The Los Angeles Angels still have games to play after making their first big trade, but this one didn't go well.
The Los Angeles Angels were literally finding out about last night’s big trade with the Texas Rangers as they took the field last night, and the sudden departure of reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe had an immediate impact as the bullpen blew up get again in a disappointing 7-4 loss to the Houston Astros.
There aren’t many positives happening with the Halos these days, so we’ll go sunny side up and start with those. Grayson Rodriguez posted one of his better starts of the season as he gave up two runs in five innings on five hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts.
That gave the Angels a 3-2 lead after they scored three in the first inning on a two-run RBI double from Vaughn Grissom and a run-scoring single from Jo Adell, but most of what followed was both familiar and forgettable.
Mitch Farris gave up three runs in the sixth as he continues to look overmatched as a primary reliever, and this was a night where the Angels truly could have used Silseth. Kirby Yates gave up another run in the seventh as he continues to trash his trade value, although Brent Suter might have bumped his up a bit with two scoreless innings to finish up.
Rodriguez lowered his ERA to 7.98, which sort of counts as a plus. But the Angels were also sloppy in the field with errors by first baseman Nolan Schanuel and third baseman Denzer Guzman contributing to the Houston cause as the Astros pounded out a total of ten hits that included a pair of home runs.
The win was also a success for Houston starter Hayden Wesneski, as he gave up three runs and got the win in his first start this season coming off Tommy John surgery.
The Angels are now playing both ends against the middle in the AL West pennant race, such as it is. The win and series sweep helped Houston get to within a game of the Texas Rangers, but adding O’Hoppe and Silseth to the Rangers roster could help Texas stay atop the division in the coming days and weeks.
The Angels now get a day off to recover from the trade and the sweep, and they’ll host the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow night in a series that could get very ugly given the thin Angels bullpen. There are plenty of other trade candidates to monitor, though, so that will be the focus for the Halos this weekend.
