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The Angels will have to make their playoff push without Huston Street

By Josh Mayhood
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

It's Sunday morning, and I am still feeling an emotional high from last night's game. The win not only kept the Angels within 0.5 games of the Wild Card, but it also ended up being the best game we've seen from the Angels in 2015. Mike Trout's insane catch, C.J. Cron stepping up with a big homer, and then David Freese lighting up the halo with a ninth inning, walk-off homer. It doesn't get better than that...well, that is unless they could have also escaped the game with their bullpen intact.

In the ninth inning, while getting the second out, Huston Street was seen in intense pain by the third base area, unable to stand without screaming out in pain. He threw his glove down and eventually had to be helped off the field by the trainer. It looked really, really bad, and it seems like we are in Worst Case Scenario here, as the Angels don't expect Street to be back any time soon.

In mid-season, Street hurt his groin and was unable to play for about nine game. His reaction to that injury looked very similar: he would go down to the ground, grimacing, then in trying to stand up and walk, would collapse again. We saw the same thing last night, just amplified by about 100 in terms of excruciating body language.

This blow to the bullpen is going to sting. As much as we scoff at Street sometimes, whether due to inane, prima donna remarks made to the press, or because he blows saves like the demoralizing one to Houston a couple weeks ago. But the guy has been solid, for the most part, racking up 40 saves on the year which is good for fourth most in all of MLB. We need him, but now that ship has sailed and it'll be closer by committee until further notice.

Crushing, but this team may be raging on enough adrenaline and momentum that they can get past it. Also, Joe Smith, who has been nursing an ankle injury, thinks he may be back soon. There is a silver lining.

That's good news to hear, if he does indeed get back soon and can help the club. It'll be Smith and Trevor Gott leading the way in the late innings, with a few of the other usual suspects thrown in. Maybe we even see Mike Scioscia get creative, who knows? One thing that's for certain is the season keeps chugging along whether we want it to or not, and the Angels hold the fate of their 2015 season in their hands now. Street or no Street, the games need to be played. Gut check time, indeed.

As for Street himself, he's in as good of spirits as can be expected in such a bummer of a situation. Give the man a round of applause, because as rough as this team has been at times this year, they'd look a heck of a lot worse if it weren't for him.

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