Angels continue to miss Anthony Rendon in this one area after latest loss vs. Astros

The Los Angeles Angels have been without third baseman Anthony Rendon since the 13th of May as he's on the Injured List with groin tightness. The team has done a decent job treading water in his absence as they've gone 9-9 with Rendon on the shelf, but they should have a stronger record than that.

They've won some games, but their offense has mostly slumped since he went onto the IL. After performing a bit better, the Halos have once again forgotten to hit with runners in scoring position. They managed just two hits in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position last night, and every time they fail to come up clutch or even put up a good at-bat, Anthony Rendon is the player I think of.

LA Angels continue to miss Anthony Rendon's clutch hitting in latest loss vs. Astros

While Anthony Rendon has just one home run this season, he's still driven in 20 runs in 30 games. His high efficiency in that area comes from his wonderful clutch hitting. Rendon has ten hits in 27 at-bats with RISP this season which gives him a .370 average in those spots. The only other Angels with at least 25 at-bats with RISP to hit above .300 are Matt Thaiss (.333) and Shohei Ohtani (.327).

Virtually everyone else on the team outside of Brandon Drury who's hit some big home runs has shrunk under the pressure with RISP.

Rendon has the ability to put up a professional at-bat no matter the situation and has easily been the most clutch Angel when he plays. The when he plays part is incredibly frustrating, but the Angels clearly miss his clutch bat. He's ninth in the American League with his .370 average with runners in scoring position for players with at least 40 plate appearances.

Say what you want about Reid Detmers' inability to get a clutch out or Gio Urshela misplaying a ground ball or umpires robbing the Angels of a run last night. These things all happened. They still lost the game because of their inability to produce in the clutch. It starts with Mike Trout who's been awful in those spots all season long, but these issues were masked a lot when Anthony Rendon was in the lineup and producing like the elite run producer he once was.