Streaky Angels find their bats going silent yet again amid 5-game losing streak

Consistently inconsistent is the best way to describe the Angels' 2025 campaign to date. The club began the year looking much better than expected, sitting at 9-5 and in first place in the AL West after the first two weeks.

What followed was a harsh reality check, and the club came crashing back to earth in the weeks that followed, with a low point coming with a seven-game losing streak to close out April and begin May that served as an express ticket to the division cellar. Another Mike Trout knee injury in the midst of the skid seemed to be the death knell for the season.

However, just as the baseball world was preparing to throw dirt on the Angels, the team ripped off an impressive eight-game winning streak beginning with the stunning sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, putting the team back in the thick of the AL West picture.

The Halos seemed to be turning a page, but then dropped the final two games of a three game set against the miserable Miami Marlins before being swept by the mighty New York Yankees, bringing their momentum to a halt as they've now lost their last five games.

The Angels' bats have fallen silent yet again

During their eight-game winning streak, the Angels' offense was a force to be reckoned with. From May 16 to May 23, the Halos clubbed a league-leading 19 homers while posting a .291/.362/.568 line that was good for a 160 wRC+, second only to the Chicago Cubs during that time span.

Fueling that offensive awakening was the incredible surge by Taylor Ward as well as an increase in walks that had been a season-long bugaboo for the Halos.

Over the last five games, the Angels have managed just five total runs, getting shut out twice in that span. Ward is now 2-for-his-last-18 with a lone double and a single walk over the last five games. In that same time, the team as a whole is batting just .189 while striking out a whopping 30.8% of the time and posting a putrid 4.7% walk rate.

At various points in the season, the club has seen different units struggle and thrive without ever finding the solid ground of consistency. The offensive struggles are the most concerning, however.

The Angels should have enough good hitters in the lineup, even without Trout, to put together an acceptable offensive attack. Veterans like Ward and Jorge Soler have extensive track records of productivity. Young stars like Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe have shone bright for the majority of the season and possess immense potential.

Elsewhere, ancillary players like Yoan Moncada, Luis Rengifo, Nolan Schanuel, and others should be able to leverage their talents to lengthen the lineup. The unit might not be the most fearsome in the league, but on paper, it should be acceptable.

While some of the blame lies on the inconsistency or outright poor performance of some of these key players, a lot also falls on the shoulders of Ron Washington and his coaching staff.

Washington's a grizzled, old-school manager whose ideas have proven not to play well in the modern game. Prior to the season, he hinted at having his no. 2 hitter bunt often when most of the league has accepted the fact that the second spot in the lineup is the optimal position to bat your best hitter.

Then, earlier this season, he lamented the amount of data and analytics available to hitters, blaming an "information overload" for his lineup's struggles.

The fact of the matter is, until the Angels' bats show up consistently the team will be prone to these wild swings, and likely won't be able to reach their full potential as they look to play more competitive baseball in their quest to return to relevance that has moved at glacial speeds.

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