Angels Week 2: Pitching deficient

The Angels have played three series so far this season, and have lost them all, including dropping five out of seven games last week to the A’s, Mariners, and Astros, with little relief in sight.

Angels relief pitchers blew a lead in the seventh inning Wednesday against Seattle, then blew ninth-inning leads to the Astros on both Saturday and Sunday.

Thirteen different pitchers were used in relief, and the bullpen allowed 25 runs in 36 innings during the week, though three of those runs were of the extra-inning, unearned variety, aided by the free runner on second base. Angels relievers threw more innings (36) than the starters (29) for the second straight week, which is contributing to the problem.

Shohei Ohtani has been bad in his two starts, and was sent for an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his right arm on Sunday, after recording only five outs. An outing in which he was left in to throw 42 pitches in the second inning and saw his velocity decline from 94-95 mph to under 90 mph for each of his final three fastballs.

The rotation only has three reliable starters at the moment in Andrew Heaney, Dylan Bundy, and Griffin Canning. This team desperately needs Julio Teheran back, which might be soon, just to give them a pitcher who can eat innings and take away some of the burden from what has been a leaky bullpen.

Expanding the playoff field to eight teams in each league was supposed to be a boon to the Angels’ playoff chances, and it still might be. But with one-sixth of the season gone the Halos are just 3-7, with 12 American League teams sporting better records at the moment.

Batter of the week

Brian Goodwin led the club with five extra-base hits and tied for the team lead with seven RBI. Honorable mention goes to Tommy La Stella, who had a .556 on-base percentage but also missed time over the weekend with a stiff neck.

Pitcher of the week

This one goes to Felix Peña, who struck out eight in 5⅔ scoreless frames in relief, one of the few bright spots in the bullpen. Honorable mention goes to starter Griffin Canning, who took the loss on Monday and was limited in his season debut, but then rebounded with a stellar effort on Saturday, pitching into the seventh while allowing a run.

Week 2 results

2-5 record
38 runs scored (5.42 per game)
42 runs allowed (6.00 per game)
.454 pythagorean record

Season to date

3-7 record
49 runs scored (4.90 per game)
56 runs allowed (5.60 per game)
.439 pythagorean record (4-6)

Miscellany

This is Sparta: On Wednesday against the Mariners, Justin Upton homered against Bryan Shaw in the sixth inning. It was the 300th home run of his career, the 149th player in MLB history to reach that milestone. Upton, picked first overall by Arizona in 2005, is the seventh No. 1 draft pick to hit 300 home runs, joining Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr, Chipper Jones, Harold Baines, Darryl Strawberry, and Adrian Gonzalez.

Mr. Extras: The Angels split two extra-inning games Saturday and Sunday, thanks in large part to Michael Hermosillo. a He hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to win Saturday’s game, then singled home the tying run Sunday, stole second base, then walked again in the 11th.

Transactions

Tuesday: Andrelton Simmons was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, one day after tweaking the ankle on a ninth-inning infield single in Oakland. Utility man Luis Rengifo was activated from the injured list.

Wednesday: Patrick Sandoval was optioned to the team’s alternate site in Long Beach one night after starting and pitching four innings in the Angels’ home opener. Luke Bard was recalled to join the bullpen.

Thursday: Mike Trout was placed on the paternity list, and pitcher Kyle Keller was recalled from Long Beach. Trout’s wife Jessica gave birth to their baby boy, Beckham, on Thursday.

Saturday: Jose Rodriguez was selected from the alternate site (which added him to the 40-man roster), with Keller optioned.

Sunday: After the maximum three days allowable on the paternity list, Mike Trout was transferred to the restricted list as a procedural move. General manager Billy Eppler told reporters Trout will join the Angels Tuesday in Seattle.

Game results

• Monday: A’s 3, Angels 0
• Tuesday: Angels 10, Mariners 2
• Wednesday: Mariners 10, Angels 7
• Thursday: Mariners 8, Angels 5
• Friday: Astros 9, Angels 6
• Saturday: Angels 5, Astros 4 (10 innings)
• Sunday: Astros 6, Angels 5 (11 innings)

Previous weekly reviews: Week 1

The week ahead

The Angels are back on the road this week, after Monday’s off day heading to Seattle and Arlington for three games each. Pitching probables for next weekend are estimated.