The LA Angels May Finally Have Their Ace Back

The LA Angels have had an inconsistent rotation all season. However, after Garrett Richards made his long awaited return to the mound on Tuesday, they may finally have their answer.

The LA Angels are currently sitting one game back of the Minnesota Twins heading into their weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. They have been teasing fans for over a month now that they can get to the Wild Card game. However, now that they have their ace back, they may be able to achieve that goal.

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The Halos lost Garrett Richards before his first start should have ended. In the fifth inning of his first start this season, the Angels had to pull Richards after some discomfort. He was throwing a shutout at this point, but the Halos could not risk their ace’s health. This is especially true given his unfortunate run with injuries over the past few years.

Richards was sidelined for five months due to a strained bicep, not making his return until Tuesday. However, Richards proved that he was well worth the wait.

The Angels’ ace went into the game with a pitch limit of around 50. He ended up throwing 52 over 3.1 innings. And each pitch seemed like it was the Richards of old on the mound. Richards allowed four hits and a walk during his comeback. He also struck out three batters in his return.

The numbers do not truly show how great it was for Richards to be on the mound. As his workload increases, the Angels will have their ace back for a playoff run in which six teams are all fighting for one spot. It is something they have lacked all season, despite new faces like JC Ramirez and Parker Bridwell showing they have potential.

Next: Offense Proving Their Worth for Halos

The Angels made numerous moves to upgrade their offense last week. However, the move that could end up having the most impact, was the activation of Richards from the DL.