No number of team meetings will fix the Angels’ most glaring problem

Following a tumultous offseason, Angels fans knew it was going to be tough sledding in 2024. But opening weekend may have shown just how difficult the season could be. The Los Angeles Angels avoided a sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles thanks to some timely pitching from Reid Detmers, but the Halos are off to a rocky start.

Things were so bad after the Angels' blowout loss at the hands of the O's on Saturday that manager Ron Washington called a team meeting. Those are typically reserved for a rough, midseason stretch in which a team hits a six- or seven-game skid. But Washington obviously didn't like what he saw during LA's first two games and made sure to discuss it with his players.

Washington said it was just to let the Angels players know that the losses were only two of 162 games the team was set to play this season, and not to get off track. Unfortunately for Washington, no amount of team meetings will fix the Angels most glaring problem - the pitching.

No number of team meetings will fix the LA Angels’ most glaring problem

While Detmers pitched well in his first start, that was an outlier. The Angels pitching staff was dreadful over the weekend. LA owns the worst ERA (7.92) in the American League, and that was after Detmers and Co. held Baltimore's bats to just one run on Sunday.

Angels' pitchers are 13th in WHIP (1.60) and last in strikeouts (20). Only the Oakland Athletics have allowed more runs this season; however, the A's have played one more game than the Angels so far in 2024. Sorry, Ron, but this isn't an issue that's going to be fixed with a team meeting.

The Angels lost their ace after Shohei Ohtani left for the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. And while the Halos were linked to players like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, the biggest free acquisition Los Angeles made this offseason was signing Robert Stephenson.

The Angels will turn to Chase Silseth on Monday night versus the Miami Marlins. The right-hander had a stellar outing against the Dodgers during the Angels' final exhibition game of the spring, but LA's pitching staff hasn't given the fanbase much to dream about so far this season.

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