Key Takeaways From the Angels vs. White Sox Series

For the first time in a while the Angels won a series. The 2 wins against Chicago combined Saturday night's victory over the Mets add up to a 3 and 3 home stand. Not bad, but against this level of competition not great either.

Looking at the series itself and putting it into the context of the larger season here are the key takeaways.

This team goes as Zach Neto goes.

Neto could not buy a hit against the Mets but found a groove on Tuesday night that carried over to today's contest. Against the Mets he went 0 for 10 with 5 strikeouts and the Angels offense sputtered.

In game one against Chicago he went 0 for 4 with 2 K's as the Angels were shutout. But in the 2 wins Neto went 3 for 6 with 2 walks and a home run against a single strikeout. Neto is not the prototypical leadoff hitter but he can be a sparkplug at the top of the order.

Mike Trout home runs never get old.

I went to the game on Tuesday with my brother in law and watching the ball sail off Trout's bat is still an amazing experience. Home runs by any Angel are fun but when the franchise's greatest player goes deep it is special. On night like Tuesday when Trout excels on both sides of the ball it is almost like a time warp.

Walbert Urena has tantilizing potential.

Just looking at the radar readings and shapes of Urena's pitches it is easy to dream on the kid having a bright future. Today Walbert Urena went six innings on a day the Angels really needed him to pitch deep into the game. He often hits triple digits with his heater which will only become a better weapon as he gains better command of his change up.

There will be growing pains but the future looks bright for Urena.

Yoan Moncada and Josh Lowe need to be taken away from Kurt Suzuki.

It seems no amount of futility is enough to make Kurt Suzuki realize these two are not going to magically rebound into productive players. Nor does it seem any amount of good play can ensure Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom are guaranteed starts.

It is no coincidence the Angels won today and had fewer strikeouts (5) than walks (6) offensively. Moncada and Lowe are simply lost at the plate. The Angels were lucky to overcome their combined 0 for 6 with 3 K performance on Tuesday night.

Moncada was a productive hitter last season but Josh Lowe has not been good since 2023. The leash on the latter should have been short and at this point neither belongs in an MLB lineup. It seems Kurt Suzuki is just not capable of seeing reality here.

Mitch Farris deserves some flowers and another shot.

On the first night of 2026 that Jose Soriano really struggled, Farris pitched 4 innings of 1 run ball that really saved the bullpen and set up the last two wins. Farris struck out 3 and did not walk a batter. He did give up 7 hits and 1 run, but overall his velocity was up from last year and he threw strikes.

When the other option for long reliever is Alek Manoah who just got rocked in A ball, it would be nice to give Farris another look soon.

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