Rendon optimistic despite Angels’ start
The third baseman sees similarities between his club and 2019 Nationals but a critical juncture is ahead.
SAN FRANCISCO 10 ANGELS 5
Anthony Rendon isn’t a stranger to slow starts.
Just last season, his Washington Nationals limped through their first 50 games. Their playoff chances dropped from 79% to 22% as their record fell to 19-31. Manager Dave Martinez, a protégé of current Angels skipper Joe Maddon, inspired so little public confidence that columnist Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post called for Martinez’s removal.
A little more than five months later, Rendon and Martinez stood with the Nationals in the center of Minute Maid Park as they celebrated the franchise’s first World Series title.
The Angels are nowhere near as well-rounded as the 2019 World Series champions. That weakness showed again in Thursday’s 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants when starter Jose Suarez and reliever Matt Andriese combined to throw 48 pitches and give up four runs in the second inning. By the end of the fourth inning, the Angels had scored only one run and tallied five hits against Giants starter Kevin Gausman.
But Rendon’s faith in the Angels isn’t wavering.
In a pregame videoconference call, Rendon was asked what he saw from the Nationals during their turbulent opening months. He found similarities between the Angels’ 8-17 start and the Nationals’ struggles.
“Ironically, I think it was pretty much the same thing to what’s happening now,” Rendon said. “If our pitching has been amazing, and they only give up one or two runs, then our hitting goes stagnant. And then if our hitting’s out there and scores about seven, eight runs, then our pitching unfortunately will give up eight or nine runs.
“We just got to keep grinding and keep on fighting out there and it’s eventually going to turn around. We just got to keep on trusting in our talents and not get too caught up in situations.”
It’s not as simple as that. The Angels are entering a critical stage.
The Nationals had roughly 70% of the season to emerge from their free fall. By Friday, the Angels will have already played 43% of their 2020 schedule.
“Where they were at least year, again a 162-game season, you have a chance to right things in a more conventional way,” Maddon said. “This has got to be an accelerated method.”
Maddon’s pitching staff — which surrendered at least six runs for an eighth straight game, something no other team in franchise history has done — again doomed his team
Thursday night. Julio Teheran pitched five innings in relief, his longest outing of the season, but gave up four runs to exacerbate the Angels’ woes.
When Giants starter Kevin Gausman wavered in the fifth and gave up a walk and three singles, the Angels’ two-run rally fell short. They still trailed 9-3 when Brian Goodwin struck out to end the fifth. Anthony Bemboom’s solo homer in the sixth and RBI walk in the seventh provided only incremental improvement.
Rendon finished with three hits, giving him 18 in 37 at-bats since his season average dropped to .103 on Aug. 9.
Neither his optimism nor his steadiness was enough to jumpstart the Angels’ turnaround.