A radical coaching overhaul ignited a historic, league-leading rotation, but a stagnant offense stalled the Halos’ momentum, proving that even elite pitching can’t mask a silent lineup.
The end of summer is upon us as we now enter September – the final month of the MLB regular season. The Los Angeles Angels won’t be playing anything beyond their 162 games, as they will instead miss the postseason for the 12th consecutive season.
With that said, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any entertainment to be had when it comes to Angels baseball this late into the campaign. August was a historic month for the Angels, simultaneously being at the top of the league on one end while being at the bottom on another. Can it get more Angels than that?
The Halos cut the season short for their pitching coach, bullpen coach, and assistant pitching coach back on August 11 for not making use of the technological tools available to them. Interim general manager John Mozeliak named Tim Leveque as the interim pitching coach for the remainder of the way, and the Angels have since taken a complete 180.
In 28 games last month, the Halos’ starting rotation combined for a 2.51 ERA. Not only is it the best in baseball for August, but it’s the lowest starting pitcher ERA for an Angels staff since April of the 1982 season.
Everybody is firing in Anaheim with the help of the new pitching coaches. Reid Detmers posted a 1.50 ERA in five starts. Grayson Rodriguez finally got it going with a 2.93 ERA in his five starts. Rookie Walbert Urena held opposing lineups to a 3.30 ERA across his 30 August innings. Fellow rookie Ryan Johnson allowed just five runs across his five starts. Another rookie arm, George Klassen, also showed out last month, holding teams to a 2.01 ERA in his four starts since returning to the bigs.
While the pitching staff was shoving on a nightly basis, the same can’t be said for the offense. The Angels’ 11-17 record in August shows just how out of sync the club is as a whole despite having the hottest rotation in baseball.
The starters had the best ERA in the month of August, but the lineup had the worst OPS in that same time frame. Their .611 OPS put them comfortably at the bottom of the league, not providing any run support for an out-of-no-where potent staff.
The Halos' lineup ranked in the bottom five in walks, strikeouts, total bases, and extra-base hits. That’s far from a recipe for success, and they proved it by wasting away the dominant month by the starters. Only a club like the Angels could achieve such a feat – being the best in all of baseball in one area, but being so dreadful in another that it simply does not matter.
Still, there are positives. There was a lot of fun watching the Angels take the mound last month, which, as Angels fans know, can never be taken for granted. The newfound success from the mound is very encouraging, especially considering the positive results despite the lack of experience. A willingness to lean into the available tools and analytics is long overdue for the Angels, but better late than never, right?
Let’s see what the final month of baseball provides Angels fans.
