ANAHEIM — The Angels are trying to get Luis Rengifo out of his defensive slump.
Rengifo made errors in two of the Angels’ losses over the weekend in Cincinnati, and a third misplay was ruled a hit.
Last week against the Tampa Bay Rays, Rengifo failed to come up with a backhand play that could have been the final out of an Angels victory, and they ended up losing in 13 innings. That was a tough play that might not have been an out even if Rengifo had played it perfectly, but it was nonetheless part of a rough week.
“On the defensive side you lose your rhythm, just like you lose your rhythm at the plate,” said Manager Ron Washington, who is considered MLB’s pre-eminent infield guru. “It just looks like his rhythm is off. He’s getting balls in between. That happens when you lose your rhythm. We’re coming out today and we’re going to try to get his rhythm back. He’s been very good until the last road trip.”
Rengifo was not in the lineup against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
The slump comes at an inopportune time because the Angels are now down one infielder with third baseman Anthony Rendon’s hamstring injury. Second baseman Brandon Drury has also been in out of the lineup in the last week because of a hamstring issue.
Washington said they don’t need Rengifo to be the everyday third baseman in Rendon’s absence because of Miguel Sanó’s emergence.
Sanó has not been known for his defense, but Washington has raved about the improvement he’s made since showing up as a non-roster invitee to spring training.
“I’ve been really impressed,” Washington said. “If you guys have watched him out there, he’s shown that he’s a different guy. Sometimes perception can bury you. As hard as he worked in February in spring training, now he’s starting to show that he can carry it over. We’re going to give him that opportunity.”
TALK IT OUT
Angels pitchers were scheduled to meet with Washington and the coaches on Monday afternoon to talk about their issues throwing strikes, which had been an emphasis in spring training.
Coming into Monday’s game, the Angels ranked 29th in the majors in first-pitch strikes, 23rd in strike percentage and 23rd in walks per nine innings.
“We’re trying to find out the reason why,” Washington said. “It starts with them and then we (the staff) takes our blame for it. We’ve got to find out what part they play, and then we’ll find out what part we can play to (improve it). It’s just going to be education for us and them.”
NOTES
Rendon (hamstring) was set to undergo a further evaluation on Monday. As of Monday afternoon, the Angels had not provided results of that evaluation. …
Drury was out of the lineup on Monday as a precaution. Drury had missed time last week because of a hamstring tightness. He returned to play over the weekend in Cincinnati, where the weather was cold, so Washington wanted to give him another day after the cross-country travel to try to mitigate the chance of him aggravating the injury. “We just lost one of our best players, so I don’t want to lose another one because of a hamstring,” Washington said. …
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Right-hander Sam Bachman (shoulder) has been shut down from throwing because of mid back spasms. Bachman had surgery last fall, and the Angels were bringing him back slowly because they wanted him to start, and they didn’t want him to accumulate too many innings. Prior to the setback with his back, Bachman had been projected to begin a minor league rehab assignment around the start of May. …
Right-hander Guillo Zuñiga (right pectoral strain) is scheduled to resume throwing on Tuesday. …
Right-hander Chase Silseth (elbow inflammation) is still not cleared to throw. …
Infielder Michael Stefanic (quadriceps strain), who had a setback earlier this month, is scheduled to resume running on Tuesday. Stefanic has been able to hit and take ground balls.
UP NEXT
Orioles (RHP Grayson Rodriguez, 3-0, 2.63 ERA) at Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 0-3, 8.05), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM