The LA Angels Are Red Hot Going into Big Test vs. Twins

Over the first month or so of the season, the LA Angels were exactly what we expected: a mediocre team.

However, over the past two weeks and change, the LA Angels have been much different. They haven’t been mediocre. They’ve been, dare I say it, good.

Over their past 15 games, the Angels have climbed from the dweller of the American League West. They have passed the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners, the latter of which has plummeted back to Earth after an astronomic start to the season.

As you can see from Olney’s above tweet, there have been numerous contributing factors during this hot streak.

Striking out has been something the Angels have prevented throughout the year. During this solid stretch, it had been emphasized as the team is putting the ball in play consistently.

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The craziest part of this streak has been Mike Trout. Usually when the Angels are winning games, we imagine Trout having a slash line representative of Steph Curry’s three point, field goal, and free throw percentage.

That hasn’t been the case, as Trout spent most of the time in a slump. While he did find his stroke against Baltimore over the weekend, it was nice to see this Angels team perform well with an ineffective Trout, something they’ve now done multiple times this season.

As basic as this sounds, it just seems like this team and offense are learning to play with each other. Brad Ausmus is in his second month as manager, and is already showing he can learn how to use his team quickly.

On top of that, obviously you don’t win games without your hitters, well, hitting. Everyone on the team has been making an impact lately, and this team looks far different from the one we were seeing score one or two runs a game just two weeks ago.

While the strength of schedule has likely been a factor, it’s not like the Angels have played strictly poor teams. They had a two-games series in Mexico against the Astros, while also going up against the oddly good Tigers, averaging more than six runs a game against those two squads.

This Angels year is going to start seeing tougher competition, however. They start this week against the Minnesota Twins, the best team in the MLB. Their pitching has been exceptional, and their offense is proving to be one of the best in the American League.

While the Angels are showing signs of life (still under .500, but getting close), they can’t get complacent. A series win against the Twins would be huge, and possibly just what the Angels need to get over the hump.