Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Angels are sitting in 4th place in the AL West where they have spent about half their time all season. They have battled the Mariners for 3rd place but they’ve never truly made a run for second place, much less first place. The Astros and A’s are playing some excellent baseball so the Angels can’t wait around for them to slowdown, they have to speed it up.
Angels fighting to get to .500
Unfortunately that has not come easy for the Angels. They are currently 36-38, 2 games below the .500 mark. All year they have been hovering slightly below or slightly higher than that .500 line. But the Angels are slowly slipping away. And the AL East is looking to end their season before the All Star Game.
The Angels will face arguably their toughest stretch in 2021 in the next couple of weeks leading up to the All Star Game. With them already being under .500 and being 7.5 GB from a playoff spot, their playoff hopes are already fading in June. The Angels will take on the first place Rays in Tampa Bay.
Angels hoping to steal 2 games of 3 from Rays
Their expected starters are Canning, Cobb, and Sandoval which can realistically net them 2 wins out of 3. But Canning has been relatively uncomfortable consistent as well as Cobb so they could find themselves looking to avoid a sweep when Sandoval takes the mound. Sandoval has been great as a starter for the Angels and is arguably their best pitcher besides Ohtani.
After that series they will head up to New York to take on the Bronx bombers. Although no one is scheduled to start those games yet, one can speculate that it will be Heaney, Ohtani, Bundy, and possible Canning. The only sign of hope for the Angels in that series will be Ohtani. While three of these games could very well be blowouts, one of them has the potential to be a real nail-biter.
Homestand will prove vital for Angels
Then the Angels will get some much needed slack as they take on the Orioles in Anaheim. Cobb, Sandoval, and Heaney will likely be scheduled to pitch in that series which will definitely make the Angels favorites in that series. However, they will host the Red Sox in the following series. Ohtani, Bundy, and Canning will likely start in that series. Again, it doesn’t look great for the Angels but they can definitely avoid the sweep just how they did in Boston.
Then they finish with the Mariners before the All Star Game. All in all, the most important series is the series against the Orioles. If the Angels fail to get a sweep, it’s really hard to see them be single digits behind a playoff spot. Realistic expectations would be for the Angels to steal 2 games from the Rays, avoid a 4 game sweep from the Yankees, sweep the Orioles, and avoid the sweep against the Red Sox. If they manage to achieve all of that in the next couple of weeks, they should have a 7-6 record in that span.
Predicting where the Angels will stand at the All Star break
If I’m being more honest, I expect the Angels to win 1 against the Rays, 0 against the Yankees, 2 against the Orioles, and 1 against the Red Sox. That would put them at a much more realistic 4-9 in that span. With that record, they will fall 7 games under .500 and will around 12 games back from a playoff spot. Yes, it will be the end of their season… So a lot is riding in the next couple of weeks for the Angels, it’s their entire season on the line.
