ANAHEIM — A day after the Angels made four errors in a 12-3 loss that was clearly one of their ugliest games of the season, left fielder Taylor Ward acknowledged that the Angels can’t give in to the idea that they are playing for nothing.
“It’s definitely tough,” Ward said. “Unfortunately, we’re in the position we’re in, so that makes it even tougher. But I think for me, nothing changes. I’m still grinding every day and trying to finish running through the tape as best as I can.”
Ward said interim manager Ray Montgomery brought the team together after Saturday’s 17-4 loss to the A’s to remind the players to maintain their intensity. They won on Sunday, before playing another dud on Monday.
“Watching that last night was a tough pill to swallow, for sure,” Ward said on Tuesday. “Definitely not what you want to see. Our coaches don’t want to see that. Our fans don’t want to see that. But it happens like that sometimes. I think sometimes it’s good for guys to have eye-opening moments. Hopefully it turns up their focus for a moment like that.
“I’ve been there, and it woke me up for sure. Hopefully it does the same for those guys.”
Veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud said he spoke to a team psychologist early in his career during a lost season with the New York Mets.
“He said you can’t look too far ahead,” d’Arnaud said. “Just take it day by day and continue to stay the course with what you were trying to do at the beginning of the year, which was win every series and have good game plans.”
D’Arnaud also said it does matter how many games the Angels win. The Angels won 63 games last season, and they came into Tuesday’s game with 67 victories and 18 games to play.
“It is very important, especially if you look at where this team was last year,” d’Arnaud said. “We want to improve as much as we can from last year. So every game still matters all the way till the end. You gotta treat it like we’re right in the hunt with everything. And don’t give up until the last out, last pitch of the season.”
While Montgomery acknowledged how poorly the Angels played after Monday’s game, on Tuesday he said it wasn’t necessarily because players have checked out mentally. Montgomery said the mistakes on Monday night were ultimately physical.
“if it happened in May, we would just be like, it’s in game 40, right?” Montgomery said. “So the fact that we have 19 games left, and there’s this end line, I think accentuates that, even for me as well. This morning, we’re back at it. A new day. New game.”
NO ADELL
Outfielder Jo Adell was out of the Angels’ lineup again on Tuesday, still struggling with symptoms of vertigo. Adell was in the Angels’ tentative lineup before he arrived at the ballpark, but he was scratched soon after.
“Just trying to get my head back right, and some of the fogginess,” Adell said. “It’s just kind of like a frustrating thing, because I don’t like missing games. That’s not my thing. But I’ve got to get the brain fog and (stuff) together. So it’s frustrating, but it is what it is.”
Adell said he went through this just before the 2024 season, and it took him “a couple days” to be able to play.
This time the symptoms began during Sunday afternoon’s game. In fact, Adell said that he didn’t feel right even as he hit a ball to the warning track in the eighth inning.
“I was having the spins during that at-bat,” he said. “I don’t even know how I hit the ball to be honest with you. It was interesting.”
HELPING RIO
Several Angels players were among those who donated to the GoFundMe account to benefit minor league Rio Foster, who remains in critical condition after he was in a serious car accident on Friday morning.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign had raised nearly $44,000, with donations coming from left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, Bryce Teodosio and Adell, along with a handful of other Angels staffers and minor league players.
“We’re just feeling for him and his family,” Adell said. “Baseball is one thing, but life is something else. It was a no-brainer. I know he’s gotten a lot of support, and I know all the guys have stepped up and done their part. Just prayers for the family. It’s terrible to hear, and I hope that he can fight back and come back healthy.”
NOTES
First baseman Nolan Schanuel (wrist contusion) did better when he tried to hit flips than when he attempted to do a couple of days earlier, Montgomery said. Montgomery said Schanuel will continue to ramp up his activity as much as possible. …
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (concussion) was doing “better,” Montgomery said. “Just take it day to day.”
UP NEXT
Twins (RHP Taj Bradley, 6-7, 4.92 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 10-10, 4.07 ERA), Wednesday, 1:07 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM