What We Learned in the Angels vs. Blue Jays Series

The defending American League champions came into Anaheim and took 2 out of 3 games this week. Continuing a theme over the last two games against San Diego, the Angels offense was pretty much non existent in the first two games against Toronto.

A long baseball season will have its ebbs and flows but let's take a look at the key things we learned in this series.

Jack Kochanowicz is looking like a viable rotation piece.

Against a very tough team that strikes out less often than any other in MLB, Kochanowicz had another solid outing. Last night he lasted 5.2 innings and only allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. In 5 starts on the season he has thrown 29 innings of 3.10 ball.

Over his last 4 starts, Silent C has an average game score just a hair over 60 which is the baseline for a good or solid start.

The Angels give up too many free outs.

Apr 10, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler (12) gestures after hitting a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Leading the league in strikeouts is not good. The Angels are firmly atop that mountain right now and show no signs of slowing down. Last season the Angels struck out a little over 10 times per game to set a franchise, and nearly an MLB, record. So far this year they are just under 10 per game.

The K's are the #1 problem with the offense with limited ways to fix them. The team has been much better at getting on base until this home stand and cutting down on the K's is going to be the key for any future success.

Bullpen help can not arrive soon enough.

Kirby Yates is on a rehab assignment. After throwing in one game for Rancho Cucamonga he was sent to AAA for two more appearances. If his outings tonight and Friday go well he could be back with the big club on the next road trip.

A combination of a lack of arms and lack of managerial strategy is making every lead feel like it is tenous at best. The Angels nearly blew a 3 run lead today by asking Ryan Zeferjahn to pitch a second inning. Considering the day off tomorrow, that was a colossal failure on Kurt Suzuki's part.

The bullpen is not deep and Yates offers the best chance for stability at the back end.

Kurt Suzuki continues to make basic mistakes.

Leaving Zeferjahn in for a second inning made as much sense as giving Walbert Urena an extra inning on Sunday: none. If not for the fact Toronto's bullpen coughed up the lead following Suzuki's gaffe the Angels would be looking at the same result as Sunday.

To his credit, Suzuki did drop Schanuel in the lineup and it paid off nicely today. He also let Teodosio play center field and improve the overall team defense. But his bullpen useage and general roster construction the other two days did more harm than good.

There are no magic levers in baseball that a manager can pull to make a team win. However, there are very publicly available reams of data that should be used to make in game decisions. Just like in blackjack you play the odds the vast majority of the time or you get eaten alive. Right now Suzuki is the tourist in Vegas hitting on a 15 while the dealer has a 4 showing.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would have been great in an Angels jersey.

Some of us are old enough to remember his dad bringing him to Angels stadium. At that time he was a cute kid who, like all kids, looked at his dad like a hero. Now he comes into town and absolutely destroys Angels pitching every time out.

There are a lot of "what could have been" scenarios in life and baseball. But, oh man, what could have been if the Angels signed Junior as a teenager and had him on the Trout and Ohtani teams.

Add us as a preferred source on Google