Thursday's game against the Astros really worked both poles for the Angels. Yes, they completely ravaged Peter Lambert in the 4th with 6 runs [in addition to the 4 he already gave up], then kept beating down the bullpen with 8 more, culminating in a 7-RBI day for Zach Neto...but Wade Meckler, one of the most exciting and fun pieces of a lost season, went down midgame thanks to a Bryan King pitch that hit him in the head, and now he might be on concussion protocol. And they just lost last night's game in extras thanks to a Ezequiel Duran walk-off, one of like 6 walkoffs yesterday it seems.
At this point, the Angels really are just trying to keep the lights on, but Meckler was one of the guys making that a lot easier. He's 26, was mostly a Giants farmhand that was relegated to Sacramento mostly after a promising call-up in 2023 that went nowhere, and wound up being cut after last season and claimed by the Angels. He's got good defensive skills, hits for average, and is just a sneaky little contact guy that helps any roster he's on. The Angels had issues with Josh Lowe and Jose Siri as left field options, and so Meckler got the gig a few months ago, but he's ran with it, hitting .288 with a .740 OPS and 59 hits in 70 games. He only has 20 RBIs, but he's been excellent in the last month, and has been a bright spot in a lineup very much hanging it up by this point. And now they might not have him after the HBP. That sucks.
I'll give the Angels this, I know where they're headed I think. I don't assume Zach Neto or Nolan Schanuel will be traded in the offseason, though there's always a chance, and those two are still mighty tentpoles. Neto has 21 homers and 61 RBIs, and is an excellent shortstop. Schanuel's been heating up, is hitting .276 and has 49 RBIs. Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza have been nice additions to the roster, and have provided some semblance of stability. Jose Siri's having a decent comeback year in between injuries, and has gotten a lot more playing time since Jo Adell left. There's still issues, like the lack of a solid catching option, the inability for Denzer Guzman to get anything going, and rotation depth in general, but there is a gameplan in place. And yes, having Mike Trout putting in some solid enough late-career work is very helpful.
The most intriguing thing about this Angels team is that, since the deadline, the bullpen has entirely crumpled and tossed and now looks entirely different. Suter, Zeferjahn and Silseth are gone, Sam Bachman is hurt, Mitch Farris is down. A whole host of people have been brought up and are now making for a much better bullpen experience. Some of these guys are long-injured favorites, like Ben Joyce, finally healthy again and capable of 100mph speeds. Some are recent callups that have been really strong in early appearances, like Luke Murphy, Ryan Watson and Blake Weiman. Some are former Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, looking to stay on a roster for a bit even in the midst of a career nadir. I think losing Samy Natera, someone I know will be a terrific bullpen piece given a healthy year, hurt, but these other guys have been doing really well, and point towards a much better follow-up year.
The Angels have signs of life, and could work on something given the right circumstances, and developments in the past week or so have kept me optimistic. They are, ultimately, still the Angels. But they're now in fourth place, ahead of the very hurt A's. So maybe this rally means better days are ahead.
Coming Tomorrow- A utility man known for being plugged in anywhere...being plugged in one specific place this year due to desperate times.
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