We are four games into the Angels’ season, and there have been many highs and a few lows as well. The Angels are 4-2 and are headed home for their first homestand of the season. They are tied for the lead in the American League West with the Rangers.
Game 1: 2-1 Loss to the Oakland A’s in Oakland
Shohei Ohtani started for the Angels and pitched amazingly well. He went six shutout innings, striking out ten batters, gave up two hits, and walked three batters. Jimmy Herget pitched one inning, got a hold, and struck out one batter. Aaron Loup pitched a third of an inning and gave up two earned runs on two hits and one strikeout. He also took the loss. Ryan Tepera pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up two hits and a walk. The offense struggled mightily, going 4 for 28 at the plate. Prized rookie Logan O’Hoppe drove in the only run for the Angels. After the game, it got even worse for the Angels as an Athletics fan was speaking negatively to the team, and Anthony Rendon, the Angels’ star third baseman, took offense to what was stated and grabbed the fan by the shirt, had choice words and took a swipe at the fan. It was a very stereotypical 2022-style Angels’ loss which had the fanbase in shambles.
Game 2: 13-1 Angel victory in Oakland
The offense came alive with 11 hits in 36 at-bats. Taylor Ward hit a home run for the Angels and drove in 4 runs. Logan O’Hoppe, Gio Urshela, Jake Lamb, and Shohei Ohtani all had 2 RBI each for the Angels. Patrick Sandoval pitched five strong innings and got the win giving up one run on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Tucker Davidson got the first Angels save of the season, pitching four innings with three hits, zero earned runs, three strikeouts, and one walk.
Game 3: 6-0 Angel Victory in Oakland
The offense did very well in scoring six runs. But all 6 of the runs came on three swings of the bat. Logan O’Hoppe hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot. Mike Trout hit a two-run blast, followed on the very next pitch by a Shohei Ohtani solo bomb to center field. The two home runs combined to fly 881 feet through the Oakland Atmosphere. The six runs were more than enough for Angel pitching as Tyler Anderson went six strong innings with four hits, two walks, four strikeouts, and no earned runs. Andrew Wantz pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, and Carlos Estevez pitched one inning, gave up one hit, one walk, and struck out three without giving up a run.
Game 4: 7-3 Angel Victory in Seattle
The offense was effective enough in that they put seven runs on the board. The got a couple of late two-run home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward, which proved to give the Angels the cushion they needed. Luis Rengifo, Brandon Drury, and Jake Lamb all had good games for the Angels, with Drury driving in one run and Rengifo driving in two. Jake Lamb was on base three times with hits. The pitching was not great in this game, but it did enough to get the victory. Reid Detmers started the game, and although his velocity was great and his breaking stuff was sharp, his control was certainly a bit lacking. Detmers went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four hits, two runs, walking three, and striking out 7. Ryan Tepera pitched 1/3 of an inning and got the win. Matt Moore, Jimmy Herget, Jose Quijada, and Carlos Estevez all pitched one inning and did not give up any runs.
Game 5: 11-2 Angel Loss in Seattle
The Angels’ offense got pretty well dominated by Luis Castillo. They managed only seven hits all night and only scored two runs. The pitching was equally rough. Jose Suarez really struggled. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up six earned runs, eight hits, and four strikeouts. If there was any positive for Suarez, he didn’t walk any batters. Jaime Barria came on in relief and wasn’t much better. Barria pitched 3 and 2/3 innings and gave up five hits, four earned runs, and five strikeouts. He also did not walk a batter either.
Game 6: 4-3 Angel Victory in Seattle
Shohei Ohtani took the mound today for the Angels. It was under 50 degrees in Seattle, and it appeared to affect Shohei just a little bit with his control. Shohei did get the win. He pitched six innings, gave up one run, three hits, four walks, and eight strikeouts. Matt Moore, Jimmy Herget, and Jose Quijada all pitched. Moore and Herget gave up one run each in 1 inning pitched. Jose Quijada got the save for the Angels. On offense, the Angels scored four runs. Logan O’Hoppe hit a two-run home run, and Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani both drove in one run each.
Recap:
Anthony Rendon got suspended for five games from the altercation with the fan and chose not to appeal his suspension. The Angels’ focus on creating depth has been tested and so far is panning out well, considering Rendon’s suspension and that Jared Walsh started the season on the IL. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Anderson, and Patrick Sandoval pitched really pretty well for the Angels, so they are doing what the vast majority of baseball pundits believed they would. Reid Detmers’ outing was a little subpar, but I really liked where his velocity was sitting and also the sharpness of his breaking stuff. The bullpen has actually been a pretty solid subtract from Game 1 in Oakland. If the team can continue what we witnessed from the first four games of the season, Angel fans will be in for a very exciting and satisfying season, in my opinion.
