The Los Angeles Angels were .500 halfway through April but after a recent spell of losing, the team has lost five straight and nine of its last 10.
All things considered, the Los Angeles Angels had a good start to the season and were sitting at or around .500 midway through April.
Now, the Angels are 12-19. Los Angeles has lost five straight games and nine of its last 10 dating back to the series against the San Diego Padres. Its last three series have been against the Toronto Blue Jays (came into the series slumping), Kansas City Royals (came into series as worst team in American League) and Chicago White Sox (11-17 entering play Monday).
What has gone wrong? The offense has been surprisingly good and has hit for a lot of power, and the starting rotation has been hit or miss, but the bullpen has been brutal. Although the bullpen wasn’t responsible for the loss to the White Sox last night, it has been a big problem for weeks.
For the first time all season, Angels ace right-hander José Soriano was hit hard and allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings, earning his first loss of the season. His ERA rose from 0.24 to 0.84, which is still phenomenal, but Soriano showed vulnerability for the first time this season.
White Sox righty Davis Martin had another strong outing, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing only one run on seven hits and one walk while fanning seven to improve to 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA.
Los Angeles looks to avoid being swept for the second consecutive series to bottom-dwelling AL Central teams and will call upon veteran All-Star left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to be a stopper.
Kikuchi has struggled thus far, posting an 0-3 record with a 6.21 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through six starts (29 innings). He’s been tinkering with his mechanics a bit, and after throwing six scoreless innings while allowing just five baserunners with eight strikeouts against the San Diego Padres, it seemed like he was turning the corner.
Well, his next time out, his last outing against the Royals, Kikuchi allowed five runs on five hits and two walks with five punchouts over five innings. Hitters are batting .357 on balls in play (BABIP), the highest mark of his career. The two-time All-Star will face the following lineup:
1. Chase Meidroth (2B)
2. Miguel Vargas (3B)
3. Munetaka Murakami (1B)
4. Austin Hays (DH)
5. Colson Montgomery (SS)
6. Edgar Quero (C)
7. Derek Hill (RF)
8. Luisangel Acuna (CF)
9. Sam Antonacci (LF)
Kikuchi will square off with Chicago right-hander Erick Fedde, who has been solid during his second stint in the Windy City. Fedde is 0-3 but has a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 26.1 innings in five appearances (three starts). The White Sox have used an opener for Fedde twice this season, including his last outing in which he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks with one strikeout against the Washington Nationals. He will face the following lineup:
1. Zach Neto (SS)
2. Mike Trout (CF)
3. Yoan Moncada (3B)
4. Jorge Soler (RF)
5. Jo Adell (LF)
6. Josh Lowe (CF)
7. Vaughn Grissom (1B)
8. Travis d’Arnaud (C)
9. Adam Frazier (2B)
First pitch is at 10:10 a.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.