The Angels won a league-high 98 games in 2014, falling in a sweep to the Royals in the playoffs. They won 85 games the next year, but missed the post-season. They have not enjoyed a winning record since. They are now in their second year in the post-Shohei Ohtani era, with Mike Trout past his prime. While there are some promising young players, the franchise seems adrift, nowhere near contention.
Los Angeles Angels (64-73) vs. Kansas City Royals (70-67) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Angels:
4.26 runs scored/game (20th in MLB), 5.04 runs allowed/game (27th)
Royals: 3.86 runs scored/game (27th), 3.88 runs allowed/game (3rd)
The Angels hung around .500 on the periphery of the Wild Card race for much of the summer, but went 11-16 in August, likely sinking their chances. They’ve dropped nine of their last thirteen, although they are coming off a series win in Houston.
Mike Trout is still an above-average hitter, but he is not the superstar in his prime he once was. He spends most of his time at DH to protect his health, but he is hitting just .219/.353/.343 since the All-Star break. Zach Neto has 10 home runs in his last 26 games and is third among all shortstops in home runs with 25. Jo Adell is hitting .265/.337/.614 against lefties. Taylor Ward is hitting .269/.372/.555 with 17 of his 30 home runs on the road, but he suffered facial lacerations colliding with a wall on Sunday, and could miss some action this week. Yoán Moncada has a 42.3 percent hard-hit rate, but is hitting just .218 since coming off the injured list in early July.
Luis Rengifo has the fourth-worst wRC+ (77) among qualified hitters and he has a 49.5 percent groundball rate. Travis d’Arnaud is hitting .109/.208/.156 since the All-Star break. Logan O’Hoppe is hitting .143/.182/.206 since the start of August.
Angels catchers have thrown out just 18 percent of basestealing attempts, the fourth-worst mark in baseball. The Angels are the worst defensive team in baseball, according to Outs Above Average. Jo Adell is one of the worst defensive outfielders, with Moncada and Rengifo faring poorly in the infield.
The Angels have not yet announced starters for Tuesday or Wednesday, but they added Mitch Farris to the roster as part of expanded rosters. Farris was drafted by the Braves in 2023, but as sent to the Angels last winter for pitcher Davis Daniel. Farris had a 4.27 ERA in 23 games at Double-A this year with 142 strikeouts in 116 innings. Neither Baseball America nor MLB Pipeline ranks him among the top 30 prospects in the farm system. Farris doesn’t have a lot of velocity, but has a deceptive delivery and a change up that runs in on lefties like a screwball.
The Angels signed veteran José Ureña last week, and he could make the start on Wednesday in what could be a bullpen game. Ureña has already pitched for the Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Twins this year, so when he appears with the Angels, he will tie an MLB record for most teams in one season. Ureña faced the Royals just a few weeks ago when he was with the Twins, giving up one run in three innings, but walking four in a start. He has given up seven runs in 6.2 career innings at Kauffman Stadium, with Royals hitters batting .400 (12-for-30) with two home runs against him. Opponents are hitting .368 against his fastball this year, and he relies heavily on a change up.
Hendricks pitched well his last time out, but has a 6.41 ERA over his last four starts. He throws his change up 38 percent of the time. Traditionally a groundball pitcher, his rate has cratered to just 37 percent this year. Righties are hitting .302/.330/.532 against him this year. He has a 5.05 ERA on the road with opponents hitting .357/.313/.444 against him. Mike Yastrzemski is just 2-for-16 (.125) with a home run in his career against Hendricks.
The Angels bullpen has a 4.83 ERA, third-worst in baseball. They have 28 blown saves, most in baseball, although closer Kenley Jansen has converted 25-of-26 save opportunities. Their relievers allow 37 percent of inherited runners score, the third-highest rate. Luis García has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings since joining the Angels. Ryan Zeferjahn has the eighth-highest walk rate among relievers.
The Royals will be facing the Angels for the first time, and will play them again in the final week of the season out west. The Angels are just 30-38 on the road this year and are pitching some untested arms, so this a terrific opportunity for not only a series win but a possible sweep.
