Los Angeles will wrap up its three-game series at Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon. The Angels got off to a slow start in the series, dropping a 7-0 final on Monday. This story was published prior to Tuesday night’s second game of the series.
Los Angeles has had a disappointing season yet again, as it has been unable to build around the best player in baseball. The Angels were able to pull within four games of the .500 mark at the end of June, but they lost 12 of their final 14 games prior to the All-Star break. They have not been able to get the wheels turning since returning, losing two out of three in Atlanta before dropping Monday’s series opener in Kansas City. Los Angeles is in fourth place in the American League West, trailing Houston by 23.5 games. The Angels are 11.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
No cap ??
Get to know @mjstefi as he pulls questions from a hat! pic.twitter.com/o7TO2zZYil
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 25, 2022
They are No. 26 in the MLB offensively, batting at a .230 clip. Star center fielder Mike Trout remains on the injured list, while third baseman Anthony Rendon has already been ruled out for the season due to a wrist injury. AL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani leads the team with 89 hits, including 20 home runs. He will be facing a Kansas City pitching staff that is No. 27 with an ERA of 4.70. Right-handed pitcher Jason Junk will be recalled from Triple-A to start this game. He threw one scoreless inning against Toronto on May 28 in his last appearance. Junk has a 3.88 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 48.2 innings in Triple-A this year.