Fansided

Three takeaways from an ugly loss in Boston

By Zachary Rotman |
Los Angeles Angels v Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Angels v Boston Red Sox / Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/GettyImages
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The Los Angeles Angels opened a seven-game road trip in Boston against the Red Sox last night. The game was on Apple TV+ which felt like a bad sign from the beginning but had Wayne Randazzo on the call so I thought maybe the Angels could squeak this one out.

The Halos fell in Boston 5-3, in what was easily the most frustrating loss of the season. The team is 7-6 but should be closer to 11-2 or 10-3. They continue to throw away games they should be winning, and that can absolutely cost them as they try and get back to the postseason.

The Angels played an ugly game and suffered an ugly result. Here're some takeaways.

1) The LA Angels offense can be dynamic, but their lack of clutch hitting has been costly

The Angels offense has immense potential. We've seen it this season. When they're clicking they're extremely hard to stop. They have their home run and RBI leader Logan O'Hoppe hitting ninth most days!

We've seen them score 20 runs in two days against the Blue Jays. We've seen them put up an 11-run inning on the second game of the season. The issue is, the offense has been inconsistent and that mainly comes from a lack of clutch hitting.

The Angels have just 25 hits in 113 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That .221 batting average in those situations is good for 27th in the league. It's hard to win games when you're 27th in the league at hitting with runners in scoring position.

Last night the Angels had one hit in 14 at-bats in those spots. In the fourth inning the Angels had runners on first and second with nobody out. They did not score. In the fifth the Angels had first and second with one out. They did not score. In the sixth the Angels had first and second with nobody out. They did not score. In the seventh the Angels had second and third with nobody out. They managed just one run. In the eighth the Angels had first and second with one out. They did not score.

See what I mean? They had opportunity after opportunity to score, yet they managed just three runs. They had 11 hits, drew five walks, and had a hit batsman. That's three runs scored with 17 base runners. Unacceptable.

The Angels hit a ton of home runs and that's great, but they have to find other ways to score. If they can't get a clutch single once in a while, the team won't go very far.

2) The LA Angels infield defense must be better

This is a game the Angels win if they can come up with a couple of clutch hits, but that wouldn't have even been required had the Angels played close to good defense.

The Angels committed three errors last night which contributed to four of the five Boston runs. The only earned run the Red Sox got was from a Rafael Devers home run. The Angels can live with that, especially on a night where they only got 3.2 innings from their starter.

Luis Rengifo played shortstop last night which is something the Angels should really try to limit, especially when he's not hitting. His error to begin the bottom of the fourth opened the flood gates.

Anthony Rendon's first throwing error came in that same inning and allowed Boston to tie the game. Rendon had all day to throw, and made a throw that I think Jared Walsh could've picked, but there is still no excuse.

Rendon's second throwing error came with Aaron Loup on the mound in the bottom of the sixth. Again with two outs Rendon threw a ball away which allowed a run to score, and another run would score on a Logan O'Hoppe passed ball.

The Angels now have ten errors in their first 13 games of the season which is tied for second in the league. The teams that have double digit errors include the Athletics, Red Sox, Rockies, and Giants. Not the best company.

I don't expect the Angels to be the best defensive team in baseball when they prioritize offense over defense, but they can't be throwing games away like this. It forces the pitcher to throw more pitches and more importantly, allows runs to score.

3) The LA Angels should be able to fix their issues

The Angels clearly have issues right now, but they can be fixed. Infield defense won't be a strength for this team, but it should improve when Jared Walsh returns and replaces Jake Lamb at first.

Getting Jared Walsh back should help offensively a ton as well. Walsh is a career .273 hitter with an .856 OPS with runners in scoring position. Getting that bat back will be nice.

The issues with runners in scoring position are glaring right now, but that doesn't mean they'll last. Plenty of good teams are towards the bottom in that category, I don't expect it to last.

The Padres are the worst team in baseball with runners in scoring position, hitting just .192 as a team in those spots. The Mets, Braves, and Cardinals are all in the .230's. It looks bad now, but it should improve. Once it does, this team has the capability of scoring in bunches. They've shown it before.

The Angels bullpen looked pretty good last night. Jimmy Herget allowed the Devers home run, but other than that, no earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched from Loup and Barria is solid work. They're starting to show a bit of life.

Ugly, ugly game, but the Angels really feel like they're right there. If they can just play fundamentally sound baseball the team is good enough. I really believe it.

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