missed most of summer camp recovering from COVID-19, so he was behind the other starters.

TEXAS TURF

The Angels’ first trip to Globe Life Field has included a few mistakes by infielders, including a blown double play ball by Tommy La Stella that cost them Friday’s game and a boot by sure-handed David Fletcher on Saturday. Maddon said the field at the brand new ballpark is part of the issue.

He said the ball picks up a lot of topspin on the turf, before reaching the dirt. Also, the surface is more bouncy than a natural field.

“Just think about the games you’ve seen on regular grass fields; you don’t see that kind of bounciness to a ground ball,” Maddon said. “And then the spin at the end of it, it really can fool an infielder…. It’s just one of those things. I love the ballpark. They’ve done a wonderful job and I’m not banging on it. It’s just an adjustment that needs to be made.”

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