LA Angels Player Grades for 3-1 Series Loss to Oakland

OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 29: Matt Harvey #33 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on March 29, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Starting Pitchers

Trevor Cahill

What a way to start a season folks! Probably the most boring choice to be the Angels’ Opening Day starter, Cahill proved to be a poor choice as well. After a somewhat solid start to the game, Cahill allowed four runs on six hits against the Oakland lineup. Two of those hits were home runs. Cahill walked one batter while striking out three on the day.

One positive is that Cahill got through the sixth inning, saving the bullpen some work. While in reality Cahill is the Angels’ fifth starter and only started on Opening Day because his pitching schedule aligned with it, it was disappointment nonetheless. Especially when considering that Cahill, who pitched for Oakland last season, had a sub-2.00 ERA when pitching in The Coliseum last year.

Grade: D

Matt Harvey

The Dark Knight made a strong return to action on Friday night, guiding the Angels to their first win of the season after a solid six innings of pitching, where Harvey only allowed two runs. One knock on Harvey’s debut was he walked three batters while only striking out one. Obviously one strikeout isn’t what you want to see, and hopefully he can improve on it as the season progresses.

The biggest and best takeaway from Harvey’s Angels debut was his velocity. After seeing it drop the past couple of years, he was consistently in the mid-90’s throughout the night and had his pitches working.

Harvey was also able to get out of a self-produced bases loaded jam late in the game, and showed emotion fans haven’t seen from him since his time in New York. Harvey hasn’t had an easy path thus far, and seeing him on the mound was the most enjoyable part of the weekend.

Grade: B

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Felix Peña

In what was the worst start for an Angels’ pitcher this weekend, Peña failed to get out of the fourth inning, lasting 3.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits.

Peña was someone who Halo fans were optimistic about. He performed well with the team last season, and had a strong Spring Training as well. And while overreacting from one start is never a good idea, it was definitely not how you’d want the season to start for Peña. He’ll look to improve in his next start, which shouldn’t be too hard considering how poor this outing was.

Grade: F

Tyler Skaggs

On Sunday, the man who should have (and would have) been the Opening Day starter if not for a Spring Training setback, Tyler Skaggs took the mound to kick off a 2019 season that includes All Star hopes for the Angels’ ace.

And while his first start wasn’t absolutely dominating, Skaggs was a start behind after missing time in Spring Training. He had a pitch limit, and after getting high in pitch count early, it became obvious Skaggs would have a short day.

He ended up pitching 4.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out two batters. One run came after Skaggs had left the game, but was responsible for the base runner.

The biggest takeaway from this was that Skaggs was still in Spring Training form. He showed last year he has the potential and skill to be one of the best starters in the AL, and there’s no reason for concern after his first start.