Angels should learn from Yankees, show some accountability for unacceptable losing

The Los Angeles Angels have seen their season collapse right in front of their eyes in the last couple of weeks. There's no other way to describe it.

The team has lost nine of their last ten heading into the all-star break, going from 44-37 and right in the postseason race to 45-46, and very much on the outside looking in. The Angels trail first place Texas by seven games in the AL West but are more importantly five games back in the AL Wild Card picture.

One of the teams they trail is the New York Yankees who are 49-42 on the season. Despite losing two of three at home against the Cubs this past weekend, they've treaded water nicely without Aaron Judge and with virtually their entire offense underperforming. Despite that, they still wound up firing hitting coach Dillon Lawson, something the Yankees had never done midseason in GM Brian Cashman's long tenure with the club. If the Yankees can do it, the Angels can and should as well.

LA Angels should learn from Yankees, make changes to make team accountable

In a blink of an eye, the Angels have gone from a team in a postseason spot to a team with a 10.9% chance at a postseason berth according to FanGraphs. 10.9% isn't zero, but it's ahead of only Oakland, Kansas City, Detroit, and the White Sox. The odds are certainly stacked against them thanks to how many good teams there are in the AL and how difficult the Angels schedule is.

Injuries have undoubtedly been a key reason why this team has slipped, but this shouldn't be the result. Losing Mike Trout, Zach Neto, Gio Urshela, and Brandon Drury to the IL in just a matter of weeks while they were already without Logan O'Hoppe definitely hurts. Potentially adding Anthony Rendon and Jo Adell to that lengthy list of position players just adds salt to the wound. Losing ground makes sense, but this utter collapse is unacceptable.

In the most recent ten-game stretch, every game the Angels have lost has been by at least two runs. They've been outscored 75-40 in that span. The games with the exception of the one they won and only a couple of others, have been uncompetitive. The two games at Dodger Stadium saw the Angels get completely outclassed and embarrassed.

With this kind of unacceptable play, some accountability has to be taken. The players deserve blame, but Phil Nevin should be taking some heat for this as well. If not Nevin, there's justification for letting both Matt Wise and Marcus Thames go, as most of the pitchers on this team have regressed and the offense continues to struggle with runners in scoring position with a poor approach.

If the Angels are serious about winning now, show some urgency. You've done it with the players. The Yankees, a team that never fires coaches mid-season did it when they're well ahead of you. Go show the fans that you mean business and that this recent stretch of play is unacceptable.