The Los Angeles Angels started off the 2022 season 27-17 in the standings, challenging the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West division.
Everything was going smoothly: they had Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh, and Taylor Ward was showing signs of breaking out.
They had brought in some pitching and looked competitive.
But something happened along the way, and the losses started to mount.
When they lost the 12th straight game, the front office decided to fire manager Joe Maddon, and interim skipper Phil Nevin lost two more games as the skid reached 14 contests.
They were able to stop the free-fall with a win, but have now lost three straight games again and their record stands at 29-35.
The Angels Are Still Sliding
It means the Angels are 2-18 in their last 20 games, which is borderline early-season Cincinnati Reds territory.
No team who lost 14 games in a row has ever won the World Series, so the forecast isn’t too promising.
Bill Shaikin, who covers baseball in the Los Angeles Times, tweeted a stat that shows the Angels’ debacle.
“Angels on May 15: Tied for first place. Angels on June 15: 10.5 games behind,” he said.
Angels on May 15: Tied for first place
Angels on June 15: 10.5 games behind— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 16, 2022
That’s quite a fall: from leading their division to falling out of the playoffs picture entirely, the Angels now have to win a lot of games to make up for the lost ground.
They could still make the playoffs, taking advantage of the fact that it’s a new, expanded format.
But they already have lots of teams in front of them in the standings.
There is more than half of the regular season remaining, so they can theoretically bounce back, but lots of things will need to happen first.
The Angels are in a huge hole: it will be up to them to fight their way out of it.
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