TORONTO — The Angels have shown a trend that could bode well for them this week, even if it’s not good for the rest of the season.
The Angels are expecting to see left-handed starters in four of the next five games, against the Cleveland Guardians and Dodgers. They are 6-6 against left-handed starters this season, including victories against three 2025 All-Stars: the New York Yankees’ Max Fried, the Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale and the Cincinnati Reds’ Andrew Abbott.
The problem, of course, is that most pitchers are right-handed.
The Angels came into Sunday’s game with a .732 OPS against lefties, which ranked 11th in the majors. Against righties, they ranked 22nd with a .697 OPS.
Manager Kurt Suzuki said it’s mostly because of the quality of the righties who they have faced, especially recently. He pointed specifically to Toronto Blue Jays’ starters Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage, New York Mets’ starters Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes, and the Chicago White Sox’s Davis Martin.
“I think it’s more of an anomaly,” Suzuki said. “We’ve been facing some tough pitching. It is what it is. I don’t think there’s any kind of underlying things to it.”
One factor is certainly that the Angels have played second baseman Adam Frazier, third baseman Yoán Moncada and left fielder Josh Lowe against righties. They typically replace them, respectively, with Vaughn Grissom, Oswald Peraza and Bryce Teodosio against lefties.
Peraza, Grissom and Teodosio all entered this season with well below average offensive profiles, but each has performed above expectations.
Perhaps they are successful because they’re mostly facing lefties, or perhaps it’s an indication the Angels should use them more against righties too.
Teodosio (.384 OPS vs. righties/.739 OPS against lefties) and Peraza (.698/.957) had fairly wide splits, while Grissom (.780/.728) has actually been slightly better against righties. That’s why Grissom has gotten more opportunities than the other two against righties.
The best case scenario for the Angels to improve against righties is probably for Moncada and Lowe to return to their normal levels. Moncada had an .815 OPS against righties last season, and this year it’s .700. Lowe dropped from .727 to .551.
Jo Adell, who plays against everyone, has also produced a .560 OPS against righties, compared with .915 against lefties. Last season he had a .744 OPS against righties and a .931 OPS against lefties.
NOTES
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (fractured left hand) is expected to play at least a couple of games in Arizona, starting on Monday, Suzuki said. “I wouldn’t rule anything out, but assuming Friday would probably be a safe bet” for O’Hoppe to return to the Angels lineup, Suzuki said. …
Right-handers Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) and Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery) were both scheduled to pitch for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. Rodriguez was scheduled for about 90 pitches. Although Suzuki said on Friday that Joyce was pitching on Saturday, either he mis-spoke or the plan changed. …
A day after catcher Omar Martinez picked up a hit in his first major league at-bat, Suzuki said he was impressed with the 24-year-old’s poise. “He looks like he belongs, just the way he’s carrying himself,” Suzuki said. “It doesn’t look like things are speeding up. Obviously he hasn’t, you know, played much, but just being around the clubhouse and all this type of things and I think spring training definitely helped the comfort being around the guys.”
UP NEXT
Angels (TBD) at Guardians (LHP Joey Cantillo, 2-1, 3.43 ERA), Monday, 3:10 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM