Angels Week 3: Jo Adell arrives, Halos’ bats do not

Last week for the Angels was going to be remembered as the week they called up Jo Adell, their top prospects, to the majors for the first time. And after a promising start for both the outfielder and the team, the week devolved into a nightmare for both Adell and the Angels.

A weekend sweep in Texas dropped the Angels to 5-11, last place in the division and the worst record in the American League. For Adell, he’s 2-for-15 at the plate with nine strikeouts, and in the field got crossed up Sunday and allowed a ball off his glove for a four-base error, a truly embarrassing moment.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s going to have to be me just settling in, figuring out my groove and understanding that it’s a game, and things happen, you make mistakes and you’ve just got out and you have to be you,” Adell said after Sunday’s game. “I’m ready to get there, I’m on my way to getting there, but it’s one of those things where I just have to go out, relax and just do my thing.”

“it’s been a tough start,” manager Joe Maddon said of Adell on Sunday. “It happens sometimes to some really good players.”

Batter of the week

Mike Trout in his first week as a dad was on fire, hitting four home runs and leading the team in hits (7), runs (5), and runs batted in (7). Honorable mention goes to catcher Max Stassi, who homered twice as well.

It was an otherwise crummy week for the Angels’ bats, hitting just .180/.269/.392 as a team. Anthony Rendon was 0-for-19 on the road trip, with four walks, one of five regulars with two or fewer hits last week.

Pitcher of the week

Dylan Bundy has been fantastic in the early going for the Angels, including Thursday afternoon in Seattle when he struck out 10 in the Angels’ first complete game in two years. Bundy also walked nobody, giving him the 13th double-digit strikeout, no-walk complete game in Angels history.

Week 3 results

2-4 record
23 runs scored (3.83 per game)
24 runs allowed (4.00 per game)
.481 pythagorean record

Season to date

5-11 record
72 runs scored (4.50 per game)
80 runs allowed (5.00 per game)
.452 pythagorean record (7-9)

AL West standing: 5th place, 7 games back
Current playoff position: 15th in AL, 3½ games out of a playoff spot

Miscellany

The birthday boy: Mike Trout turned 29 on Friday, and celebrated in style with a home run in Texas. Trout has five home runs in the seven games he’s played on his birthday (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020), one shy of the all-time record held by Alex Rodriguez and Mark Reynolds. Trout on August 7 is 9-for-28 with seven runs scored, seven RBI, a double, and three walks, hitting .321/.387/.893.

Transactions

Monday: Michael Hermosillo and Jared Walsh were optioned to the alternate training site, making room for Mike Trout to rejoin the team, off the restricted list, after the birth of his son.

Tuesday: Jo Adell was selected to the roster for his major league debut. Cam Bedrosian was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain, and pitcher Kyle Keller was recalled for a brief stint in the bullpen.

“I’m just trying to get him back to where it where he’s feeling pretty comfortable,” pitching coach Mickey Callaway said of Bedrosian on Saturday. “It’s something that didn’t seem too serious, so I I’m sure it’s fairly imminent when he gets back out there. But at this point, we don’t have timetable.”

Wednesday: Julio Teheran was activated from the injured list to make his Angels debut, and Keller was optioned.

Thursday: Matt Thaiss and pitcher Jose Rodriguez were optioned as active rosters were reduced from 30 to 28 players.

Saturday: Patrick Sandoval was recalled to start in Texas, and Luke Bard was optioned.

Roster breakdown at the end of the week: 15 pitchers, 13 position players

Game results

• Tuesday: Angels 5, Mariners 3
• Wednesday: Mariners 7, Angels 6
• Thursday: Angels 6, Mariners 1
• Friday: Rangers 4, Angels 3
• Saturday: Rangers 2, Angels 0
• Sunday: Rangers 7, Angels 3

Previous weekly reviews: Week 1 | Week 2

The week ahead

The Angels are back home, running the 1988 (or 1974, if you prefer) World Series gauntlet, hosting the A’s and Dodgers.