What We Learned from the Angels vs. Padres Series

The Angels faced one of the best teams in baseball and lost the series 1 game to 2. Let's take a look at what we learned from the series.

Yusei Kikuchi was able to right the ship.

Last week I took a look at what was holding Kikuchi back and how he could correct it. My focus was on his pitch mix and the fact his new cutter was getting shelled. Turns out his cutter and change up were getting shelled due to a mechanical tweak he was trying out.

This week Kikuchi went back to his old arm slot and looked like his old self. On Saturday night he pitched 6 innings, struck out 8, and only walked 1 batter. He was also the most efficient he has been in 2026, needing only 86 pitches on the night.

Mike Trout is human.

Mike Trout is a man amongst men but he is still human. Yes, he is hitting the ball on the barrel more often than the rest of baseball but when a guy hits 5 home runs in 4 days he is going to come back to Earth at some point. That point was this weekend.

Trout only recorded 1 hit in the series but he did collect 5 walks. So perhaps this is not all his fault.

Kurt Suzuki is a poor manager.

It is early and he is a rookie but the thought processes are not logical. Trout racked up 5 walks largely due to the fact the Padres know Nolan Schanuel will not make them pay for putting Trout on base. Suzuki's lineup construction is horrible and preventing the team from scoring more runs.

Simply put, Schanuel's one plus skill is getting on base. If he's on base when Trout hits there is a possibility of a 2 run home run or at least a run scoring double. Schanuel is incapable of getting Trout home from first, however. Nolan walks and hits singles. Giving Trout more RBI opportunities should be the goal but Suzuki's lineup does the opposite of that. Teams will keep walking Mike Trout as long as Suzuki keeps his current lineup and the Angels will lose due to a lack of offense.

The one time Trout came up with a runner on yesterday, the RBI opportunity was erased with Zach Neto was caught stealing and the inning ended. It was the second caught stealing in 3 innings that erased scoring chances. Whether Suzuki gave the signs or simply did not have his club prepared is not clear, but that is bad baseball.

Beyond that, while the bullpen is not elite, there are better options than others. Putting Ryan Zeferjahn in a tie game Saturday night was just asking to lose. The fact Nick Sandlin was able to get out of the inning without further damage immediately proved who should have started that inning.

Then there was leaving Walbert Urena in after 6 scoreless frames yesterday. It was Urena's first MLB start and the day was heating up. Instead of calling it a day, Urena was sent back out with no command and walked the first two batters he faced; one came around for the deciding run.

Walbert Urena looked legit.

Urena took huge strides in the minor leagues last season and made the Opening Day roster as a bullpen arm. Back in his familiar role as a starter, Urena looked composed and threw some nasty stuff. His sinker hit 100 MPH on several occasions and that made his newfound change up just devastating.

Urena has a lot of similarities to Jose Soriano when it comes to stuff. Pairing him with Mike Maddux could have some great results, like Soriano is experiencing. It was only one start and I'm sure there will be growing pains, but there is enough to warrant some excitement.

Jose Soriano is truly developing into an ace.

Friday night was the worst outing for Soriano this season. At times he lost control of his sinker and missed wide to the glove side repeatedly. In previous years Soriano had stretches where he simply could not locate and he would cough up a big inning. But on Friday he was able to rely on his secondary pitches until he regained control of his sinker.

Being able to be good on nights when you don't have your best stuff is huge in this league and Soriano showed that ability on Friday.

Angels fans love Garret Anderson.

If you ask any long time Angels fan to name their favorite players, Garret Anderson's name will pop up early in the list. For some, as early as the first name. With heavy hearts the Angels and fans honored the franchise's fallen icon on Friday night.

It was an emotional night in the ballpark and some of that emotion was still on display yesterday afternoon. This season will be played in Anderson's honor and the team will wear a patch for GA. As for Angels fans, we will always have a special place in our hearts for Garret Anderson.

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