LA Angels: Trevor Cahill Bounces Back and Two Other Take Aways from 2-1 Loss in Seattle

The LA Angels finished up their two-game set with the Seattle Mariners with a 2-1 loss. Before they head back to Anaheim to face the Rangers, here are three observations from the loss.

Quick Hits

• The LA Angels took an early lead in this one, with Jonathan Lucroy scoring in the second inning. It was only the third time the Angels had a lead so far this season.
• Per reports, David Fletcher is the Halos’ emergency catcher should they ever need one in a game, taking his role as a utility player to an entirely new level. He has his own gear, which is a power move from the Angels’ sophomore.
• Mike Trout still doesn’t have a home run. That isn’t necessarily concerning, but with Bryce Harper annihilating baseballs on the East Coast, it’d be nice if Trout could join the party.
• No Angels other Kole Calhoun, who has one, has hit a home run either. Their single home run is tied for dead last in the entire league.
• Luis Garcia allowed an eighth inning home run to Dan Vogelbach that wound up being the game-winning hit. It was the second consecutive night the Angels’ bullpen had allowed a home run after not allowing any runs in the Oakland series.

Handful of Halos Still in Major Slumps

Apart from the lack of home runs, several everyday players are still slumping through the team’s first six games. Zack Cozart still only has one hit on the season. Justin Bour wasn’t in the lineup due to him being a non factor against left-handed pitching. Peter Bourjos and Kevan Smith are both still hitless as well.

While some players, such as Jonathan Lucroy, have been hitting well, this offense is playing as poorly as it has in Mike Trout’s entire tenure with the Angels so far. If not for his record extension, “Trade Mike Trout” headlines would be swirling around the internet right about now.

This team has no sense of an offensive identity right now, and there isn’t much that can be done about it until reinforcements arrive via Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani.

Trevor Cahill Bounces Back in Seattle

Maybe I was a little too hard on Trevor Cahill. Unlike his Opening Day start in Oakland, Cahill was a dominant pitcher on Tuesday night. He didn’t look anything like he did in his last start, and put together what could be considered the best start by an Angels pitcher so far this season. He finished the night with one earned run, five strikeouts, and three hits in six innings pitched.

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The problem in Oakland was that he was allowing a lot of fly balls, which would turn into home runs. In his second start, most of the batted balls were on the ground, and contact was relatively soft. His entire repertoire of pitches was in full effect, and he used his full arsenal brilliantly throughout the game.

Cahill put an emphasis on his cutter in his second start, which proved to be absolutely vital to his success. After throwing just six cutters in his Opening Day start, Cahill used the pitch 18 times Tuesday night, per Jeff Fletcher. If Cahill can continue to use his cutter as effectively and plentiful as he did on Tuesday, it will bode well for him as the season goes on.

Another key to his start was that Cahill consistently found the strike zone in Seattle. While 70% of his pitches in Oakland were strikes as well, Cahill seemed to be fooling hitters much more this time around, which led to his five strikeouts.