12 straight losses by Angels doom skipper Maddon
The Los Angeles Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on Tuesday with the team mired in a 12-game losing streak.
General manager Perry Minasian recommended making the move to owner Arte Moreno, then drove to Maddon’s house to give him the news.
Third base coach Phil Nevin is the interim manager for the rest of the season, beginning Tuesday night when the Angels (27-29) hosted Boston.
Maddon, 68, went 130-148 with the Angels, who hired him before the coronavirus shortened 2020 season for his self-described dream job. Maddon spent three decades of his career as a player and coach for the Angels before going on to an impressive managerial career that has included three Manager of the Year awards.
After finishing with losing records in Maddon’s first two seasons, the Angels were off to a 27-17 start this year before their losing streak began. They are one loss shy of tying the longest skid in franchise history, and the slump has dropped them 81⁄2 games behind Houston for the AL West lead after being in first place on May 15.
The Angels were shut out 1-0 in Maddon’s final game by the Boston Red Sox and journeyman starter Michael Wacha, who threw a three-hitter against the Halos on Monday.
Los Angeles’ offense, which was among the majors’ best in the first six weeks, has scored 35 runs during its 12-game losing streak with a minus-43 run differential. The Halos’ pitching staff has devolved into the ineffectiveness that has plagued the franchise’s last several seasons, posting an AL-worst 6.31 ERA during the streak.
Moreno’s big-budget club has finished with six consecutive losing records in the longest active skid in the majors despite a roster with former AL MVPs Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Neither has won a playoff game.
The Angels’ seven-year playoff drought is tied for the third longest in baseball, yet they appeared to be well on their way to making the expanded field this fall before their confounding skid.
The streak forced a dismal end to what Maddon hoped would be a storybook conclusion to his career back in the Pennsylvania native’s adopted home in Orange County. The genial, talkative bench boss excelled as a manager for nine seasons in Tampa Bay and five with the Chicago Cubs, who ended their 108-year World Series championship drought during his tenure in 2016.
Maddon, who is 1,382-1,216 in parts of 19 seasons, is the second manager to be fired this season. Philadelphia’s Joe Girardi was dismissed last week, and the Phillies promptly swept the Angels.
Marlins 12, Nationals 2: Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice, including a grand slam, and had a career-high six RBIs as host Miami routed Washington. Nick Fortes and Jorge Soler also went deep, while Avisail Garcia had three hits for the Marlins. Rookie right-hander Edward Cabrera (2-0) allowed one run in six innings in his second start since being promoted from Triple-A last week.
Guardians 6, Rangers 3: Cal Quantrill stayed unbeaten at home, Owen Miller drove in two runs and Cleveland got back to .500 with a win over Texas in the first game of a raindelayed doubleheader. Miller hit a two-run single in the third off the Rangers’ Jon Gray (1-3).
Orioles 9, Cubs 3: Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini hit successive homers, sparking a power surge that carried host Baltimore past Chicago. Jorge Mateo, Austin Hays and Ramon Urias also connected for the Orioles.
Christopher Morel homered on the game’s first pitch off rookie Kyle Bradish and has reached base safely in 21 consecutive games to begin his career, extending his Cubs’ record. Morel also had an RBI triple.
Rays 4, Cardinals 2: Taylor Walls hit a three-run homer off Drew VerHagen in the bottom of the 10th inning as Tampa Bay beat St. Louis. The Cardinals had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the inning when Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice fly scored designated runner Tommy Edman.
Briefly: Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to make his season debut against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. The 33-year-old has been sidelined for most of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer and has not pitched since June 1, 2021 . ... Astros pitcher Hector Neris was suspended four games and Houston manager Dusty Baker was banned one game by Major League Baseball after both were ejected from a game Monday against Seattle in which Neris plunked one hitter and nearly hit another in the head . ... Reliever Brett Martin was placed on the COVID-19 list by the Texas Rangers . ... Rays minor league pitcher David Hess threw one inning for the rookie-level FCL Rays, his first game since undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his chest . ... The Braves acquired right-hander Jacob Webb from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations.