The Good and the Bad of Angels vs. Reds Today

It isn't easy following Angels Cactus League action these days so I'll try to do it for you. Now that teams are in the second week of Spring Training starting pitchers are looking to go three full innings and starting position players are looking for three plate appearances. The goal is still preparation over results, but there are things to glean from these games.

Logan O'Hoppe had a really good game on both sides of the ball.

Logan O'Hoppe just hit his first HR of the spring, a 2-run shot to straightaway left. Exit velo 112.

Also, Brent Suter (2 IP, 1 ER). Ureña (1 scoreless so far, 100 mph).

Moore and Schanuel (2B) have hits.

Angels up 2-1 in the 4th.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 27, 2026

The two run shot will grab the headlines (as it should) but O'Hoppe also worked a walk in the sixth inning. Also noteworthy is the fact O'Hoppe did not strike out in any of his three plate appearances.

Behind the dish, O'Hoppe had a nice day working with new pitchers. This is the time of year for pitchers and catchers to get on the same page and O'Hoppe guided Suter, Urena, and Samy Natera Jr. today. He also caught veteran Ryan Zeferjahn.

And thanks to a dedicated fan, we have video of the O'Hoppe bomb. Eric is a good follow on X, as is Angels on SI.

Logan O’Hoppe 2 run home run #Angels pic.twitter.com/X0ZNn5yrZy
— Eric (@ericserics) February 27, 2026

Walbert Urena had another good outing.

Urena threw two scoreless frames and reached 100 MPH on his fastball. 2025 saw Urena make great strides on the mound and he is making a name for himself early in camp.

For now the Angels are developing Urena as a starter but if they decide to switch him to a bullpen role he could be in Anaheim at some point this year.

Strikeouts were down for the guys that matter.

Reds starter Rhett Lowder threw three innings and was followed by Julian Aguiar for two innings. Sam Moll threw the sixth inning. All three have MLB experience and will pitch in MLB this season.

The Angels starters only struck out six times against this group. Not a great number, but one that would keep their K's for the game in the single digits if the rate stayed true.

Christian Moore keeps striking out, though.

Moore accounted for two of the team's six strikeouts. He is very young and was rushed to the majors last season. Moore did pick up a hit and is batting .300 so far in the Cactus League but the K continues to be a problem.

Angels pitchers did not record enough strikeouts.

Granted, most pitching stats don't matter at this time of year but through seven innings Angels pitchers only recorded three strikeouts. The two guys fighting to make the club, Urena and Natera Jr., each picked up a K as did Suter.

Last season the Angels had a horrible ratio of strikeouts by thier pitching versus those by their hitters. That is a critical area, along with defense, that needs to be rectified if the team will have any hope of success in 2026.