Angels can still satisfy fans to no end even with the playoffs being out of reach

Sitting at 61-66, the Angels are beginning to show their true selves as a team. While the playoffs are squarely out of sight barring another miraculous winning streak, the Angels still have a lot to play for and there are still reasons to be watching this team take the field every night. The most fun reason is the idea of playing spoiler for their American League West rivals in the home stretch of the season.

With a little over a month to go, the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners both sit ahead of the Angels in the AL Wild Card standings (the Houston Astros have a 1.5 game lead in AL West as of now). The Angels have three games left against the Rangers, seven against the Astros, and four against the Mariners. That is a lot of opportunity to ruin their playoff hopes and ensure that they are joined by more than just the Athletics on the sidelines when the playoffs begin.

The Angels first chance to play spoiler comes next week when they finish their season series against the Rangers. Largely seen as one of the biggest winners at the trade deadline, the Rangers' acquisitions have been disastrous since landing in Arlington (while the Angels' additions have helped the team greatly). The team currently sits five games back of the third AL Wild Card spot, and an Angels' sweep next week could effectively extinguish any semblance of playoff hopes remaining for the Rangers and their fans.

With seven games against the Astros, the Angels will need to play better than they have in recent years if they want to drop Houston down to a Wild Card team rather than AL West champ. The Astros have lost four games in a row, and their run differential (only +11 on the season) suggests they are no longer the mighty team that dominated the AL West in recent years. The Halos end their season with a three game series against the Astros in Anaheim. And while someone has to win the AL West, every Angels fan would agree that preventing the Astros from doing so on the last weekend of the season would be the third best moment of the season (sweeping the Dodgers twice has a strong hold on No. 1 and No. 2 on that list).

And if the Astros fail to win the division, it will be the Mariners who capture the crown. Currently holding a 2.5 game lead on the third Wild Card spot, the Angels would have to sweep the Mariners to make a meaningful dent in their playoff odds. With only four games against them left on the schedule, the time for ruining the Mariners' season has likely come and past the Angels.

All in all, this 2025 Angels' team can still be remembered by their rivals as the annoying little bug that would not go away. And with alignment on the brink, it may be their last chance to annoy these Texas teams.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout