2 Angels problems the fans saw coming, 1 we didn't expect to be so bad

LA Angels problem fans saw coming: Team defense

It's clear that after last season, the Angels had to upgrade their offense. They did so by adding players like Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, and Brandon Drury. Of the three players they added, Urshela is the only really plus defender, and he hasn't even been used at his primary position of third base for most of the season.

The Angels finished 25th in runs scored last season. That was a huge issue, obviously. Replacing guys who could defend like Andrew Velazquez and bringing in players who can hit was necessary, but when you're strapped for cash, it's not easy to get complete players.

Drury has been better than advertised in the field. He has 2 DRS and 1 OAA this season. Hunter Renfroe, on the other hand, has -3 DRS and -3 OAA. He obviously made that ridiculous throw in right field to help the Angels beat the rallying O's, but he wasn't acquired for his defense.

I'm not saying the Renfroe addition was a bad one. He's second on the team in both home runs and RBI. He just isn't a good defender, and the same can be said for parts of this Angels roster.

Playing without a primary first baseman has obviously hurt this team. The return of Jared Walsh should help there, but it doesn't help the other miscues.

Using someone like Matt Thaiss who I believe really isn't a catcher behind the plate was obviously going to lead to some negatives defensively. The two catcher interference game is hard to forget.

Something I did not anticipate, was watching a formerly good defender in Anthony Rendon look absolutely abysmal at the hot corner. His seven errors lead third basemen and are tied for third overall. This is with Rendon currently on the Injured List and having played only 30 games. He's made some poor sidearm throws, but four of his errors are fielding errors.

The Angels as a whole have 32 errors. They've allowed more unearned runs than anybody. Defense has undoubtedly hurt this team, but adding the offense has also clearly helped. It's unfortunate they couldn't do both.

LA Angels problem we didn't expect to be so bad: The starting rotation

The back end of the rotation has been discussed. I expected it to be bad, and it is. The rest of the rotation, however, was supposed to be what carried this team.

Shohei Ohtani, after a roaring start, is in the midst of the worst pitching slump of his career. I fully expect him to snap out of it, but the home run ball has crushed him in the last month.

Patrick Sandoval remains as inconsistent as ever. He followed up his best start of the season in Cleveland with a clunker at home against the Twins. Sandoval did well to limit the damage, but he didn't pitch well. He still struggles to give consistent length, which is an issue for a number two starter.

Tyler Anderson, the Angels big-ticket free agent signing, has had his own issues. Home runs are up, walks are way up, and he looks nowhere near the pitcher he was in 2022. Nobody expected a repeat of that, but a 5.27 ERA in eight starts is unacceptable.

Reid Detmers, a pitcher a lot of experts predicted to break out this season, has taken a step back. His ERA sits at 4.87 through eight starts and he has glaring issues facing lineups more than once. In innings 1-3, he has a 2.25 ERA. In innings 4-6, he has an 8.82 ERA. Starts games off well before inevitably blowing up in the middle.

The Angels have a 5.01 rotation ERA. A large part of that is thanks to the struggles of Suarez and Canning, but the rest of this rotation has taken a huge step back. Each one of the four starters talked about here has been worse than last season, and that's a huge issue. The Angels get virtually no length every night which then forces them to overuse a mediocre to bad bullpen.

The Angels were sixth in rotation ERA last season and are 24th this season. The offense is better, the bullpen is better, but the rotation has regressed in a big way. Considering how young the rotation was, and the fact that they replaced Michael Lorenzen with a guy who had a sub-3.00 ERA last season, I thought it'd be right back where it was in 2022. This has been the biggest disappointment without a doubt.