Deadline Struggles to Dodger Dominance: Angels’ Rollercoaster Ride
August 18, 2025 - Written by Jas Singh
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
Now I wanted to write this article, after the deadline, to express the true frustration around the fanbase about the team’s direction during the deadline. However, I decided to monitor how this team has fared over the week or so to truly see if we can be somewhat “competitive”. The deadline occurred on July 31st, an off day for the ballclub following an embarrassing loss against the Rangers with several Angels fans crowded into right field as the “Angels in the Outfield”.
White Sox Series:
The first series was against the worst team in the AL, the Chicago White Sox. The series started out littered with Angel errors. With bases loaded in the first Zach Neto got picked off at 3rd by ex-Angel Edgar Quero. The Angels scuffed both runners and were even given a break when Quero basically threw out Taylor Ward, but Sosa fumbled the throw trying to tag Ward. Fast forward to the bottom of the 7th, with the bases loaded Neto secured an easy sac fly to push the Angels within one. Nolan Schanuel was scheduled to bat and has excelled with runners in scoring position, delivering a hit to right field on a 96 mph cutter. In Angels fashion, one of the most bizarre sequence of events occurred. What should have been an RBI single turned into an inning ending play with no runs. Campero, who was on first made an errand decision to try to get to third and was thrown by the cut off man. To make matters worse, the tag occurred before D’Arnaud scored from second resulting in no runs.
At that moment, I was not sure what was worse, Campero's lack of quick thinking to stay at second or D’Arnaud not hustling to score. Schanuel's, who has had terrible luck recently with getting robbed of hits and homers was obviously left in frustration. The run truly flipped the momentum and wouldn’t have made a difference had Chicago scored two more to win 6-3. Game 2, was likely one of the worst performances the offense has shown this season. Hendricks had a great outing only giving up an earned run early in the 2nd and gave up only 5 hits in 5 innings of work. The offense was terrible without Mike Trout in the lineup managing one hit off an infield single to cost the team a 1-0 defeat. Game 3, started out like a gut punch as Kochanwitz got shelled in the first giving up 4 earned.
Luckily, the offense finally woke up in the series following a Neto homer and bases-clearing double. Ward likely saved the season with an RBI single and a walk-off three-run homerun to cap off the team’s largest comeback this season.
Rays Series:
Now after barely escaping a sweep by the White Sox, how would the Angels fare against a struggling Rays team. Well it’s safe to say they also gave away this series. After a 5-1 victory in the first game of the series featuring a 3 run Adell blast and a Kicuchi masterclass, the Angels squandered the next two. Soriano in game 2, continued his struggles at home giving up 7 runs in the 4th inning alone putting us too behind to come back.
In game 3, both sides cost us the game. Anderson, whose longball struggles have been apparent recently, gave up two bombs to young superstar Caminero, but also the 9th hitter in the Rays lineup, Nick Fortes. Then came Zeferjahn, who on his first pitch gave up a homer to the 8th hitter in the lineup, Christopher Morel. Morel had been 0-6 in the entire series up to the point with 6th straight strikeouts. To put the cherry on top the team had bases loaded no outs in the bottom of the 8th and did not score a single run. Rengifo, O’Hoppe and Moore all struck out. Also, lost runs earlier in the game by not scoring anything with runners on 1st and 3rd.
Tigers Series:
Now to the series in the Motor City, that truly had me believing this team might seriously start to make a run. I think Game 1 truly puts the Angels season in perspective when they are given leads. With NL Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal on the mound I held little hope for this offense, but they completely proved me wrong. O’Hoppe who’s had his struggles as of late started the offense going with an RBI double. But, the Tigers answered with a Torkelson homer and Baez bloop RBI. The Angels offense in the 5th came back to basically knock Skubal out the game. Campero notched a deep 2-run homer to left field and then Neto went yard to the same place on a 97 mph fastball high in the zone. Neto became the only player this season to get two knocks off Skubal following that swing. While both Neto and Campero were the only ones to go back to back against Skubal this season. In the 7th, Neto was robbed of another likely RBI extra base hit following a spectacular diving catch by Riley Greene. Adell seeked some redemption with a reviewed double that became a solo homer to extend the Angels lead to 5-3. But, in Angels fashion in the bottom of the 8th the team handed the game to AL Central leading Tigers. Detmers, after giving up a walk and single, gave up a 3-run homer to Matt Vierling basically ending the game as Kyle Finnegan shut the door in the 9th.
In what should’ve been a series clinching win, the offense overwhelmed Charlie Morton ing game 2 after he started off strong. Ward opened it with an RBI double, then Adell hit a 3-run blast with his family in attendance after Morton had 8 strikeouts. The Tigers managed to tie it at 4, with back to back singles then a sac fly and RBI double by Gleyber Torres. Ward answered again in the 5th with a 2 run shot and then Rengifo added to that with a solo homer in the 8th to close out the game 7-4. I will keep the analysis on game 3 short and sweet, Jack Kochanowicz should not be a major league starter. There’s some starts he reduces damage and gets out of early inning funks, but the inconsistency is apparent.
I have no idea why the team didn’t allow him to get more action in Triple-A before pulling him back up. In this game, 6 earned runs on 7 hits put the team in a deficit early. Schanuel and Rengifo both had 2 run home-runs, but the team fell short in its 3rd straight series loss. The fact of matter is if the team holds on to that lead in game 1, this series would have looked a lot different.
Dodgers Series:
Dodgers fans like to call the Freeway Series our “World Series” and I think that’s 100% true. This series had the atmosphere to be a playoff game and like many years in the past all three games were a sellout once again. Throughout the series, Zach Neto demonstrated why he is one of the best shortstops in the game, as well as a young superstar who is not receiving the attention he deserves. He started the series off with a leadoff homer marking his eighth leadoff homer of the season—setting a new Angels single-season record. Moncada, who has been clutch lately, added an RBI single to put the lead at 2-0. This was only the beginning of an offensive explosion that carried on in all 3 games of the series. Trout delivered in the 4th with a two-run single, while Campero and Moncada both notched RBI’s as well.Then, in the seventh, we watched Neto go after a ball low in the zone and hit it out of the park, establishing a seven-point lead on the defending world champions. Shaun Anderson was truly my only frustration of the night. Giving up the home run to Ohtani was fine since he’s been amazing all year. But then he virtually let the Dodgers back into the game with a Muncy three-run shot, forcing us to use Jansen in what should have been a high-leverage position. Jansen luckily shut any chances of a comeback in the ninth. The last two games were much more back and forth.
Game 2, saw big offensive games from both teams. Adell and Ward got the offensive started with a single and double. Then after Dalton Rushing got a hold of a ball that carried out, Ward came back with a solo shot of his own to take the lead 4-3. Then Bryce Tedosio, made an impact once again with a hustle double that scored a runner increasing the lead to 5-3. Picking it back up in the ninth inning after the Dodgers tied and put numerous men in scoring position. The Angels used Jansen once again to hopefully get the game into extras, but Othani pulled through and scolded a ball to left field putting them up 6-5. The comeback kids weren’t done in the bottom of the 9th, when Rengifo got it going with a single then Schauel closed the deal with an RBI sac fly to tie the game. Now Connor Brogdon was up in the 10th and was the clear dark horse MVP in this one he retired the Dodgers top half of the lineup in order. This gave the Angels great leverage with Christian Moore delivering one of the best bunts you will ever see advancing Ward to third. We finally saw Adell drop a bouncing groundball over Muncy to secure the walk off win.
Game 3, carried the same intensity as the last two. Early on it was all Dodgers, after Will Smith nuked a ball to put them 3-0 just after the first inning. Taylor Ward continued his heroics with an amazing shot to right center off Othani while Rengifo hit sac fly, scoring Yoán Moncada to make it 2–3. Down 5-2, late in the 5th the comeback kids got rolling once again. Neto whipped a two RBI double to left, knocking Ohtani out of his longest start of the year. The decisive moment came with the bases loaded, Logan O'Hoppe hit a two-out, two-run single into center to give the Angels a 6–5 lead. The pitch was a 103 mph fastball that caught the middle part of the zone and O’Hoppe took advantage on a 3-2 count. A nail biting moment that allowed the team to season sweep the defending champs as Kenley Jansen closed the door once again in the 9th.
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