The Angels are finding some bright spots to build on for 2019. Griffin Canning, Shohei Ohtani, and Matt Thaiss finished the Angels’ recent homestand with encouraging performances.
Last week, the Angels began a homestand with the team extending a slump from their recent August road trip into the first two games of their series against Pittsburgh. The week ended with the Angels trouncing the White Sox nine to two as they wrapped up the homestand winning three straight and four of their last five. Griffin Canning was sharp as he tossed seven strong innings, allowing only one run while striking out eight and walking only one. The 23-year-old rookie from Mission Viejo was arguably the Angels’ best performing starter when he was first called up in late-April. Despite some rough mid-summer performances, Canning rebounded nicely Sunday afternoon.
Shohei Ohtani wrapped up his week with a two-for-five showing Sunday, extending his nine-game hitting streak which included a two-run home run to deep center in the seventh inning. During this streak, Ohtani is hitting .421 with a homer, nine runs batted in, and eight runs scored. If Ohtani’s performance at the plate isn’t enough to get Angels fans excited, he’s also continuing to progress well in pitching rehabilitation. He’s throwing bullpen sessions as he recovers from Tommy John surgery and was throwing curveballs again in his most recent throwing session last week.
Matt Thaiss had been in the midst of a horrible slump but snapped off a three-for-four game with his sixth home run and four runs batted in. Thaiss provides the Angels with a solid defender at the infield corners and since his bat continues to improve at the MLB level, he will provide Billy Eppler with a valuable asset heading into the coming off-season.
This Week
The Angels have a seven-game road trip to Texas to play four games in three days in the sweltering heat of Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. They will play a day-night doubleheader Tuesday as they make up the game postponed the day Tyler Skaggs passed away. They will have an off day Thursday before playing three in Houston next weekend.
Although official starters have not been announced for all the games, the Angels will likely use a heavy dose of left-handed pitching with five of the seven games projected against southpaw starters:
5:05 PM (PT) Monday at Texas: Dillon Peters versus Kolby Allard
11:05 AM (PT) Tuesday at Texas: Andrew Heaney versus Brock Burke (MLB debut)
5:05 PM (PT) Tuesday at Texas: Jaime Barria versus Joe Palumbo
4:05 PM (PT) Wednesday at Texas: Patrick Sandoval versus Mike Minor
5:10 PM (PT) Friday at Houston: Griffin Canning versus Zack Greinke
4:10 PM (PT) Saturday at Houston: Dillon Peters versus Wade Miley
11:10 AM (PT) Sunday at Houston: Andrew Heaney versus Aaron Sanchez
Who’s Hot Down in the Farm
Few players are hotter than Orem shortstop Jeremiah Jackson right now. The 19-year-old infielder has slugged an Orem franchise-best 21 home runs, including three dingers in last Thursday night’s game. Jackson would seem ready for the jump to Low-A Burlington but the Angels seem to be content taking their time with his development. The second-round pick in last year’s MLB draft is an exciting young player and the Angels are wise to develop his talent over time.
Jackson, along with this year’s first-round pick and Orem teammate, Will Wilson, are both primary shortstops. This is providing them opportunities at other positions within the infield which should only help with their versatility at the higher levels. Jackson and Wilson will be a fun pair to watch progress through the Angels’ farm system in the years ahead.
