Between three-time AL MVP Mike Trout and defending AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels boast one of the most top-heavy lineups in all of Major League Baseball. But the Angels being top-heavy means that there's a steep dropoff from Trout and Ohtani to the rest of the roster -- as evidenced by their 36-41 record.
On Tuesday night, an 11-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox illustrated exactly why and how the Angels have managed a losing record approaching the All-Star break. In two-thirds of an inning, reliever Elvis Peguero surrendered a total of four earned runs, largely because it was easy for opponents to read exactly what sort of pitch he was going to throw.
Knowing exactly what he was looking at, a frustrated Trout signaled from the outfield exactly how Peguero was tipping his pitches to the other team.
Angels broadcast broke down Peguero tipping pitches and followed it with the video of Trout mimicking him after spotting it in center field (h/t @AdamStites_) pic.twitter.com/mqF7GvUXAX
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) June 29, 2022
The Angels' shoddy pitching performance on Tuesday night -- 17 hits and 11 runs given up -- continues what has been a bleak season for the team, despite their MVP-level talent at the top of the lineup. The team fired manager Joe Maddon earlier in June, and their 14-straight losses earlier in the month set a new franchise record for longest losing streak.
Things have continued to unravel from there, as interim manager Phil Nevin was suspended 10 games after a bench-clearing brawl in their Sunday game against the Seattle Mariners.
The Angels will play the White Sox one more time on Wednesday night before going on the road to face the Houston Astros.
