Angels early season mistakes, defense, in-depth analysis

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat magazine. To read the full newsletter, Click here. And register yourself to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG — The Angels enter a tough four-game series against the Rays at Tropicana after losing two of three in Boston. Then, they’ll head to Cincinnati for a three-game set this weekend.

It’s another East Coast trip for the Angels, who have already played in Baltimore and Miami earlier this season. The club has shown a little bit of ability and resilience early on, but there has also been some inconsistency, which explains the 7-8 record.

Manager Ron Washington has emphasized that he wants his club to do well in every aspect of the game. So here’s a look at how the Halos have fared with their offense, pitching and defense early on.

The Angels are 20th in runs scored with 67 in 15 games, giving them an average of 4.47 runs per game. They are averaging slightly fewer runs per game than last season, as they have seen less of the expected change in their power numbers. But the club is driven in more often than Washington, tied for 10th in the Majors with 11 stolen bases.

Star Mike Trout is off to a hot start after a few injury-plagued seasons, while Taylor Ward and Logan O’Hoppe also carry the offense. Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury are hot, but the Angels need more from Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, Mickey Moniak and Aaron Hicks.

It’s still early, but the Halos need to see more consistency up and down the lineup. They still strike out a lot and their walk rate remains in the middle of the pack.

They are also hitting just .218 with runners in scoring position this year, which is the third-worst mark in the Majors. Even Trout admitted to reporters on Sunday that he needs to come up with more hits in those situations after losing in the ninth inning with two outs. It’s hard to blame Trout, though, especially with his start to the year, but the Angels need to continue to get better.

The Angels have a 4.88 ERA, which ranks as the ninth worst mark in the Majors. Both starters and relievers have been guilty, as the rotation has posted a 4.76 ERA (23rd) and the bullpen has a combined 5.02 ERA (22nd).

The team’s trainers have insisted on being in front of the attackers, but the Angels have not been able to implement that in practice. They have hit the first strike 59.1 percent of the time, which is sixth in the Majors.

The good news is that Reid Detmers is starting to live up to his potential and fellow left fielder Tyler Anderson is off to a good start after last year. But right-hander Griffin Canning has struggled so far (9.88 ERA in 13 2/3 innings) and Patrick Sandoval has been inconsistent (6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 innings).

Right-hander Chase Silseth was fortunate to avoid major injury due to inflammation of his right elbow and could return in May, but he had issues with his velocity before going on the injured list. Righty José Soriano has top stuff, but he still needs to learn how to use it, especially as a starting pitcher.

The bullpen has struggled without closer Carlos Estévez and pitching relievers Matt Moore and Adam Cimber. José Suarez has an 8.74 ERA in five long relief outings, while José Cisnero has a 9.95 ERA in eight outings and Luis García has a 9.00 ERA in six outings. The Angels’ relievers will need to find a bridge to get to Moore, Cimber and Estévez, and so far it’s been difficult.

It also doesn’t help that right-hander Robert Stephenson, who was signed to a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason, struggled with a right shoulder injury during a rehab outing with Triple-A Salt Lake. saturday He is preparing to have his picture taken on his shoulder.

Washington is considered a defensive giant, and so far it has been seen in early earnings, according to advanced metrics. The Angels are tied for fifth in Outs Above Average. Among traditional metrics, they rank third with a .990 fielding percentage.

Last year, the Angels were 27th in the OAA and their .983 fielding percentage was tied for 23rd in the Majors. Washington has praised interior coach Ryan Goins and praised the players for buying into his defensive tactics and using them.