Five Things We Learned on Opening Day About The LA Angels

Learned thing # 4: The bullpen is not THAT that bad

By most accounts, if your bullpen gives up just one run over five innings, that’s a fairly decent effort. On the other hand, if you give the bullpen a one-run lead and they cough it up, that’s less decent. Blake Wood, José Alvarez, Keynan Middleton, Jim Johnson, and Noé Ramirez got every single batter they faced. Unfortunately, Cam Bedrosian got only one of the four batters he faced, and the three consecutive ringing singles he gave up tied the game. After an outstanding 2016 and first half of 2017, Bedrosian just can’t seem to be able to get anyone out. His uneven Spring Training is now extending into the regular season, and if Bedrosian can’t be counted on to be part of the solution, the Angels will need to find a way to replace him, and fast.

Had Justin Upton caught Boog Powell’s fly ball in the 11th inning, we’d be able to say that Ramirez had two excellent innings. But he didn’t, so we can’t.