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Could this be the turning point in the Angels’ season? The Angels are currently in 4th place with a 25-30 record. Needless to say, their season hasn’t gone as planned. Trout is hurt, Rendon can’t find his footing, and Fletcher is struggling. Walsh and Ohtani have put this team on their backs and are the reason they are within striking distance of a playoff spot. Yes, they would have probably been the worst team in the league if you take Ohtani and Walsh out of the equation.
Golden opportunity for the Angels
The Angels have a chance to really turn things in their favor. Their opponents in their next 17 games are combined to be 17 games under .500 for the season. Although on paper, their records seem to matchup with their opponents, the Angels have undeniable talent that can turn on at any moment.
The Mariners await the Angels to kick off this important stretch for the Angels. Facing division rivals means that they have a chance to get into 3rd place by the end of the series. Perhaps the biggest factor here is that this series will consist of 4 games. The series will be in Anaheim so that should give the Angels a little boost.
Angels in good form recently thanks to starting pitching
The Angles will look to keep the momentum going as they have gone 6-3 in their last 9 games. A big reason for that is their starting pitching seemingly feeding off of each other good starts. Canning will be the first Angel on the mound against the Mariners. He is pitching with a 5.40 ERA but has been pitching well recently.
His only flaw in May came in a double-header start against the Twins where he allowed 4 runs in 2 innings. Despite that he was able to record 4 quality starts out of 5 in May. And 2 of those starts were against powerhouse lineups in the Dodgers and Red Sox. He finished the month of May with a 3.60 ERA which is certainly respectable.
Shohei Ohtani gets the nod for game 2
Shohei Ohtani will be the starter for game 2 of the series, followed by Alex Cobb in game 3. The Angels currently don’t have an announced starter for game 4 of the series but that could be Sandoval getting the nod if Maddon isn’t forced to use him as a long reliever earlier in the series.
The Angels have not been on the winning side of a sweep this season, excluding their 2 game series sweep against the Rangers. This would be the time to get it. Even if it’s a 3-1 series win, that would put them tied with the Mariners for 3rd place. My prediction is that the Angels will win games 1, 2, and 4.
