Angels Swept by Phillies: Bullpen Implosions Expose Roster Auditions

Back to back home sweeps is a brutal start to a home stand. And things will not get any easier when the New York Yankees roll into town tomorrow. There are, however, some silver linings to take from this skid. First, it is better for the Angels to be dead last in the league and keep waiver wire priority through the off season. Secondly, the arms that coughed up the games are generally not a big part of the Angels long term plans.

Starting Pitching Keeps Halos Competitive in Sweep

Starting pitching is the key to the rebuild. And the starting pitching did well in this series.

On Friday night Reid Detmers went 6 innings and only gave up 1 run. In yet another front of the rotation type performance, the Angels southpaw left the game with a 3-2 lead and gave the Angels a legitimate chance to win the game.

Ryan Johnson followed on Saturday night with yet another game that showed his growth as a pitcher this season. Johnson had cruised through his last two outings but surrendered a career high 5 walks and had to work his way out of jams often. He did and escaped with only 1 run allowed on 3 hits in 5 innings.

Today Yusei Kikuchi was brilliant in the finale, keeping the Phillies completely off-balance through seven strong frames on 92 pitches. He only faltered slightly on two solo home runs (including one to J.T. Realmuto) but gave the bullpen a tied 2-2 game.

Yes, the Angels got swept but the starting rotation, specifically two young arms in Detmers and Johnson, gave them a chance to win each game.

Late-Inning Bullpen Meltdowns Extinguish Strong Starts

On the rare night when Ben Joyce was shaky, the Angels needed one arm to get one out and secure a win. Instead Sammy Peralta threw a meatball to Edmundo Sosa and gave up a grand slam before recording that single out.

On Saturday night, Trevor Martin was sent out for one inning too long and it cost the team. Thrust into extra innings on Saturday night, Martin pitched effectively initially but completely unraveled in the top of the 10th. He surrendered consecutive hits to Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, blowing open a tied game into a 4-2 Phillies victory.

Bullpen meltdowns are a common occurance in Anaheim and any additional offense in either game swings it for the Angels. But losing a game you had a chance to win is better than being blown out.

Separating Long-Term Core From Temporary Roster Filler

This is the real key to evaluating this series. The Angels are essentially playing two months of Spring Training games to close out the season. The results of key indivudual players matter more than the win/loss column. In this case, the core players played pretty well and the others did not.

Samy Peralta is at best roster filler on a last place team. He will not be a high leverage reliever on the next competitive Angels team. Ben Joyce, Samy Natera Jr. and Sam Bachman are the arms to watch down the stretch.

Trevor Martin was a waiver wire pickup from the Tampa Bay Rays. He might be a part of the next Angels bullpen but certainly not in a multiple inning extra inning scenario. He profiles as a lower leverage, middle relief role.

The fact players with low expectations failed in big moments should not take away from the momentum of the rebuild. If anything, the fact these guys were even in position to fail shows the Angels are improving on the starting pitching front.

Roster Auditions Continue as Angels Turn the Page to September

Trevor Martin was sent back to AAA today and Shaun Anderson was designated for assignment. Mitch Farris and Blake Weiman will get their crack at the Yankees lefties. Expect to see the Angels continue to churn through players as they look to see if they an find any talent worth keeping.

Expect to see Trevor Martin back at some point but his future is a middle reliever. The key to a rebuild is finding who is worth keeping. In order to do so you have to find out who does not.

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