Flawed Angels know trade targets can only help so much: 'They can't pitch for us'
OAKLAND – Bouncing back from substantial deficits has become the Los Angeles Angels’ m.o., and their ability to rally has been further enhanced by the Aug. 31 acquisitions of Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips.
On Monday, the Angels gave up a four-spot in the first inning to the Oakland Athletics but still prevailed 11-9 in extras to set a team record. It was the 10th time this season they won after trailing by at least four runs, the highest total in the majors and a source of pride.
It’s also a source of concern.
Amid the excitement over the two unlikely trades to land Upton and Phillips just before the deadline for playoff eligibility, a salient point has not escaped manager Mike Scioscia: Quality pitching wins, and the Angels are not getting enough of it. L.A. has split its four games since the two veterans came on board, tallying 33 runs compared to their opponents’ 30 for an average score of 8.25-7.5.
Having to dig out of big holes time and again is no way to beat a path to October.
“They’re going to help our offense, no doubt,’’ Scioscia said of Upton and Phillips. “I think it pushes us a couple of rungs up the ladder on our offense. But they can’t pitch for us, and that’s something that has to stay in place.’’
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Even while going 18-10 in August to climb back into contention, the Angels (71-67) had to maneuver around a starters’ ERA of 4.61, which they managed in part because the bullpen responded with a 2.18 ERA.
Now just half a game out of the second wild-card spot, L.A. will try to survive an eight-team scramble with a rotation heavy on pitchers returning from major injuries.
On Tuesday, Garrett Richards will be making his second appearance of the season and first since April 5 after recovering from a biceps strain. Wednesday’s starter, Tyler Skaggs, sat out three months because of an oblique strain. Fellow lefty Andrew Heaney has made an unexpectedly quick return from Tommy John elbow surgery but has been predictably unpredictable, with a 6.98 ERA in four starts.
The three have combined for two wins this season.
Parker Bridwell, the year’s most pleasant surprise as he went 7-2 after being acquired for cash from the Baltimore Orioles in April, has been shelled in his last two starts, yielding 13 runs in six innings. J.C. Ramirez, the club’s top winner with an 11-10 record, went down for the season in mid-August with an elbow injury.
In the last 32 games, the Angels have gotten a total of six quality starts – at least six innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs allowed.
“The starting rotation is the heartbeat of your club,’’ Scioscia said, “and right now we need these guys to be a little more effective.’’
For the better part of four months, the Angels appeared destined to waste another magnificent season by Mike Trout, who has more top-2 finishes in MVP ballots than playoff games played, 5-3.
The club started to turn its fortunes around a couple of weeks after Trout came back from a 39-game absence caused by a thumb-ligament injury. The August surge convinced management to make a move for Upton, a power-hitting left fielder who could opt out of the four years and $88.5 million remaining on his contract after the season, and second baseman Phillips, a three-time All-Star.
Both fill huge gaps in the lineup. Angels left fielders produced seven homers and a .656 on-base plus slugging percentage before Upton arrived, his resume showing 28 homers and a .904 OPS this season. The club’s second basemen had delivered a meager .589 OPS, considerably below Phillips’ .752.
Their arrival has created enough buzz that the Los Angeles Times is once again staffing the Angels’ road games, after pulling their beat writer in early August.
“We’re close in the standings, and adding veteran guys like that to boost our lineup and the way we’ve been playing lately, it’s fun to be part of,’’ said Trout, whose only playoff experience came in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals in 2014.
Scioscia, who usually prefers to link Trout and Albert Pujols in the batting order, has instead slotted Upton in between them, stretching a lineup that on Sunday had first baseman C.J. Cron (13 homers) and catcher Martin Maldonado (14) in the final two spots.
With shortstop Andrelton Simmons enjoying a career year at the plate and earning raves for his nonpareil fielding, the Angels now feature two MVP candidates in him and Trout, in addition to the left fielder with the league’s top OPS.
That should go a long way toward upgrading an offense that previously ranked in the bottom third in the AL in scoring. In their last five games, the Angels scored at least six runs every time.
They may need to keep up that pace to stay in the race, considering the state of the rotation and the lack of an established closer after Huston Street and Bud Norris were lost to injuries.
At least the fighting mentality is firmly established. On Monday, the Angels set an AL record by using 12 pitchers, and after they squandered a 9-7 lead with two outs in the ninth, Kole Calhoun’s two-run triple in the 11th put them back on top for good.
“It’s a point of this team that we never quit,’’ Calhoun said. “Even some games we may have lost late, we would bring the tying run to the plate. We would always be in position to do something.’’
With just under four weeks to go in the season, they’re now in position to do something in the standings, and the offensive reinforcements have given them a shot in the arm. Now they’ll need for their arms to give them a shot.
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