Los Angeles Angels Face Tough Season, Potential Loss of Shohei Ohtani Looms
Angels Struggle in Recent Game Against Seattle Mariners
In a frustrating season for the Los Angeles Angels, playoff hopes are dwindling, and the possibility of losing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani looms large. The Angels find themselves in a challenging situation as they try to maintain positivity in the face of a string of losses.
Tuesday night brought another setback for the Angels, as they suffered an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. While pitcher Patrick Sandoval had his share of struggles on the mound, infielder Mike Moustakas shouldered some of the blame for crucial missed plays. This loss, however, was a collective team effort. It’s encouraging to witness veteran player Moustakas taking a leadership role and holding himself accountable for the team’s performance.
“Those are routine balls,” Moustakas said. “All three of those plays I need to make. If I make any of those plays, Sandy has a great outing. It’s on me that those plays weren’t made and he had to labor through those innings and they scored a lot of runs because of them. And that’s on me.”
Manager Phil Nevin weighed in on the game, emphasizing the need for Sandoval to regain his form on the mound, even in the face of defensive mishaps. This theme has been recurring throughout the Angels’ season—an inability to rectify mistakes that have had a significant impact on their standing.
“I’ve said all along, the next pitch is too important,” Nevin said. “You’ve got to reel yourself back in, stay focused and make good pitches, make good plays, take good swings. And he got hurt after those errors. He’s getting better at it. His body language is better. He’s attacking things afterwards. It’s understandable when things don’t go your way, you might have some issues afterwards, but you gotta make better pitches then.”
The Angels have faced an uphill battle for an extended period this season, but they remain committed to striving for victory as long as there are games on the schedule.