Nineteen games into the 2023 MLB season, the Angels are where they usually are in the standings — hovering around .500.
They entered Friday at 9-10. However, that could easily be something like 15-9 if they fielded a little better, had some semblance of situational hitting, didn't make Jake Lamb a lineup fixture and maybe avoided Ryan Tepera and Aaron Loup in high-leverage spots (among other things), but these are the Angels. It's a third-rate club and these are just a few of the ways those types of teams tend to lose games.
Another major issue that hasn't helped in the make-or-break Shohei Ohtani year is the lack of a true shortstop.
The Halos entered the season with, on paper, a bevy of options at shortstop: David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo and Gio Urshela. Not great options, but seemingly OK options nonetheless.