The Angels have a real problem brewing with regards to situational hitting

A frightening but familiar trend has emerged in the early going of the 2025 season that could sink the Angels' hopes of being competitive. Through two games against the pitiful Chicago White Sox, Halo bats have fallen silent at critical moments, just as they often did in 2024.

The Angels have scored exactly one run in each of the first two games. The lineup failed to break through against Chicago's one-two punch of Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon, failing to scratch a single run across versus either starter.

The offensive ineptitude hasn't been for lack of opportunities. The Angels left seven men on and were a collective 0-6 with runners in scoring position in the opener, and followed up that performance on Saturday by leaving eight on base and going 1-6 with RISP -- with the lone hit being a Yoán Moncada infield single.

The Moncada go-ahead RBI single was hit 97mph back up the middle at Mike Clevinger, but he was unable to field the grounder and it ricocheted off of him into the infield grass' no-man's land. Let's just say it was not the cleanest way to finally cash in the first non-home run RBI of the season.

The Angels have a real problem brewing with regards to situational hitting

The Angels ranked 28th in the majors last season with 635 runs scored, besting just the Tampa Bay Rays and the historically terrible Chicago White Sox. A big reason for the offensive failings in 2024 was poor performance with runners in scoring position, where the Halos ranked 25th with a .233 batting average. Per TruMedia, the Angels are hitting .083 with RISP and their average launch angle in those situations is -8.8°.

Part of the issue so far in 2025 has been Ron Washington's questionable decisions regarding lineup construction; however, at a certain point, the Angels' bats need to wake up and capitalize on the moment when the opportunity presents itself. The team's performance with RISP will be something to watch going forward.

The reason the Angels pulled out the win on Saturday was José Soriano's performance on the mound. The hard-throwing right-hander turned in a masterful performance in which he went 7 innings while throwing just 73 pitches.

They also deployed their new 8th and 9th inning guys in Ben Joyce and Kenley Jansen, with Joyce escaping a man on second with 1 out jam to keep the score 1-0. Jansen issued a walk to Andrew Benintendi, but mowed down 3 right-handed hitters to slam the door. Soriano, Joyce, and Jansen will need to be absolutely stellar this season if their lineup continues to not inspire hope. Unfortunately, it looks like 1-0 games might persist.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout