Angels rotation shows signs of what could have been against Astros

Just as the curtain closed on the Angels’ 2025 season, the team went into Houston and showed the fans and front office a glimpse of what this team could have been. While the team only picked up two out of the four games and the series ended on a scary note for Taylor Ward and the team, the pitching staff came in and dominated an Astros team well on their way to another American League West crown and playoff run. 

The opening game of the series saw the Angels eventually fall to the Astros 2-0, but that falls on the Halos’ offense being incapable of taking advantage of scoring opportunities (they only managed two hits on the night). Tyler Anderson put up five scoreless innings, giving glimpses of what the Angels thought they may have signed when they originally brought Anderson down the 5 freeway in free agency years ago. Coincidentally, it may have been Anderson’s last start for the Angels as he is a candidate to be waived come September in a money-saving move. The bullpen only gave up one earned run due to Ryan Zeferjahn, but overall gave the offense more than a fighting chance. 

Saturday saw the dominance continue. Kyle Hendricks turned back the clock in what could very well be his final start for his hometown team as well, tossing six scoreless innings like it was 2016 all over again. Reid Detmers and Jose Fermin both pitched a scoreless inning, giving a glimpse of what could become of the bullpen in 2026. To finish the night off, Kenny Jansen registered his 24th save of the season (and spoiler alert, he got his 25th the next day). 

The Angels had who they hope will one day be their ace on the mound Sunday, as Jose Soriano got the nod. It has been somewhat of an inconsistent season from Soriano, as he has largely been fantastic but has been prone to blow up starts. He was an ace on Sunday, going seven innings and striking out eight Astros. They never had a shot against him, and the bullpen finished shut out for the second day in a row. 

While it is too late for the Angels to get into the American League Wild Cars race now, this was a nice view of what could have been this season. Odds are that this rotation was never going to be good enough going into the season, but with Anderson and Hendricks likely on their way out it shows that some marginal upgrades alongside Yusei Kikuchi and Soriano could be more than enough to give the 2026 Angels a real chance at ending the decade-long playoff drought in Anaheim.

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