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Bundy was not feeling great in his start on Monday in New York. He suffered from heat exhaustion that forced him to be taken out of the game in the second inning. Suarez was called in for a long relief appearance and did not disappoint.
Bundy having a bad year with the Angels
Bundy has been struggling this year. In fact he has the most start in the rotation yet he just recorded his first win not too long ago. His 1-7 record is a true representation on how bad he’s been. His 65 IP makes him the second most used pitcher by the Angels, yet he also owns the highest ERA in the rotation (6.78).
For Angel fans, this situation might starting looking a little familiar. In fact, it happened just recently with Quintana and Sandoval. After Quintana fell on the IL, Sandoval stepped in and shined brightly which earned him a permanent spot in the rotation. Bundy was already on a short leash and this seems to be as good of a time as any to take him out.
Suarez looking for starting role soon
Jose Suarez has been effective in his limited time with the Angels this year. He’s only pitched 27.1 innings which is only good enough for 13th on the roster. But his 1.98 ERA cannot be ignored, even with the small sample size. Maddon and Minasian apparently agreed to try and get Suarez some time in the rotation after he got his feet wet early in the season. It might have been a little earlier than they might have expected but it seems that Suarez could very well be the Angels number 5.
Maddon and Minasian might very well keep Suarez in the bullpen until after the trade deadline to give him more time to settle in. But with the Angels already 8 games out of a playoff spot, time is not on their side. The Angels rotation is projected to look like this in a couple weeks: Ohtani, Cobb, Heaney, Sandoval, and Suarez. At this point, I might switch Heaney to the back of the rotation but that would be rather unorthodox.
Young arms will be key for Angels’ playoff hopes
If the Angels do become sellers at the deadline, which it is looking like they will, they might want to trade away Cobb and Heaney. Yes that will definitely mark their forfeit on the season but they could get a decent return for them. Teams that are heading into the playoffs would love to have Heaney or Cobb in the bullpen.
The Angels could easily build a solid rotation from Ohtani, Sandoval, and Suarez for next year. This year seems a little too late. If Cobb can string along some decent starts, which he is capable of, then the Angels might have a chance. Heaney to me seems like a lost cause. Of course, this is all contingent on Sandoval and Suarez exceeding expectations earlier than expected.
