2 Angels who must break out of slumps to break losing streak, 1 who needs to stay hot
![May 27, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3800,h_2137,x_0,y_225/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/107/01h1m9vv496tg0wcmne6.jpg)
What looked like a promising homestand ended in the worst way possible with the Los Angeles Angels being swept by the Miami Marlins. The Halos won five of six against two good teams only to get swept by a team with a bottom-six run differential.
The Angels sit at 28-26 which isn't bad, but isn't good enough to get where they wanted to be. 2022 remains clear in our brains when the Angels got off to a good start and then proceeded to collapse. In order for this Marlins series to not be the start of a different collapse, the Halos will need some of their slumping bats to step up.
The Angels scored just seven runs in the three games played this weekend, and were shut out for the first time this season in the finale. There're a couple of players swinging the bat well who need to continue, but the Angels also need so much more from their slumping hitters.
LA Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani must break out of his slump
Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball. Nobody has ever done what he can do, and I'm not convinced there will ever be another player who will do what he's done. Let's make that abundantly clear.
With the title of best player on the planet, Ohtani simply has to do more, particularly at the plate. He's pitched better of late, but Ohtani is mired in a prolonged slump that he must bounce back from.
There's no secret that when Ohtani is going well offensively, the Angels win. They're 9-3 when he hits a home run. They're 14-7 when he drives in a run. They're 23-14 when he records a hit. See what I mean?
Ohtani had just five hits in 33 at-bats this homestand. The Angels won five games, but they also pitched extraordinarily well for the most part.
For the team to win, they need their stars to produce. Mike Trout has picked it up a bit of late, and multi-hit games in two of the three losses against Miami. Ohtani on the other hand, had one hit in 12 at-bats. The Marlins even intentionally walked Trout to face him. Shohei must pick it up.
LA Angels infielder Gio Urshela needs to stay hot
Gio Urshela is quietly putting together a really nice season offensively for the Angels. He's slashing .318/.340/.402 with two home runs and 23 RBI. The power has been mostly non-existant, but Urshela has played good defense and has hit a ton of singles, including many in the clutch of late.
Urshela was the best Angel without a doubt on the homestand. He slashed .429/.438/.679 with one home run and five RBI. He added on two doubles and a triple. The Angels offense mostly sputtered, but Urshela kept them afloat.
The homestand was great, but he's been good for even longer than that. Urshela is hitting .342 in the month of May with an .827 OPS. He's been one of the best all-around third baseman since Anthony Rendon went on the Injured List.
While the Angels struggled to do much of anything against the Marlins, Urshela had a pair of three-hit performances in the series. He had at least one hit in seven of his eight starts including three multi-hit games. They're not built around him like they are Ohtani, but Gio being a contributor offensively should help them out a lot, especially with Rendon out.
LA Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe must break out of his slump
Hunter Renfroe has been a key run-producer for the Angels all season, but hasn't done much in that department of late. Renfroe had 10 home runs and 26 RBI in his first 36 games and 140 at-bats. In his last 18 games and 62 at-bats, he has no home runs and 3 RBI.
In half of the games and almost half of the at-bats, Renfroe has contributed almost nothing offensively. He's known to be a very streaky hitter, and this is clearly one of his colder streaks, but the Angels need him to snap out of it.
In his last 18 games he's slashing .244/.277/.307 with just four doubles as his extra-base hits. Renfroe has done most of this hitting fourth in the order behind Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. I don't know if a lineup shake-up will help or not, but it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to try.
Renfroe had a good series against the Twins with six hits in 12 at-bats, but finished the homestand on a sour note. He currently has three hits in his last 22 at-bats without an RBI and only one walk. It's obvious that this production cannot last if this team wants to be competitive.
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