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12 games have come and gone, and, for lack of a better word, the results have left lots of room for conversation. The Angels are 6-6 - frankly, a result better than I expected, since I found our first month or so very difficult, schedule wise. Despite this, I am not pleased with the result, because based on the events of said 12 games, we could easily be 8-4 or even 9-3. That being said, we're still 2nd in the division and only a game back of the Rangers. With 150 games ahead, there's been a lot of good, a lot of bad, and some downright ugly play during the season thus far. Let's break down what fits where (PSA: These will 100% be overreactions to small sample sizes. I'll update it as more games are played and we start seeing more form.): Good: The Outfield (Mostly) The Angels made an interesting decision to take 5 outfielders on their roster - largely due to service time issues - but so far it's paid off for them. The 5 outfielders have a combined slash line of .259/.330/.519 for a total OPS+ of 138. Now, admittedly, these numbers are a little skewed - they're greatly helped by Taylor Ward and Mike Trout, who are sporting enormous 145 and 224 OPS+'s (not counting April 10th where Trout was 2-3 with a 2B, 1B and a BB and Ward was 1-3 with a 1B and a BB). Moniak has struggled in his own right, taking over for the second spot in the order since Schanuel was struggling. His OPS sits at a mere .476 - we hope it evens itself out, and the prospects look good - last year, Moniak's biggest struggle was with plate discipline - In 2023, he chased 47% of pitches out of the zone and whiffed on 39% of pitches he swung at, good for a 35% K rate and a measly 2% walk rate - all of which were bottom 5th percentile in the MLB. Thus far in 2024, he's chased 22% of pitches (down 25%), whiffed on 21% of swings (down 18%), strikes out 25% of the time (down 10%) and walks 13% of the time (up 11%). These are massive changes for the better, and if the bat get's back to 2023 form, the eye could complement for an even better season than his 2023. Jo Adell is rocking an .894 OPS, helped by a 2-4 day with a homer in his 3rd start of the season. His batted ball numbers are tremendous for the small sample size - his expected batting average and sweet-spot% are both 85th percentile or better, and his whiff% and K% are both 75th or better. While he's experienced blunders - like that surefire stolen base that he ran through - he's given the Angels a real reason to keep him in the lineup, and hopefully he can build on this success for the future. Hicks has been solid, not super special, but done a good job seeing pitches and playing a solid right field. Let's just say, if not for the outfield unit and this next guy, we may be 0-12. Good: Logan O'Hoppe Logan O'Hoppe hit the ground running in his 2024 campaign, catching 10 of the Angels first 12 contests and touting a ridiculous 179 OPS+. We always knew he had the bat, but what's equally impressive is how well rounded his game has been thus far - he's been an elite level framer (92nd percentile in Framing Runs Above Average), improved his BB% by nearly 4%, and even boasts a 76th percentile sprint speed. There isn't much more to say other than he leads American League catchers in, *deep breath* - AVG, OBP, wOBA, wRC+, fWar, Max Exit Velo, Hard Hit%, Fielding Percentage, Innings Caught, and Fielding Run Value. Oh, and he smoked a game-tying grand slam against the Red Sox. Good: Half the Pitching Unit Specifically, I'm Talking about Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Adam Cimber, Matt Moore, and Carlos Estevez. These 5 guys have been outstanding. Let's go on a little honor roll of their achievements: Detmers: 2-0 in 2 starts with a 1.64 ERA. First start: 5 IP, 1 ER, 7 K's vs a potent O's offense. Second start: 6 IP, 1 ER, 12 K's. Utter dominance in a 2-1 win. Tyler Anderson: 2 beautiful 7 inning, scoreless starts. His 14 scoreless innings to start a season are 2nd in Angels history, behind Nolan Ryan's 16. Adam Cimber: 6 appearances, 6.2 IP (including 4.2 straight scoreless), 1 ER, good for a 1.35 ERA. Matt Moore: 4 appearances, 5 IP, 4 K's, 0 anything else. No men have seen base against Mighty Matt Moore. Carlos Estevez: 4 IP at 2023 all-star level, no earned runs and a 0.25 WHIP. He also ragged on the Fanatics jerseys which was pretty funny. Bad: The Infield Bats This group consists of Nolan Schanuel, Miguel Sano, Luis Rengifo, Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Anthony Rendon. Starting with the good, Rengifo has been respectable, albeit in the least at bats. He's slashing .333/.357/.407 and looks to be gunning for more playing time. Rendon has been on fire since returning to Anaheim, but his ice cold start still has him at 25 OPS+. Sano's strong batted ball skills got him off to a solid start, but he's ultimately simmered to an 87 OPS+. Neto and Drury have been similarly poor to start the year, with a 45 and 27 OPS+ respectively. Finally, Schanuel's 2-31, 27 OPS+ stretch got him a couple day breather. It's still very early, but when 6 of your 12 regulars account for just 1 of the 12 homers you've hit, you obviously desire more production. I have faith they'll figure it out, but I desperately hope one of the younger guys makes a bigger jump. Bad: The Scheduling This is more of a personal frustration than anything, but what is going on with the scheduling this year. How on earth is it possible that the AL West Angels first 8 series contains 2 series against the Rays, Red Sox, and Orioles and 2 against random NL teams. I guess I was complaining about playing the A's on opening day every year, but why are we playing them so late? All of our matchups vs the A's come between June 24 - July 28. We don't play our first game against an AL West team until May 17th. I know we play every team the same amount or whatever, but why are we running the damn AL East Gauntlet? I don't know man. Ugly: The Rest of the Pitching The Angels 5.09 Team ERA is 29th in the MLB, ahead of only Coors Field's very own Colorado Rockies. If you take away Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers, that balloons to a 6.44, still 0.13 ahead of the Rockies, but still technically the worst since the Phillies in 1930. Take away the 3 good relievers, and we're at 7.85 - A whole run above the worst pitching team ever. Obviously, that's an overreaction - it's only been 15 games, but besides those 5 pitchers, it has truly been really bad. The only other 2 pitchers to pitch and not give up a run are Carson Fulmer, who came up after Guillermo Zuniga went on the IL, and Miguel Sano - in a game that the Angels lost 12-2. Sandoval seems to really let his emotions affect him on the mound, Canning's mistake pitches cost him some long balls, Silseth fell victim to homers and high pitch counts before he landed on the IL with elbow inflammation, and Soriano has yet to replicate his outstanding first relief performance. Add on the new bullpen arms in Luis Garcia, Jose Cisneros, and Guillermo Zuniga have all allowed 4 or more earned runs in 5 or less innings of work, and you have a recipe for some big losses in games not started by Detmers or Anderson. Thankfully, I don't possibly believe this level of terrible is sustainable. There's my roster breakdown for the season thus far. I think Ron's done a good job with what he has, and expectations weren't incredibly high to begin with. There's plenty of good, but enough bad to be frustrating. At least Mike Trout is back, Detmers looks good, and if we lose too many games we'll have a nice high draft pick to work with. View the full article

By Scott Allen, AngelsWin.com Columnist My family and I are blessed to live in an area with the ideal climate, extremely fertile soil, and plentiful clean, fresh water. And we can be divided into two distinct groups, the men and their orchard, and the women and their garden. For us men, the best time to plant is a tree is ten years ago. The second best time is today. These trees require a great deal of time and nurturing, but the end result is that after a few years, we have a plentiful, sustainable yield. But I do envy my wife and daughter. They plant seeds, some of which sprout in only a few days. And the crop their work yields is diverse, abundant and more immediate. And at the end of the growing season, they harvest the seeds in preparation for next year. Most major league teams operate like an orchard. Invest now, and yield large, sustainable dividends later. It makes sense. All the best players in the world were brought up in this system. The best teams with the best players have been "orcharding" for years. And then there's Perry Minasian and the Angels. They're gardening. They don't plant an apple seed expecting the tree to mature and bear fruit any time soon. Perry and the Angels are sprouting corn and beans and seeing the fruits of their labor immediately while the rest of the baseball world sits and waits for their trees to mature. Chase Silseth, Zach Neto, Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman, Nolan Schanuel, Kelvin Cacares, Victor Mederos. Corn and beans. Most of the players these guys were drafted alongside, are still toiling in A Ball. Yet here they are, in Anaheim, looking to carve out their space and be part of a winner. Most didn't appear in any top prospect lists, but that's by design. A tomato plant doesn't appear in any lists of the greatest looking apple trees. So when assessing the relative strength or weakness of the Angels farm system, we should stop viewing these prospects by industry standards, and instead look at that which could immediately produce a crop. The Top 10 prospects in the system for the most part are in a position to impact the Angels in 2024, or shortly thereafter. Here are some names to look out for in late 2024 or 2025, that you won't find among the Angels top prospects. Joe Redfield - A tall, athletic, left handed outfielder from Sam Houston that comes with plate discipline and a quiet, sturdy foundation to which he hits from. He has a whole field approach, but has the requisite tools to turn on pitches and post some decent exit velocities. Yes, he'll need to quiet his hands and strengthen his legs, but there's a platform for something more here. Camden Minacci - Likely the best closer in college baseball last season, coming out of Wake Forest, which is the premier collegiate pitching factory for the last five or so years. He's a standard rock and fire reliever who sits in the mid-90's and get's his breaking ball over for strikes. He needs to add either more tunneling or movement to his fastball in order to make it more effective at the highest levels, but all the pieces are there for a major league reliever. He's a small adjustment away from the show. Now, let's dig into this year's crop of top-10 prospects the way we at AngelsWin.com see them ranked as of today. We'll provide an update article by mid-season where you may see guys like Juan Flores, Cam Minacci, Victor Mederos, Walbert Urena, Randy DeJesus, Joel Hurtado, Logan Britt, Anthony Scull and perhaps Joe Redfield leapfrog others currently in our top-10 should they have productive 2024 campaigns down on the farm. 1. Nelson Rada – OF – AA Rocket City - Age 18 Season Height/Weight: 5’8″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/L | International Signing | ETA: 2025 Nelson Rada would carry significantly more hype as a prospect if he weren’t part of the Angels minor league system, and that’s simply the truth of the matter. The Angels are known for being extremely aggressive in their prospect placement and that minimizes the wow factor of Rada’s quick progression. However, it is up to the prospect himself to perform at the aggressive placement level, and Rada did just that last season. As a 17 year old (for those keeping score at home, a high school junior), Nelson was one of the top performers in A Ball, combining an advanced approach at the plate, enough pop to keep outfielders honest, easily plus speed on the base paths and fringe plus defense in centerfield. The Angels have decided to move him to AA Rocket City for his age 18 season, but I wouldn’t necessarily read too much into this. The organization will typically have their top offensive prospects skip a Tri-City (Advanced A Ball) assignment because of the cold weather and unfavorable hitting conditions. Still, the bottom line is the Angels have this high school senior playing in AA that already outperformed the competition in the lower levels, and he isn’t garnering much national attention at all. That’s unfortunate because baseball is missing out on getting excited over a kid that has a unique set of skills. Generally speaking, the prospects/young players that are in his class are Esteury Ruiz, Victor Scott II, and Enrique Bradfield Jr., all generally top 100 prospects in their own right, all expected to compete for a stolen base crown at the top level and provide elite level defense. If Nelson reaches his potential, the Angels could have a generational leadoff hitter like Kenny Loftin on their hands. If he never progresses further, the Angels still likely have a major leaguer on their hands, just more of a fourth outfielder type. That’s a huge range of outcomes. The most likely result is a light hitting outfielder that gets on base and runs enough to hold onto a starting role, and that could manifest by Rada’s 20th birthday. Even if Rada “merely” develops into a Chone Figgins type of spark plug, that’s still a three-win player on average, which may not make him an all-star, but could make him valuable to a major league organization for a very long time. 2. Caden Dana – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 20 Season Height/Weight: 6’5″, 220 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 11th Round (2022)| ETA: 2025 Don’t let the late round selection fool you, Caden Dana was one of the best prep pitchers in the nation following his senior year. Bosco Prep, where Dana is from, in New Jersey is the East Coast equivalent of a Harvard Westlake or Bishop Gorman out West. It’s a private school where players are recruited from a very young age and typically go on to play after high school. Dana had a strong college commitment to Kentucky and wasn’t expected to sign unless he was selected in the first couple rounds. As day three of the draft came around and Dana was undrafted, the Angels came calling, offering him a record setting deal outside of the first ten rounds of the draft, which was on par with an early second round selection. Not only that, the Angels mentioned that they’d like to draft his older brother Casey as well, which seemed to seal the deal for the Dana family. Since being drafted, Caden has continued to open eyes in and out of the organization and is beginning to garner some fringe Top 100 consideration. Already solidly built for an 18 year old, since signing his contract Dana’s frame has continued to fill out in muscle. With that physique and his long blonde flowing locks, Dana is getting lazy comps to Noah Syndergaard. Dana’s fastball, which comfortably sat 92 mph in high school has steadily climbed and is now frequently 94-95. The slider, which was fringe average before now flashes solidly fringe plus. While his change piece and curve lack consistency in command, he’s usually able to keep them in the strike zone, though I’m skeptical either pitch will ever be more than average. Still, having three average or better offerings is the starter kit for a successful major league starting pitcher. As much as anything else, it seems to be Dana’s delivery and disposition that have helped set him apart. His motion was clean looking two or three years ago and has remained so as a professional. And Caden’s demeanor runs in pretty stark contrast to many young pitchers, or even current starters on the Angels pitching staff. By watching his mannerisms, you’d be hard-pressed to find the difference between him throwing a perfect game or getting shelled. Dana cruised comfortably through the lower levels in his first full season as a professional and now finds himself in AA. While Dana may flash his potential, there seems to be little reason for the Angels to challenge him beyond that level this season, but stranger things have occurred. If Dana reaches his ceiling, he could be one of the best starters in baseball, not only offering clean mechanics and great extension toward the plate, but a solid arsenal and plus command. At minimum, Dana appears to have two offerings that could grade out as plus if he assumed a relief role. While I understand that’s a pretty wide range of outcomes, the likely outcome here is that of a solid mid or backend starting pitcher. It’s likely that his fastball and slider will both be good pitches with good command of both. It’s also likely that Dana lacks an effective third pitch which limits his ceiling. However, he should be able to compensate for this by working deeper into games and logging high inning totals. 3. Sam Bachman – RHP – LA Angels - Age 24 Season Height/Weight: 6’1″, 235 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (2021)| ETA: 2023 There was a lot of uncertainty heading into the 2021 MLB Draft. For starters, there wasn’t a lot to go off of, as there was no 2020 collegiate season and the 2021 collegiate season had been heavily limited by the COVID scare. Teams drafted players based off of information that was nearly two years dated. It’s understandable the Angels chose not to go that route, instead drafting Sam Bachman from Miami of Ohio. Bachman lacked a track record due to injuries and COVID, but the information the Angels did have was more recent than anything else on the board. It was known that despite playing in a weak conference and having an unconventional short-armed delivery, Bachman had high velocity readings, elite movement on all his pitches and two pitches that were graded “plus” if not “plus-plus.” Was there risk involved? Absolutely. Many experts believed Bachman would not remain a starter as a professional, and he’d had a variety of knee problems which can derail a pitcher’s career. Still there were several details that pointed toward a potential career as a starter. To begin, Bachman had low mileage, and had never experienced a serious arm injury, which is the most common among pitchers. Second, despite the short-armed delivery, he seemed to only tire in the sixth frame or later in games. And third, once receiving professional instruction, Bachman quickly developed a changeup that was fringing on “plus.” So in summation, the Angels had drafted a collegiate starter with three “plus” pitches with the ninth overall pick of the draft. Not bad. Unfortunately for the Angels and Bachman, that’s about as rosy as the outlook would get. Sam would suffer a variety of ailments across the next two seasons, and when he was healthy, Bachman’s once triple digit velocity seemed to fluctuate between outings where he’d top out at 93 mph or in better appearances 97. Still, he eventually made his way to the Angels last season, and in relief, one could plainly see the potential, mixed in between lots of walks. The plan going forward is for Bachman to return to a starting role, but he’ll need to get healthy first, and even then, there’s a great deal of skepticism he could remain healthy and cover many innings on a yearly basis. Still, we’re living in an era where tons of relievers are making a successful transition into a starting role. While the success of Jose Soriano, Andrew Wantz, Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez and others remains to be seen, you can comfortably place Sam Bachman into that class of pitchers based on stuff. If Bachman reaches his ceiling, you’re looking at a low innings, but highly effective starting pitcher. At minimum, you’re looking at an oft-injured reliever. The most likely outcome here is that Bachman finds a routine and lifestyle that keeps him on the field more often that has previously been the case, but he likely isn’t going to be a starting pitcher. 4. Kyren Paris – IF – AA Rocket City - Age 22 Season Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 2nd Round (2019) | ETA: 2023 Kyren Paris is a high probability major leaguer (technically, he already made his debut), with the chance to become an impact player. But his path to get there will be an uphill one given some deficits within his skill set. First, the positives. Paris was an ultra-young and athletic second round selection by the Angels in 2019. Most of the players in his draft class are a year older, and the COVID shutdown caused most of those prep prospects to lose a year and not log a single competitive at bat until age 20 or 21. Paris however, is still only now entering his age 22 season. So he’s got time on his side. Kyren also does three things particularly well that make him an asset. He gets on base, as evidenced by his career .379 OBP in the minors. He’s fast, he stole 44 bags last season and was only caught five times. And third, Paris is a strong defender at second base and profiles solidly at both shortstop and even third base if necessary. He’s even logged a few innings in centerfield. Given all that, it’s pretty much a guarantee that Kyren Paris will be a major leaguer in some capacity. But ultimately it will be Paris’ bat which will dictate his career path. When he was first developed, there was physical maturing that needed to take place. Coming back from the COVID shutdown, we saw a more athletic, muscular Kyren Paris emerge, but still, he only hit .267 in the low minors. In his first taste of AA as a 20 year old, Paris hit .359 in a 14 game stint. Small sample size, but enough to offer a potential glimpse into a high average future. This last season was really the first time we’d be able to get a long sustained look at Kyren Paris versus advanced pitching. And the results were mixed. .255 batting average, and a decent amount of pop with 23 doubles and 14 home runs. What really stood out was the OBP, which was .393. All of this was enough for the Angels to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and give him a September cup of coffee with the big league squad, where he hit .100 over sporadic at bats, but flashed excellent speed and defense. So now the question becomes, is Paris a finished product and this is who he will be going forward? Or will his bat continue to progress further to the point where he can become an impact bat? Rather than sending him to the hitters paradise in AAA Salt Lake, the Angels have opted for a repeat in the Southern League (AA) for Paris, and this seems justifiable on the surface. For starters, last year the Southern League was experimenting with pre-tacked balls, which caused offensive numbers in the league to nose-dive amidst greater velocity, break and command of all pitches. The pre-tacked balls were used in April, May and June of last season before switching back over to standard balls used in the major leagues. Kyren Paris’ stateline in each of those months? In April, he hit .222/.357. May, he hit .244/.375 and in June he hit .227/.330. For July and August, when facing normal balls? Paris hit .306/.446 in July and .284/.432 in August. While his power showed more in the first half versus the sticky baseball, it was evident that Paris, like the rest of the league, struggled offensively. Against normal balls, Kyren Paris was one of the best hitters in the league. All of this seems to point toward a future where Kyren Paris isn’t yet a finished product and could still very much be a force at the plate. At minimum, we’re looking at a utility infielder that can be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. If he and the Angels hit the lottery, we could be looking at a perennial all-star that could be a gold glover at the keystone and hit for average and power. It seems evident based on his post tacky-baseball performance last seasons that Paris is likely going to hit for a high enough batting average and enough pop that he could emerge as a major league regular. With health and consistent playing time, it seems possible that Paris should develop into an infielder that gets on base 35% of the time and could hit double digit home runs and swipe 20+ bases. 5. Dario Laverde – C – (A) Inland Empire - Age 19 Season Height/Weight: 5’10″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/R | International Signing | ETA: 2026 There’s still a lot that’s unknown about Dario Laverde, but from what we do know, everything seems to be pointing in the “up” direction. The Angels signed him for 350k when he was 16, and considering the Angels relative lack of international presence, that’s actually a lot of money to invest in a prospect. He was originally an athletic outfielder but he’s since taken to catching. While he’s understandably raw behind the plate, he has the athleticism and tools to someday become a good defensive catcher at the big league level. While the height and weight reading are likely inaccurate by now, it’s pretty clear that he’s young and needs to add more strength to his frame. But if and when he does, he could eventually develop average in game power, which for a catcher is pretty solid. He’s done nothing but hit and get on base at every level so far slashing .306/.419/.455 in the Arizona Complex League with 28 walks to 31 strikeouts stateside, with his first full-season coming this year at Inland Empire. We should get a decent glimpse into Laverde's game this year and could report back with more information. So far he's looked a lot like former Angels farmhand, Edgar Quero. But as of right now, Laverde could develop into a good hitting, good fielding catcher at the major league level. But it’s a very long road before he gets there, so fans should remain patient. Consider Dario Laverde one of those names we log away for later, that way when he emerges over the next couple season, we’ll all be able to say we saw this coming. Another catcher to keep an eye on this season is Juan Flores, currently splitting time at C/DH with Laverde with the Inland Empire 66ers. 6. Jack Kochanowicz – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 23 Season Height/Weight: 6’7″, 228 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 3rd Round (2019)| ETA: 2024 Kochanowicz has one of the more interesting career arcs of any Angels prospect so far, and is likely also the most underrated prospect in the system, and has been for some time. When the Angels drafted him in the third round in 2019, it wasn’t expected that they would be able to sign him. He had a strong commitment to collegiate powerhouse Vanderbilt at the time, and was all projection. Those guys tend to require first round selections in order to forego college. The Angels offered him significantly above slot and in a surprising turn of events, he actually signed, leaving the Angels with a first round talent at a reduced price. Before the draft, Kochanowicz had a typical big bodied profile. Low-90’s fastball, good extension, some inconsistency hitting his spots. Shortly after the draft at Fall instructs, Kochanowicz’ stock began to rise as he was reportedly hitting 97 on the radar gun and was repeating his delivery with ease. The 2020 minor league season being canceled definitely hurt some prospects more than others and it seems that Kochanowicz was one that was particularly affected by it as it robbed him of a full year of valuable instruction that he needed. By the time 2021 rolled around, Kochanowicz had to be built back up and there were definitely some bumps in the road. His previously stellar command had begun to elude him, and his fastball and slider simply weren’t moving enough for him to generate the type of results he was hoping for. So the Angels and Kochanowicz ended up lowering his arm slot in an attempt to fix this issue. And while it did to an extent, the fastball and slider both improved, it seemed that Jack’s curveball was no longer the same weapon it once was with an over-the-top delivery and there seemed to be no development of a change up. Jack’s fastball started to develop some late cut or fade depending on the grip and started becoming “heavy” which means it was a pitch that batters had a hard time barrelling. In 2022, we saw a return trip back to A Ball and some appearances in the Arizona Fall League in more of a relief capacity, and while the overall numbers weren’t great, he definitely took a step forward in terms of pitch quality and location. Kochanowicz started shifting more toward the profile of a pitch-to-contact pitcher with strikeout potential and in 2023, it started to come together for him. A five start stint in the pitcher friendly Northwest League yielded an ERA of 1.52, but upon being promoted to AA Rocket City, Kochanowicz had trouble finding success with an ERA over six, despite further reducing his walk rate. So with Jack Kochanowicz, we’ve reached the point in 2024 where something has to give. On the one hand, here we have a starter that can now reach back and fire 99 mph, with a long frame and great extension toward the plate and fringe plus command of two better than average pitches in his fastball and slider and the potential for two more pitches being fringe average. Really, all the makings of a potential all-star. On the other hand, we have results, and they simply haven’t been there for Kochanowicz and at the end of the day, this is a results driven business. So what gives? 2024 is going to be the proverbial “show me” season for Kochanowicz. Either he starts producing the necessary results in AA and makes his way up to the show, or perhaps his career will need to go in a different direction with a possible move to the bullpen in hopes of generating the necessary success he should be having. He’s another prospect with a tremendously wide range of results, on the one hand being a potential inning eating consistent mid-rotation starter in the big leagues, and on the other hand, the potential being that he’s topped out in AA. As always, the likeliest result is somewhere in the middle, being that of a swing starter in the major leagues. 7. Ben Joyce – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 23 Season Height/Weight: 6’5″, 225 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 3rd Round (2022)| ETA: 2023 Ben Joyce is one of my favorite prospects simply because of the simplicity of him and his success in his big leagues. The beauty of his career arc is found in its simplicity. Either he figures out where the ball is going and he succeeds in the majors, or he doesn’t. It’s that straightforward. Joyce is a big, physical specimen and is the hardest thrower on the planet. Notice I didn’t say hardest pitcher. Pitching is a more nuanced game than throwing, it’s chess versus checkers. Ben Joyce is capable of being a dominant pitcher in the late innings at the major league level. He has the tools and the mentality to do it. Now he just needs to get there. And I’m not just talking about finding the strike zone, though that’s the most important. I’m talking about commanding his pitches in the strike zone itself, like painting the corners, elevating or tunneling it knee high, pitch sequencing, etc… Because if he develops even average command, his 80-grade 102-105 mph fastball and exploding slider will not be touched and he will be a dominant force as long as he’s healthy. And that in and of itself lends to Joyce really not fitting any mold of the other prospects on this list because there is no middle ground. There’s no world in which he develops command and isn’t successful and there’s no world in which he doesn’t develop as a pitcher and is successful in the majors. And the likelihood of that development and subsequent success is anyone’s guess. Clearly the Angels think it’s possible. Despite Joyce reaching the majors last season, he’s back in AA this season for further refinement. He isn’t in AAA simply because organizationally it’s been determined that Salt Lake isn’t the best developmental environment. Some experts don’t see it happening unless Joyce sacrifices some of that speed and starts living in the 90’s where he’d be able to spot his pitches better. Some experts don’t see it happening at all. Some experts see him being capable of the necessary development while still living that triple digit life. I’m curious, what do you think? 8. Barrett Kent – RHP – AA Rocket City - Age 20 Season Height/Weight: 6’4″, 215 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 8th Round (2023)| ETA: 2026 Sometimes, there are simply prospects that can stump us, no matter how we view them. Barrett Kent comes across as a bit of an enigma because there are so many different directions he can go and a lack of understanding on my part as to why he was only an 8th round selection in the 2023 draft. Bid bodied pitcher, clean mechanics, solid arsenal, clean injury history, success on the showcase circuit, coming from a big-time baseball state (TX), far better than average athleticism (just before the draft there was still discussion about him being a two-way player). I just don’t get it. Guys like that are usually off the board before the third round. It wasn’t as if he was some sort of hidden secret coming into the draft the way Trout was years ago. So whatever the case is, the Angels managed to draft Kent in the 8th round, and I think we’re all very glad for it. But that’s not the only source of confusion here. Kent’s fastball sits 93-94 with some arm-side fade to it. It’s a decent foundational pitch. And while he’s still young, 19, he appears to have a pretty mature physique, so I’m not entirely certain there is physical projection here. Maybe he’s done getting stronger and that’s what his fastball is, and if so, that’s fine, he can definitely work with that. But maybe he’s going to fill out the same way Caden Dana has, or he becomes just a physical freak like Paul Skenes of the Pirates and he starts touching triple digits. And if that’s the case, is he bound for the pen? Does his fastball retain it’s shape or does it straighten out? There’s some uncertainty in who exactly he is as a pitcher. What we do know is that as of right now, Kent has at least three average offerings with potentially plus command of all of them. If he doesn’t develop any further, that’s the starter kit for a major league starting pitcher, and he’s only 19 years old. So is he someone that simply developed quickly in high school and is pretty much ready to deploy as a professional, or is he still going to develop and all of these average offerings he currently has will eventually be plus offerings? Because if that’s the case, he’s an ace in waiting. If you aren’t sure what his ceiling is, you aren’t alone. But we know that his current floor is probably that of a major league swing starter. So Barrett Kent’s ranking could change a lot in the next year as more information comes in. For what it’s worth, at the time of writing this, in his first start of the season in A-Ball, Kent went 5 innings with no walks and 8 strikeouts. 9. Denzer Guzman – SS – (A) Inland Empire - Age 19 Season Height/Weight: 5’10″, 160 | Bat/Throw: L/R | International Signing | ETA: 2026 For the most part, fans and critics alike have to admit that the Angels affinity for aggressive promotions hasn’t hampered the organization or prospects at all. It’s been a net positive, from Zach Neto, to Nolan Schanuel, to Caden Dana. But as with any outside the norm movement or philosophy, there will be drawbacks. Sometimes, players won't be ready for their aggressive promotion, as has been the case for Denzer Guzman and the Angels. Guzman was the Angels big international signing of the 2021 period, inking for a bonus over 2 million dollars. That’s a lot of money to spend on a 16 year old ballplayer. But at the time, it was projected that his hit tool and power both had a chance to be plus, and he’d have the ability to stick at shortstop. That still may be the case, but we haven’t seen that player emerge yet as Guzman floundered in his first full-season at Class A Inland Empire. Yes, he was one of the younger players in the league at age 19, but not so young that this was an egregious mistake. Yet Guzman was overmatched, particularly to begin the season. But if there’s a ray of hope here, it would be that Guzman clearly made the adjustments and was catching up to everyone else in the second half of the season. Coming into his age 20 season, I think there was a clear case for optimism, particularly if they allowed him the opportunity to repeat Inland Empire. But this is not the Angels MO. They’ve yet again promoted Guzman, this time to Advanced A Tri-Cities. It will likely be his first time playing in the cold, and will be a developmental level that’s unlike anything he’s ever seen. If Guzman makes the adjustments, it would be a huge boon for his stock. At this point, we could say that if Guzman hits the lottery, and maxes out on all the potential he carries, we’re looking at a solid hitting, solid defending shortstop with power. Those are immensely valuable on the open market, as evidenced by the contracts we’ve seen guys like Carlos Correa get. The downside to Guzman would be that he never quite makes good on the potential the Angels thought he had at age 16, that he’s periodically flashed, and that Guzman is a depth piece. The likeliest outcome is that some adjustments are made but Guzman develops into more of a utility player that we see bounce around the upper minors with some cups of coffee in the majors. 10. Cole Fontenelle – 3B/LF – AA Rocket City - Age 19 Season Height/Weight: 6’3″, 205 | Bat/Throw: S/R | 7th Round (2023) | ETA: 2025 If there’s a candidate for “where did this guy come from?” on the Angels farm, it would certainly be Cole Fontenelle. He may have been more affected by the COVID shutdown than anyone. Or at the very least, he’s got one heck of a background story. While Fontenelle was highly regarded in high school and almost certainly would’ve been drafted, the shutdown and subsequent shortening of the draft left his name uncalled in 2020 which resulted in him honoring his commitment to nearby University of Washington. While at Washington, Cole got sporadic at best playing time and couldn’t find his rhythm. During that Summer, he went to the Northwoods League, which is one of a couple collegiate leagues that offer West Coast players an alternative to the Cape Cod League on the East Coast. Fontenelle flashed all the tools that generated buzz after his junior year of high school. Rather than return to Washington, where because of COVID rules, he would’ve been buried on the depth chart behind fifth year seniors, Fontenelle went the JC route. The only alternative would’ve been entering the transfer portal and losing a season of eligibility. While at McLennen Junior College, he must’ve caught the eye of larger program scouts because he only spent a year there before transferring to Texas Christian University. However, before arriving on campus at TCU, Cole made yet another stop in one of the West Coast’s acclaimed Summer Leagues and this time played in Alaska, where he did a little bit of everything, putting up very solid numbers along the way. So here we are at Cole’s junior year of college. Four years prior, teams were talking about drafting him. Yet here he was, after two years of college, one year where he rode the bench, and another at a program so small we don’t have any official numbers that reflect his performance. Things didn’t go according to plan, at least not yet. Things actually couldn’t have gone any better while playing for the Horned Frogs. In Fontenelle’s junior season with TCU, he not only made it to the College World Series, he hit .352 with a .473 OBP, with 14 HR and 20 SB while playing the corner infield and outfield spots. He was one of the best players on one of the best teams in the country. He would enter the draft portal after his junior year and his name was called in the 7th Round by the Angels. What he did prior to signing made for an interesting story, but it is what he’s done since signing that has opened eyes in the organization. As it turns out, Fontenelle doesn’t appear to simply be a depth piece. He’s a legitimately solid hitter who has more power than expected, is faster than expected, shows greater pitch discernment than expected and has the tools to be a better defender than expected. The major league staff was so impressed by the work Cole showed, that they carried him with the major league team for the entirety of Spring Training so they could get a better look at him. The Angels feel confident enough in what they saw that Cole was assigned to AA Rocket City, and is expected to potentially impact the big league roster later this season or next year. If everything clicks, Fontanelle could be a Kole Calhoun type of corner infielder and outfielder that doesn’t have one standout tool, but tends to do a little bit of everything right. Think of a switch-hitting JD Davis. If not, at the very least the Angels appear to have a pretty solid depth piece to fill out their upper minors roster. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this journey. Angels Guide to FV Explanation 40 - The “AAAA” player, one that spends his career bouncing between the minors and majors. A Livan Soto or Adam Kolarek type. 45 - A low-end major league starter or typical backup in the major leagues. A Jake Marisnick or Jose Suarez type. 50 - An average major leaguer, either as a starter or reserve. As of right now, a Luis Rengifo or Luis Gacia type. 55 - A starter in the major leagues. A Brandon Drury or Griffin Canning type. 60 - A good starter in the majors that should carve out at least a few years at the top level. A Taylor Ward or Reid Detmers type. 65 - A major league all-star that could have a long career and make hundreds of millions. A George Springer or Logan Webb type. 70 - An MVP caliber player. Potential future Hall of Famer with longevity. A Christian Yelich or a Corbin Burnes type. 75 - An actual MVP and future Hall of Famer. A Mookie Betts or Gerrit Cole type. 80 - GOAT conversation. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout type. View the full article

BOSTON — Matt Moore recalled glancing up at a clubhouse television and seeing the words “Tommy John epidemic.” It was 2013. The 34-year-old Angels left-hander, who has been in the major leagues since 2011, was making the point that the current public discourse about pitching injuries is nothing new. It’s also not simple. “It’s too case-by-case to say why each person has gotten hurt,” Moore said. “It’s unfair to say it’s one thing.” The recent spike in significant injuries to prominent pitchers — Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians, Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves and Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees among them – prompted the Major League Baseball Players’ Association to release a statement blaming the pitch timer for the injuries. MLB followed with its own statement, saying that its studies have shown no connection between the timer and injuries. The dueling statements felt to Cole like two divorced parents bickering instead of working together to find what is best for their children. In the Angels’ clubhouse, the veteran pitchers agreed that there are probably multiple reasons that it seems more pitchers are getting hurt these days. Three reasons, however, stood out among the others. THE TIMER Patrick Sandoval, the Angels’ union representative, said his first guess at the cause of the injuries is the pitch timer. Starting in 2023, pitchers had 15 seconds between pitches with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. This year it was cut to 18 seconds with a runner on. “I think the obvious answer, the glaring thing that’s different now, is the pitch clock,” Sandoval said. “I’m not a scientist or anything, but I think having an appropriate amount of time to gather yourself in between pitches is probably beneficial to pitchers. It seems like the league obviously doesn’t really care about that.” Sandoval, a 27-year-old in his sixth major league season, said he didn’t feel an impact personally in 2023, but he believes that even “not realizing it, it adds up, all the time that’s no longer there. The body needs time to rest and recover.” Reliever Carlos Estévez, 31, agreed that the timer might be at least partially responsible. “We get less time to regroup in between pitches, and that’s given us less rest, more tension and more fatigue on our arms,” Estévez said. “That may have something to do with it.” Angels television analyst Mark Gubicza, who pitched in the majors from 1984 to 1997, fired back on that theory, though. “People are blaming the pitch timer, and I absolutely 100% do not agree with that,” Gubicza said. “We threw the ball within eight to 12 seconds every time.” Gubicza, however, conceded that there is another difference in the way that pitchers threw those pitchers, from his era to today. VELOCITY The average fastball in 2008 – the first year when a consistent pitch tracking system was available throughout the game – was 91.1 mph. Anecdotally, it was certainly even slower back in 1980, 1990 or 2000. In 2023, it was 93.3 mph. The rise, pitchers say, is not simply because training has made pitchers stronger, but also because the philosophy has changed to have pitchers throw at 100% effort every time. Gubicza said in his day pitchers would hold back, allowing them to work deeper into games. “When you’re throwing full max every single pitch, from bullpen sessions to game action, it’s taxing on our arm,” Gubicza said. “I don’t blame (the pitchers) at all. They’re being told ‘Just go as hard as you can for as long as you can.’” Sandoval said he’s been raised to throw every pitch at 100%. Estévez said the desire for velocity, combined with the clock, is a bad mix. “If you’re trying to throw harder and you’re gonna try to use more your body, of course you’re gonna get even more tired when you have less time (between pitches),” Estévez said. “It’s gotta be both.” THE BASEBALL Left-hander Tyler Anderson, 34, said every time he gets a new baseball from an umpire, it’s a crap shoot. “Sometimes it’s like a college baseball because the seams are so high,” Anderson said, “and then I’ll get one that’s nice. This feels like the old days, with no seams at all. They’re definitely inconsistent. I don’t remember them being as inconsistent.” Inconsistency in itself can cause problems for pitchers, but Moore also suggested that a change in the balls is what led to the change in strategies for the hitters and the pitchers. “The changing of the ball has switched the approach of the hitters, so now you’re pitching more toward swing and miss,” Moore said. “It was never a good idea to hit the ball in the air for the longest time, but something changed objectively with the instruments we use, and that led to something else.” UP NEXT Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 2-0, 1.64 ERA) at Red Sox (TBD), Friday, 4:10 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

ANAHEIM — José Soriano gave up four runs in his first career start, and the Angels dropped their second straight game to the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2, on Wednesday afternoon. Soriano, a 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic, never had a chance to settle in. He gave up three straight singles up the middle to start the game, taking Randy Arozarena’s comeback hit off of his ankle. Soriano then threw a wild pitch that allowed two runs to score when catcher Matt Thaiss couldn’t find the ball in a timely manner. A sacrifice fly followed to put the Angels in a 3-0 hole. José Caballero cracked a solo homer to left field off Soriano to start the second inning and make it a 4-0 deficit. From that point, Soriano was adequate, but the damage had already been done. He gave up six hits in total while striking out six. Soriano had been moved into a starting role after right-hander Chase Silseth came out of his last start with elbow inflammation, leading to a stint on the 15-day injury list. Soriano had made his first 40 major league appearances coming out of the bullpen. Soriano saw time in extended outings during spring training and threw three innings as a long reliever in each of his first two outings of the seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and 2021. Whether Soriano gets another shot to fill Silseth’s spot in the rotation isn’t clear, but there will be a vacancy in the near term. An MRI showed no structural damage to Silseth, and he aspires to be back for the start of May. “Seeing the results and stuff, hopefully be back in three weeks,” Silseth said before the game Wednesday morning. “You never know. Just gonna go in there and try to get the swelling and inflammation down and go from there.” The Angels’ bats started out as poorly as Soriano, failing to strike in the bottom of the first after drawing three straight walks against Zack Littell. Miguel Sanó and Brandon Drury each struck out swinging to end the inning and leaving the bases loaded. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Chase Silseth relieved after MRI shows only elbow inflammation Los Angeles Angels | Angels lose to Rays on sloppy night for Patrick Sandoval Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Anthony Rendon warms up after cold start Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Rays with 2nd straight scoreless outing Los Angeles Angels | Angels place Chase Silseth on the injured list, move José Soriano into rotation They finally got on the board in the fourth when Zach Neto doubled to drive in Thaiss. Jo Adell cut it to 4-2 in the sixth with a solo shot to right-center for his first of the season. The Angels had one last chance to tie it up in the ninth, but Mickey Moniak struck out with a runner on second base to end the game. Moniak and Angels manager Ron Washington were visibly furious about two called strikes earlier in the at-bat, with Washington stepping onto the field to voice his displeasure. Mike Trout kept up his strong start, going 2 for 3 with a double and a walk after homering in each of his previous three games, but he finished the game in the on-deck circle when Moniak struck out. More to come on this story. View the full article

ANAHEIM — Considering the spate of major elbow injuries around baseball, Angels right-hander Chase Silseth couldn’t help but be alarmed with the discomfort he felt coming out of his start on Sunday. Fortunately, an MRI showed only inflammation and no structural damage, and Silseth hopes to be back in three weeks. “My heartbeat was racing, but seeing it was clean, it’s good,” he said Wednesday. Silseth pitched five innings in a 12-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox, giving up home runs on each of his three hits allowed, but more troubling was how he felt trying to bend his elbow during the outing. When it carried over to his postgame cool down routine, feeling what he described as a “shooting” pain, Silseth knew he needed further examination. “If it was normal soreness, I would have probably waited a couple of days and just see, but this wasn’t like normal to me,” he said. Two doctors looked at the results of Silseth’s imaging, and they were both in agreement he avoided serious injury. Now Silseth, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, is focused on addressing the swelling and identifying its underlying cause. The 23-year-old is interested to see if a previous finger injury caused him to inadvertently change his delivery. “Maybe mechanics is what was causing that, and we’ll go into a deep look and see if that’s changed at any bit,” he said. “See if I have to make adjustments on that part because, you know, I’ve never had elbow problems. It must have been something that just kind of mechanically came about.” Silseth has a 0-1 record and 6.75 ERA in two starts this season. He went 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 16 starts last season. STICKING WITH SCHANUEL First baseman Nolan Schanuel was held out for the second straight game, but Manager Ron Washington said the plan is to keep the 2023 first-round pick with the club for the time being. Schanuel does not have a hit in his last 25 plate appearances covering his past six games, with his batting average dropping to .065 in that span. “I think we’re going on what he did last year when he came up. And every player in Major League Baseball, in the big leagues that you have hopes for, you gotta give them an opportunity,” Washington said. “How far that opportunity will go, Schanuel will tell you.” Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels lose to Rays on sloppy night for Patrick Sandoval Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Anthony Rendon warms up after cold start Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Rays with 2nd straight scoreless outing Los Angeles Angels | Angels place Chase Silseth on the injured list, move José Soriano into rotation Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: For a rebuilding Angels team, it’s all about hope Washington said there would be a threshold at which it would make sense to send Schanuel down to the minors, but he wouldn’t make that determination just yet. “If something’s got to happen, we will make a decision,” Washington said. “And that’s on anyone, not just Schanuel. But you have to give these kids that opportunity to struggle and see how they handle struggle, see if they can recover from struggle.” NOTES Right-hander Griffin Canning is now scheduled to start at Boston on Saturday. Since his last start against the Red Sox on Friday, when Canning gave up four runs in 4⅔ innings in an 8-6 loss, his next outing has been pushed back twice. Canning was originally intended to start against Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon, and then was slotted in to take the opener of the three-game series against Boston on Friday. UP NEXT Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 2-0, 1.64 ERA) at Red Sox (TBD), Friday, 4:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

ANAHEIM — Patrick Sandoval had another off night, with the only solace being that he made it through five innings with the Angels still having a chance to win the game. They didn’t. Sandoval, the Angels’ Opening Day starter, has lost two of his three starts this season, including allowing four runs in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. It was a disappointing night for the Angels after an encouraging start, with Mike Trout putting them on top with a two-run homer in the first inning. It was Trout’s sixth homer in the first 11 games of the season, setting an Angels record. Trout’s homer was a two-run shot, the first of his homers that wasn’t a solo homer. Otherwise, though, the Angels didn’t do much at the plate. They scored on an error in the fourth, and then didn’t even get another runner into scoring position until they were down to their last out and down by three in the ninth. The Angels (6-5) couldn’t take Sandoval off the hook for the loss, even though it was a one-run game when he threw his final pitch. Sandoval didn’t make it out of the second inning in his Opening Day loss, but then he pitched well in a victory. This time he gave up four runs in five innings, lifting his ERA to 6.57. The down side was his control, with three more walks. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though. Sandoval appeared to get squeezed at times by plate umpire Bill Miller, including on a pitch that could have been the third strike on Curtis Mead to lead off the second. Mead ended up walking, sparking a two-run inning. The first of those runs came on a play that was initially ruled an out at the plate, but overturned on review. Sandoval was also called for a balk when he had José Siri picked off in the fourth. And he was a victim of a misplay when right fielder Mickey Moniak failed to catch a fly ball after a long run just inside the foul line, leading to another run. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Anthony Rendon warms up after cold start Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Rays with 2nd straight scoreless outing Los Angeles Angels | Angels place Chase Silseth on the injured list, move José Soriano into rotation Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: For a rebuilding Angels team, it’s all about hope Los Angeles Angels | Angels struggle everywhere in blowout loss to Red Sox Despite all of that going against him, Sandoval still managed to get through five innings with the Angels in the game. They trailed 4-3 when he threw his 101st and final pitch in the fifth inning. The hitters, though, couldn’t do anything else, and the bullpen allowed the lead to grow. José Cisnero gave up a homer to Isaac Paredes in the seventh. His fly ball was barely inside the left field pole. Cisnero has allowed seven runs in 4⅓ innings so far this season. In the eighth, Hunter Strickland gave up a run when José Caballero singled, stole second and scored on a two-out blooper into right. Luis Rengifo drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Angels had the potential winning run at the plate when pinch-hitter Miguel Sanó was called out on strikes to end it. More to come on this story. View the full article

ANAHEIM — A day after Anthony Rendon doubled his season hit total in one game, he said there was no adjustment that flipped a switch from cold to hot. “I don’t really know,” the Angels’ third baseman said on Tuesday. “Nothing’s really changed. Just trying to stay adamant about my work. Continue talking with the hitting coaches and just keep working every day. They’re finally just falling.” Rendon began the season in an 0-for-21 slump. Since then, he has six hits in 16 at-bats, including three hits on Monday night. Manager Ron Washington said Rendon was showing signs even when he was hitless that he was on the right track. “Rendon is a hands hitter,” Washington said. “A hands hitter has to be able to stay behind the ball, and if you notice earlier he was behind the ball but late. Now, the more at-bats you get and more comfortable that he’d become with his hands, then you start getting them out there.” Rendon’s first hit was a chopper to third base last Friday night. “That opened up the floodgates and now he’s centering the ball the way he’s capable of centering the ball,” Washington said. While Rendon’s performance has been uneven, he has at least remained on the field. He was in the lineup for the 10th time in 11 games on Tuesday. He said he’s feeling “pretty good.” “Just trying to continue to stay on top of my body and do some maintenance stuff,” Rendon said. “Just trying to be happy being out there every day, especially how it’s been the last few years.” Rendon’s injuries, which have cost him much of the past three years, are one of the reasons that he was booed loudly by a segment of fans throughout the first homestand. It also didn’t help that there’s a perception that he’s not sufficiently committed to baseball, which existed even before he proclaimed in spring training that his family is a higher priority than baseball. Amid all that, another segment of fans has cheered Rendon loudly this week, in an effort to encourage him to move past his struggles. Asked about both extremes, Rendon said: “It’s all good. It’s just unfortunate that sometimes my words and my interviews get taken out of context. It’s nothing that I’ve been in control of.” NOTES The Angels still have not released any information on pitcher Chase Silseth’s MRI exam. Silseth (elbow inflammation) said he felt something on a few breaking balls during Sunday’s start, and it was enough to place him on the injured list. … Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Rays with 2nd straight scoreless outing Los Angeles Angels | Angels place Chase Silseth on the injured list, move José Soriano into rotation Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: For a rebuilding Angels team, it’s all about hope Los Angeles Angels | Angels struggle everywhere in blowout loss to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jo Adell sitting and waiting for playing time Right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder inflammation) came through his live batting practice session well on Tuesday, Washington said. “I think we’re about to get him out of here and on a rehab,” Washington said. Stephenson is expected to need at least a couple weeks worth of outings because he didn’t pitch in any games in spring training. … Zach Neto was not in the lineup on Tuesday. Neto was hitting .200 with 10 strikeouts in 35 at-bats. “Just pressing,” Washington said. “I think he’s chasing hits instead of chasing the baseball and letting the hits happen. Just chasing it, so I wanted to give him a mental break today.” UP NEXT Rays (RHP Zack Littell, 1-0, 0.82 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 0-1, 4.50), Wednesday, 1:07 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

ANAHEIM — The Angels have plenty of players looking to rebound from disappointing seasons in 2023, and none of them so far has been more successful than Tyler Anderson. The Angels left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings in a 7-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. Anderson hasn’t allowed a run in 14 innings this season. He became the first Angels pitcher since Hector Santiago in 2016 to pitch at least seven scoreless innings in two consecutive games. The Angels have never had a pitcher do it in his first two starts of the season. It’s been an eye-opening start for a pitcher who posted a 5.43 ERA in 2023, the first season after the Angels signed him to a three-year, $39-million deal. Anderson got all the offensive support he needed from Mike Trout, who to a lesser degree is also looking to prove something this season. Trout tripled and hit his fifth homer of the season, equaling the major league lead. He also singled. Trout is now hitting .297 with an OPS of 1.138. Taylor Ward also drove in three runs with his three hits, including a single to drive in Trout after his RBI triple in the first. That gave Anderson a 2-0 lead before the second inning, and he then cruised through a Rays lineup that included nine right-handed hitters. He needed just 91 pitches to record 21 outs, leaving to a standing ovation after allowing a leadoff hit in the eighth. He struck out three and walked one. The only trouble he faced was in the fourth inning. Anderson walked Randy Arozarena and then Isaac Paredes pulled a grounder down the third base line, for a double. Amed Rosario hit a sharp liner, but it was right to first baseman Brandon Drury. Curtis Mead then hit a fly ball that Trout caught on the warning track. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels place Chase Silseth on the injured list, move José Soriano into rotation Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: For a rebuilding Angels team, it’s all about hope Los Angeles Angels | Angels struggle everywhere in blowout loss to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jo Adell sitting and waiting for playing time Los Angeles Angels | Reid Detmers leads Angels past Red Sox Anderson got some help from another player looking to give the Angels some value after a disappointing tenure with the team. Anthony Rendon had two singles and a double, his first multi-hit game of the season. Rendon is now 6 for 16 since his 0-for-21 start to the season. Rendon led off the game with a hit and then scored on Trout’s triple into right field. Rendon’s single in the fifth sparked a two-run rally that pushed the Angels lead to 5-0. Rendon’s double in the eighth led to another run. Luis Rengifo also drove in a run with a seventh-inning single. Eight of the nine players in the starting lineup reached with a hit or walk. More to come on this story. View the full article

ANAHEIM — Chase Silseth was in that awkward waiting phase on Monday, after getting an MRI exam but before learning what it showed. “Anytime there’s something with the elbow, I have concern,” the Angels right-hander said. “Anytime any injury happens, you want to be ahead of it.” The Angels placed Silseth on the injured list on Monday, a day after he gave up three runs in five innings in a 12-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Silseth was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation pending the result of the MRI exam. Silseth’s velocity dropped from around 95 mph in the first inning to 92 mph by the fifth inning on Sunday, but he said after the game that he didn’t think anything of it. He said he was “trying to work through some things.” On Monday, Silseth said he felt something during the game, but it wasn’t enough to cause any alarm. “I felt it on a couple breaking balls, but I didn’t think anything of it because it’s getting to the plate,” he said. “They’re good pitches when I threw them. I didn’t really think anything. I just thought normal stuff. Then, I came in here (the clubhouse) and did my stuff and it wasn’t going away after I did everything. So then I brought it up, just to be safe.” In the meantime, the Angels will replace Silseth in the rotation with right-hander José Soriano. Soriano will start on Wednesday, which gives an extra two days to Griffin Canning. Canning will now start on Friday in Boston. Soriano was a reliever last season, but he showed enough potential that the Angels gave him a try in the rotation this spring. Although Soriano did well, the Angels still felt it was best to begin the season with him in the major league bullpen, working multiple innings to remain stretched out to start. Soriano pitched three dominant innings in his first game, and then he gave up three runs in three innings in his second game. His fastball has routinely hit 101 mph. Soriano was stretched out to 60 pitches in spring training and he threw 43 pitches on Friday. “We’ll just put him out there till he can’t go any more,” Manager Ron Washington said. “That doesn’t mean he’s going to reach 100 pitches. With him getting this opportunity, I think he’ll be more consistent in the strike zone. The problem he had the last time was he couldn’t land his secondary stuff. If he starts landing his secondary stuff, he’s the kind of guy get quick outs, so he could be in the eighth.” As for Canning, his fastball has been down about 2 mph from last year’s velocity throughout both of his starts. Canning said he feels fine. “It’s not going to hurt to get Canning an extra day,” Washington said. The Angels also placed right-hander Guillo Zuñiga on the injured list with a right pectoral strain. “I don’t think it’s very serious,” Washington said. “He felt something and the doctors felt that is what he needed.” The Angels called up right-handers Hunter Strickland and Carson Fulmer to take the roster spots of Silseth and Zuñiga. Both are capable of pitching multiple innings. For Strickland, it represents a return to the majors for the first time since 2022. He was released by the Cincinnati Reds in Triple-A early last season, and the spent the rest of the year thinking his career was over. He was coaching kids and decided to try again. “Just kind of lit a fire and realized I can still do this,” Strickland said on Monday. “There was an unfinished business feeling in my heart. I view the game differently now. Not trying to force results. Force things to happen and just kind of love the game like those kids that I was training.”Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: For a rebuilding Angels team, it’s all about hope Los Angeles Angels | Angels struggle everywhere in blowout loss to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jo Adell sitting and waiting for playing time Los Angeles Angels | Reid Detmers leads Angels past Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Nolan Schanuel has on-base streak end after Orioles appeal The Angels opened 40-man roster spots for Fulmer and Strickland by designating Livan Soto and Zach Plesac for assignment. Plesac is not likely to be claimed because he has a $1 million guaranteed contract. Soto was claimed over the winter by the Baltimore Orioles, who were at the end of the waiver claim order, so he also might clear. NOTES Reliever Robert Stephenson (shoulder inflammation) will throw his live batting practice session on Tuesday. He is expected to go on a rehab assignment and be back in the majors by the end of April. … Right-hander Andrew Wantz was the pitcher of the week in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Wantz struck out 11 in six innings last Thursday. … First baseman Nolan Schanuel was not in the lineup on Monday. Schanuel has started the season in a 2-for-27 slump. “Just to give the young kid a break,” Washington said. “I don’t want him pressing. I don’t want him to get to the point that he thinks we don’t have confidence in him.” UP NEXT Rays (RHP Aaron Civale, 1-1, 1.50 ERA) at Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 1-1, 6.14), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

ANAHEIM — At its heart, baseball runs on hope. It’s the only thing that keeps people coming back to the ballpark in some cities, the idea that better times are in the future – whether that be the near future or a few (or more) years down the road. As usual, it’s much of the reason that Angel fans continue to come to the ballpark. But this season the motivation is slightly different. Shohei Ohtani is now a Dodger, Mike Trout is entering the back nine of his career, and the odds are that if there is to be a story of triumph written about this franchise it will be written in future years rather than the coming months, maybe by names like Nolan Scuanuel, Logan O’Hoppe, Mickey Moniak and Zach Neto. Possibly even Jo Adell, too, though the clock seems to be ticking on the outfielder who was once the franchise’s brightest prospect. There was plenty of reason for hope when the Angels came home Friday off a 4-2 trip after being hammered twice by Baltimore in Games 1 and 2. The Orioles are really good, and the Marlins really aren’t – they were 0-9 before winning Sunday – so the three games in Miami turned out to be a get-right series for the Angels. They split the first two games of their home-opening series against Boston, but on Sunday hope wasn’t nearly enough. This was a 12-2 disaster, with Chase Silseth giving up solo home runs to David Hamilton, Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill in the third, José Suarez surrendering a three-run shot to Reese McGuire in the sixth (en route to a five-RBI day) and the Red Sox piling on in the ninth with four runs against Guillermo Zuñiga. Learning experience, right? There will be more games like this – baseball’s law of averages says so, just as it says the Angels will win a few laughers as well – but keep in mind that this team’s magic number is not 2024. When manager Ron Washington talked during the Baltimore series about how his players needed to learn to win, just as the Orioles had to during their rebuild, that was the tipoff. Think ’26, maybe, or ’27. Have we said that Angel fans are loyal beyond all reason for being so? They may be the most stubborn fans in SoCal in that sense. Their team hasn’t reached the postseason since 2014 and hasn’t won a postseason game since 2009, the red on that “2002 World Champions” pennant in center field fades more every year, and it’s fair to say a majority of Angels fans can’t stand the owner. The fans who fill my inbox were prepared to party two seasons ago when Arte Moreno decided to explore selling the team, and most of them went into a funk that winter when Moreno pulled the team off the market. It has not yet reached the point where Angels fans wear “SELL” T-shirts to the ballpark like in Oakland, and I’d be curious how the stadium ushers would handle it if they did. But Moreno’s unpopularity hasn’t lessened. As the stadium elevator headed upstairs Sunday morning, it stopped on the second floor, where Moreno’s box is located. One passenger mistakenly started to get out and his buddy stopped him, saying something along the lines of, “We don’t want to watch the game with him, anyway.” It could be worse, remember. It is worse, way worse, in Oakland, where A’s fans in the East Bay are about to lose their team and owner John Fisher remains impervious to public opinion, unswayed by not only the idea that Oakland fans hate him but those in the A’s supposed future home of Las Vegas haven’t rolled out a welcome mat, either. (For the record, This Space remains convinced that the plan for a Vegas ballpark is going to fall through. Who knows? They may wind up being the Sacramento A’s permanently.) There’s no hope in Oakland. There are possibilities in Anaheim, albeit distant ones, and maybe there should be a reality check here as well. The Angels – and I would suspect that means Moreno – have resisted a full teardown throughout this non-playoff drought. The reasoning is that you just don’t do that in the continent’s second-largest media market, because fans won’t put up with it, and in most cases that’s true. As late as last August, general manager Perry Minasian made moves at the trade deadline in a last-ditch bid to stay in contention and convince Ohtani to re-sign. The strategy failed when the Angels lost seven straight to begin August and 11 of 14 to fall 13½ games out of first place and eight games out of a wild-card spot, and Minasian wound up waiving Lucas Giolito, Dominic Leone, Matt Moore, Reynaldo López and Hunter Renfroe to get the team under the luxury tax threshold. So when Moreno demurred this past winter after given the last chance to re-sign Ohtani, and then passed on all five Scott Boras-represented free agents – Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and J.D. Martinez – as February turned into March, it was pretty evident what the strategy would be. And to be honest, a rebuild is about as sound a strategy as is available to the Angels. Yes, Snell and maybe Martinez would have looked good in Angels red, but would they have provided enough of a boost to catch the Rangers, Astros and Mariners in the AL West? At this point it’s better to start over, and that not only means giving the kids on the big-league roster a solid chance, but also committing additional resources to scouting and player development and shoring up the underpinnings. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels struggle everywhere in blowout loss to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jo Adell sitting and waiting for playing time Los Angeles Angels | Reid Detmers leads Angels past Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Nolan Schanuel has on-base streak end after Orioles appeal Los Angeles Angels | Angels rally but still lose home opener to Red Sox Having a plan, one that might conceivably get the Angels back to the postseason some time in the remaining six years of Trout’s contract after this one, makes a lot more sense than the blind hope with which the Angels have operated for a decade or so. Granted, this does assume that there is such a detailed plan, and I realize that’s a hefty assumption. In the meantime, seeing the youngsters grow is a reason to watch, even when the result is as excruciating as it was Sunday. And as long as we’re talking about hope, there’s still that chance Arte could reverse course again and sell the team. jalexander@scng.com View the full article

ANAHEIM — With a chance to win a series Sunday, the Angels instead got blown out. Their 12-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox marked the fourth time in nine games that they’ve allowed at least eight runs, and the third time they’ve lost by at least eight. On the bright side, the Angels are 5-4, which is a pace they’d be happy to keep all season. They won’t be able to do that unless they start to get some better performances, at the plate and on the mound. Starter Chase Silseth gave up three runs in five innings, and then the game got away with relievers José Cisnero and José Suarez on the mound. It got so bad that designated hitter Miguel Sanó was called on to pitch in the ninth. Even with better pitching, the Angels would have lost because the hitters came up empty for most of the afternoon. The Angels had opportunities in the first three innings but couldn’t convert. They left two runners on in the first and third. In the second, Sanó led off with a single and Logan O’Hoppe hit into a double play. Their best chance came in the third, when leadoff man Anthony Rendon led off with a double, his second hit of the season. Nolan Schanuel moved him to third with a grounder. Mike Trout then walked and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. Taylor Ward struck out and Brandon Drury grounded out. The game was out of reach by the time Trout hit a homer – all four of his homers have been solo homers – to make it 8-1 in the eighth. Rendon, Schanuel, Drury, Mickey Moniak and Zach Neto have all started the season poorly at the plate. On the mound, Silseth gave up three solo homers in the third inning, the second time this weekend an Angels starter gave up three homers in an inning. Those were the only three hits Silseth allowed. He retired seven of the next eight hitters after the homers. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Jo Adell sitting and waiting for playing time Los Angeles Angels | Reid Detmers leads Angels past Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Nolan Schanuel has on-base streak end after Orioles appeal Los Angeles Angels | Angels rally but still lose home opener to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Mike Trout hoping to steal ’20-plus’ bases this year Silseth threw 91 pitches, and he noticeably lost some velocity on his fastball toward the end, which was one of the issues that had the Angels undecided on whether he should be a starter or reliever early in 2023. Silseth answered late in the season by doing a better job of holding his velocity, which encouraged the Angels to keep him in the rotation. When Silseth left the game, the Angels were down 3-0. That quickly turned into a 7-0 deficit after Cisnero and Suarez allowed four runs in the sixth. Three of them came home on Reese McGuire’s homer against Suarez. Suarez was charged with three more runs in the ninth. After Guillo Zuñiga was unable to record even one out, the Angels ended up using Sanó, who retired the only batter he faced. More to come on this story. View the full article

ANAHEIM — If history is any indication, Jo Adell is going to get an opportunity to play as injuries or extended struggles of other players clear the way. For now, though, he’s still waiting. The Angels outfielder was on the bench again Sunday. He’s started just two of the first nine games. “I’ve got some pretty good little ball players and I can only get nine on the field,” manager Ron Washington said. “Everyone that’s here is going to get a chance to play. We are at the 7th of April and we started the 28th of March. There’s still a lot of baseball to go. We’ll find places to get Jo in there.” Although Washington said he’s not necessarily saving Adell to face lefties, that would make sense because Mickey Moniak is not as good against lefties. The Angels are in the midst of 13 consecutive games against the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox have no lefties in their rotation and the Rays have one. The Angels are not scheduled to see the Rays’ lefty this week. When the roster was constructed, it was clear that there was the potential for a logjam, with outfielders Aaron Hicks, Moniak and Adell all on the team. Adell and Moniak are out of options, so the Angels can’t send either to the minors. Washington and Angels general manager Perry Minasian typically dismissed questions about playing time, saying it would work itself out. Although it probably still will, one added variable that was not anticipated over the winter was the presence of Miguel Sanó. Signed to a minor-league deal, Sanó has started six of the first nine games, including five at DH. Sanó was hitting .261 with an .821 OPS heading into Sunday’s game. Adell had just 11 plate appearances, going 2 for 9 with a walk. One of his hits was a triple. Adell had struck out twice. He also had a sacrifice fly, which came on a two-strike swing Wednesday in Miami. “He did exactly what he’s supposed to do,” Washington said. “If you can’t get a base hit, the next best thing is to hit a sac fly. He didn’t get a base hit, but he got a sac fly. He knew his job was to get the ball in the air. And he showed that he has that capability. And that’s the mindset we want to keep him in. Do what the game asks him to do.” NOTES Left-hander Amir Garrett has been at 95-98 mph in his first two outings at Triple-A Salt Lake. Garrett has allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. The Angels signed the veteran to a minor-league deal after he was released by the San Francisco Giants late in spring training. … Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Reid Detmers leads Angels past Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Nolan Schanuel has on-base streak end after Orioles appeal Los Angeles Angels | Angels rally but still lose home opener to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Mike Trout hoping to steal ’20-plus’ bases this year Los Angeles Angels | Luis Rengifo, Angels looking to smooth inconsistency out of his game Right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder inflammation) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday. … The 12 strikeouts for Reid Detmers on Saturday night were the most for any pitcher so far this season. UP NEXT Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 1-0, 0.00) vs. Rays (RHP Zach Eflin, 1-1, 5.25) at Angel Stadium, 6:38 p.m. PT Saturday, Bally Sports West, 830 AM. View the full article

ANAHEIM – Rarely has Reid Detmers been better, a 2022 no-hitter notwithstanding, with the offense finally able to show its appreciation in the later innings Saturday. Detmers tied a career high with 12 strikeouts and the offense scratched out a pair of runs in the sixth inning as the Angels pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The same Red Sox offense that scored eight runs with nine hits in Friday’s series-opening victory struck out six times in the first two innings against Detmers. It was the fourth time in Detmers’ career he has recorded double-digit strikeouts. And just when it looked like Boston’s single run in the third inning might befuddle the Angels all night, an unlikely two-out rally in the sixth inning emerged. The first two Angels hitters went down easily in the sixth against Red Sox right-hander Greg Weissert. Then came an infield single from Luis Rengifo, who was promptly called out on a steal attempt of second base. But for the second time in the game, replay overturned an out call on an Angels steal attempt by second-base umpire Tony Randazzo. Given new life, Mickey Moniak walked and Zach Neto followed with his own infield single to shortstop when Moniak outraced the throw on a force-out attempt to second base. With the bases loaded, up came Anthony Rendon, who had delivered just his second hit from the leadoff spot when he singled in the first inning. Redon sent a bouncing ball to Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, who was unable to make the routine play, allowing two runners to score. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Nolan Schanuel has on-base streak end after Orioles appeal Los Angeles Angels | Angels rally but still lose home opener to Red Sox Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Mike Trout hoping to steal ’20-plus’ bases this year Los Angeles Angels | Luis Rengifo, Angels looking to smooth inconsistency out of his game Los Angeles Angels | Angels blow out Marlins to win fourth in a row For Detmers (2-0), it was his second impressive start of the young season in two tries after he held the Baltimore Orioles to one run over five innings Sunday in the Angels’ first win of the season. In addition to just one walk allowed, Detmers gave up his lone run in six innings on three hits. In all four outings where Detmers has struck out 10 or more, he has allowed three hits or less. In three of those four he has allowed just a lone run. Further appreciation for the outing came from the bullpen when Adam Cimber, Matt Moore and Carlos Estevez took down the final nine outs, with Estevez earning his third save in three chances. Angels pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts. The defense supplied its own tip of the cap when Mike Trout went to the warning track, just in front of the center field wall, to take away an extra-base hit from Jarren Duran for the third out of the eighth inning. The Angels are now 5-1 since Detmers made his season debut, with his next start in line to come next weekend, when the Angels are in Boston. View the full article

ANAHEIM — It took a scoring change in the cover of night to finally end Nolan Schanuel’s historic on-base streak to begin his career. The Angels rookie first baseman appeared to reach base in his 36th consecutive game with a walk on Friday against the Boston Red Sox. He was just two games away from the second-best on-base streak to begin a career in MLB history. Or so it seemed. Late Friday, news began to trickle in that an MLB scoring change took a hit away from Schanuel last Saturday at Baltimore. A play that was once ruled an infield hit was ruled an error after an Orioles appeal. Since it was actually the second change to a play, it meant that no more appeals could be accepted and the Angels were not allowed to request a further review of the situation. “Disappointing, but time to move on,” Schanuel said Saturday. It was a measured and professional response from the 22-year-old and a clear sign of just how he was able to transition into the major leagues so comfortably in the first place. The play in question came in the ninth inning at Baltimore on Saturday, when it seemed that Schanuel kept the streak alive with a ground ball toward right field that Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle stopped on a diving play. Mountcastle threw the ball to pitcher Mike Baumann, who couldn’t make the play while in a full sprint to the bag. The play was originally ruled a hit and a throwing error on Mountcastle as Baumann was unable to come up with his low throw. The rare double change gave the error to Baumann instead. “I don’t think it was right, but they are the decision makers,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “I certainly wanted to see history continue. Scorekeeper made a call, another group made another call.” Instead of extending his on-base streak to 36 consecutive games Friday, it was merely No. 5 for Schanuel. The Angels are now tracking a different career-opening streak, with Schanuel entering Saturday’s game by reaching base via hit, walk, hit batter or error in those 36 games. Reaching by error does not factor into a player’s on-base percentage. Only five times in Angels history has a player reached base via hit, walk, hit by pitch or error in more than 36 consecutive games, with Orlando Cabrera at the top of the list with 63 consecutive games in 2007. Mike Trout has streaks of 48 games (2013) and 40 games (2017). HUNTER, GATHERER Former Angels Gold Glove winning center fielder Torii Hunter has a new role in the organization as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian. Hunter was a special instructor at spring training, saying at the time: “Full time? Not ready to do that. It could happen someday. We’ll see.” A special assistant role offers more flexibility than say a job as a coach, something that came up over the winter after Washington was hired as manager. Hunter called that “a rumor.” In five seasons with the Angels (2008-12), Hunter batted .286 with an .814 OPS and hit 105 home runs with 432 RBIs in 713 games. He was a Gold Glove winner in 2008 and 2009 to earn the last of his nine consecutive defensive honors. Hunter made two of his five All-Star Games appearances in an Angels uniform. Hunter played his first 12 seasons with the Minnesota Twins and had served as their special assistant in baseball operations since 2016. Other former MLB players who serve as a special assistant to Minasian include Kurt Suzuki, Eddie Guardado and Chris Carpenter. GOOD TO GO Despite coming out of his first start of the season with a blister and a cracked fingernail, right-hander Chase Silseth is set to make his start Sunday against the Red Sox. Silseth struggled to the tune of four runs (three earned) on five hits in three innings against the Miami Marlins on Monday. But Mike Trout rode to the rescue with two home runs and the Angels rallied for a 7-4 victory. Silseth received permission to wear a protective covering on his finger for Saturday’s outing. UP NEXT Red Sox (RHP Tanner Houck (1-0, 0.00) at Angels (RHP Chase Silseth, 0-0, 9.00 ERA), 1:07 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article

ANAHEIM — The Angels provided an Angel Stadium sellout crowd of 44,714 with plenty of entertainment, but not a victory. After trailing by four runs in the second inning, the Angels rallied to tie the score in the sixth and seventh innings before losing, 8-6, to the Boston Red Sox in their home opener on Friday night. Logan O’Hoppe’s sixth inning grand slam pulled the Angels even, and they had a few chances to take the lead after that, but they couldn’t do it. José Soriano, the Angels’ flame-throwing multi-inning reliever who had been dominant in his season debut last weekend, gave up single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth. Jarren Duran, a product of Cypress High and Long Beach State, gave the Red Sox the final lead of the night with an eighth-inning homer off a 99.4-mph fastball from Soriano. Soriano gave up another homer in the ninth, the second of the game from Tyler O’Neill, and the Angels saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. The night began badly for the Angels. They fell behind 4-0 in the second inning when Griffin Canning gave up three homers, and Angels didn’t even get their first hit until the fourth. In the fifth the Angels pushed home a run, but Mike Trout hit a flyout to leave the bases loaded. The Red Sox then got that run back in the top of the sixth, taking a 5-1 lead. The Angels then capitalized on a sloppy inning from the Red Sox. Taylor Ward hit a fly ball to center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who had the ball in his glove and simply dropped it. Brandon Drury then hit a grounder to third baseman Rafael Devers, whose throw to second was dropped by Enmanuel Valdez. Miguel Sanó was then hit by a pitch loading the bases. An out later, Logan O’Hoppe blasted a ball over the center field fence, tying the score with his first career grand slam. The momentum was firmly on the Angels’ side at that point, but the Red Sox kept shoving them back down every time they hopped up. Each time the Angels scored, the Red Sox scored in the following inning. By the time it was over, Canning’s outing seemed a distant memory. Canning made it through 4⅔ and he allowed four runs, all of them coming on the three homers he allowed in the second inning. Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Mike Trout hoping to steal ’20-plus’ bases this year Los Angeles Angels | Luis Rengifo, Angels looking to smooth inconsistency out of his game Los Angeles Angels | Angels blow out Marlins to win fourth in a row Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Zach Neto says he has his ‘swagger’ back after slow start Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson works 7 scoreless innings in Angels’ victory over Marlins Canning hung a slider to O’Neill on a 1-and-0 pitch, and O’Neill hit it into the seats in right center. Canning’s next pitch was a first-pitch fastball over the outside corner to Triston Casas, who also went the other way to hit a homer to left field. After an out and a hit batter, Canning threw another first pitch fastball to Reese McGuire, who pulled out to left field. The velocity on the two fastballs that the Red Sox hit out were 92.8 and 91.6 mph. Two starts into the season, Canning’s average fastball has been 92.7 mph, which is down from last season’s average of 94.7 mph. More to come on this story. View the full article

ANAHEIM — Six games into the season, Mike Trout has one stolen base. That’s one shy of the most he’s had in a season since 2019. One of the narratives that has followed Trout throughout the last five years is a frustration among fans that he is not the same stolen base threat he was at the start of his career. Trout stole 49 bases as a rookie in 2012 and 30 as recently as 2016. As injuries have taken their toll on him, though, Trout, 32, has been anchored to first base. He has stolen a total of six bases over the previous four seasons. “In the past I’ve been kind of holding back a little bit, because obviously the injury history,” Trout said. “But I just want to go out and play and have fun, play baseball. I won’t steal every night, but stealing bags and doing what I can to get on second.” Asked how many steals he’d like this season, Trout said: “I think 20-plus would be cool. Thirty would be really cool.” Manager Ron Washington said he won’t stand in Trout’s way for the sake of injury prevention. “I don’t want Mike stealing 50 bags because I don’t want him hitting the ground that much, but if Mike decides he wants to get 50 bags and he can get 50, I’m not going to stop him.” WEAVER’S FUTURE Longtime Angels pitcher Jered Weaver returned to Angel Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday. Before the game, Weaver said that he’s ready to get back into the game in a more active role. “I said after I got done, I wouldn’t, but I’m kind of itching to get back,” said Weaver, who last played in 2017. “I’ve had my time away, spent it with family. I would like to get back in at some point. I miss the game now. I find myself watching a little bit more than I used to. At some point it would be great to get back in, but I’m not going to force myself back in. If somebody reaches out, we’ll see what happens.” Weaver, who has three children, said he’s not ready to be away for a full-time job, but he’d be interested in “something where I can pop in for five or 10 days and show my face and help out the youngsters.” Weaver made some headlines in spring 2023 when he made a comment on Twitter about the fact that the Angels hadn’t invited him back as a guest instructor, as they had done with many other former Angels players. Weaver said there were never any hard feelings behind that Tweet. “I was out at a bar with my buddies that night,” Weaver said with a smile. “That’s how that Tweet came about. Since then I backed off Twitter a little bit.” NOTES Right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson (shoulder inflammation) is scheduled for another bullpen session on Saturday, and then live batting practice on Monday. Stephenson will need a rehab assignment before he’s activated. … Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Luis Rengifo, Angels looking to smooth inconsistency out of his game Los Angeles Angels | Angels blow out Marlins to win fourth in a row Los Angeles Angels | Angels’ Zach Neto says he has his ‘swagger’ back after slow start Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Anderson works 7 scoreless innings in Angels’ victory over Marlins Los Angeles Angels | Angels reliever Adam Cimber off to encouraging start after injuries ruined 2023 Nolan Schanuel was back in the No. 2 spot in the lineup on Friday night. Washington said his current plan is for Schanuel to hit second against righties, and down in the lineup against lefties. … Washington reiterated his confidence in Anthony Rendon as his leadoff hitter, despite his 0-for-19 start. “I’m not worried about Rendon getting hits,” Washington said. “Rendon will get a lot of hits. The quality has been there. He’s put the barrel on the ball. He just doesn’t have anything to show for it. I know that you guys judge him on getting base hits, but I judge on how he goes about his business and what his at-bats mean to us as a team. He’s gonna get his hits and when he starts getting them, you’re all going to say ‘When’s he going to stop?’” UP NEXT Red Sox (RHP Garrett Whitlock, 1-0, 1.80 ERA) at Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 1-0, 1.80), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM View the full article