Angels hit rock bottom with doubleheader sweep, Mike Trout & Shohei Ohtani injuries

The 2023 season was one that gave Los Angeles Angels fans some hope. Perry Minasian had finally surrounded Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout with MLB-caliber talent, and the team seemed poised to at the very least compete for a playoff spot even if they didn't break their long postseason drought. Remember, this team hasn't even finished at or above .500 in nearly a decade.

Despite some excruciating losses, the Angels were right in the thick of postseason contention for the entire first half. By July 31, the Angels had a 56-51 record. They were three games back of the third Wild Card spot, and had a 19.5% chance at a postseason spot per FanGraphs. That was a number that was sure to improve as the Angels bought at the deadline while they'd also eventually get their injured players back. It turns out, the post-deadline Angels have been a complete disaster.

The Halos have gone from five games over .500 to six games under in less than one month. They've gone 5-16 since August 1. They just got swept at home against the Reds to drop their playoff odds to 0.1%. Somehow, that wasn't close to the worst news of the night.

Worst night of the season capped by two miserable LA Angels injury updates

Morale was already at an all-time low for the 2023 season after the Angels dropped two against the Reds. They were simply outplayed all day by a better team. Then, the bombshells dropped.

Perry Minasian spoke with the media following the second game and announced that Mike Trout was going back onto the IL. Trout returned for one game, singled, but was unable to play both games yesterday due to soreness. It's important to note that he didn't injure anything more, it's simply a pain tolerance issue. With the games down the stretch being rather meaningless, Trout should be resting up anyway and making sure he's 100% healthy before returning.

The second and biggest update was that Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL. There is no insight as to if it was a complete tear or not, but one thing is for certain. He's not pitching the rest of this season. Ohtani was pulled after just five batters in game one for what was classified as "arm fatigue" but he played in the second game as the DH, and seems to be able to do so for the rest of the season. Surgery is an option, and could cost Ohtani parts or all of next season as a pitcher as well.

This is a crushing blow for the Angels and their fans who want to watch this guy pitch in what could be his final month with the organization, and it's also a big blow for Ohtani who is sure to lose substantial amounts of money with this hanging over his head.

All of this hitting at once makes Wednesday night the worst night of the season by far. Their season is just about over with the team six games under .500 with just one week remaining in August, and now the two faces of the franchise are injured.