With the season winding down, the Los Angeles Angels are all about milestones. They got mauled by the Seattle Mariners last weekend, and now they’re getting blasted by the Milwaukee Brewers.
They did find a silver lining in the middle of this awful road trip, though, as left fielder Taylor Ward hit a pair of home runs to account for all the Halos scoring in last night’s 9-2 loss to Milwaukee. That bumped his homer number up to 33 for the year, and the two RBIs gave Ward 100 as he joined the 30-100 club.
It was an impressive power display, and it also represents a big bump for Ward. He hit 25 last year, and the Angels are starting to field a very respectable outfield when it comes to home runs, although Ward’s .225 average is cause for concern.
There are other milestones that could be reached, too. Fellow outfielder Jo Adell leads the club with 36 home runs and 95 RBIs, so he has a chance to one-up Ward and join the 40-100 club if he can find his power stroke. Adell has been streaky lately, but his track record to date suggests he'll at least get close.
The production of Ward and Adell is especially good news given the problematic decline of DH Mike Trout. The once-prolific outfielder has been reduced to a shell of his former self, although Trout still thinks he can get back on track and post big numbers.
His big milestone would be 400 career homers, of course, but given Trout’s power outage lately there’s no guarantee he’ll break through in the next ten games. That upcoming Coors Field opportunity against the Colorado Rockies this weekend does look enticing, though, so stay tuned.
One key player who won’t quite be reaching a new milestone is star shortstop Zach Neto. He’s already become the first Angels shortstop to hit the 20 HR/30 SB mark, and Neto would have had a shot at 30-30 with better health.
But Neto has been shut down for the season after struggling with hand issues, which is a wise move given where the Angels are in the standings.
The final possible milestone belongs to reliever Kenley Jansen, who’s closing in on Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith’s save record. Jansen has 474 career saves, and Smith has 478 to rank third all-time, but it would take a significant Angels turnaround for Jansen to overtake Smith.