MLB Standings Watch: Red Sox show promising signs of improvement
By Sean Penney
Aug 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder
Mike Trout(27) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Falling
Los Angeles Angels: Losing six of their last ten games has not only cost the Angels their grip on the division crown, but it’s now knocked them out of a playoff spot. The most troubling sign is that their offense has dried up, scoring a league-low 73 runs with a .640 OPS this month.
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The Angels lineup doesn’t have much depth to begin with, so when their stars struggle there aren’t many options to pick up the slack. Mike Trout looked to be in MVP-form through the first half of the season, but has struggled since battling through a wrist injury last month. So far in August he’s batting .207/.337/.317, making it by far his worst month of the season. His OPS is less than half of what it was in July, when he belted 12 homers in 79 at-bats. He’s recorded more at-bats already this month, yet has only 1 home run to show for it.
Albert Pujols hasn’t been much better. He’s still displaying the power stroke that has led to the 34 home runs that has him tied for second in the majors, but there’s not much else to his game these days. His penchant for getting on base has become a shadow of his former glory days, as his OBP has fallen to a career-low .311.
If the Angels are to avoid slipping out of the race, they need their big bats in the middle of the order to bounce back quickly.
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