The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Trout, fighting through slump, to get a day off
>> Mike Trout snapped an 0-for-14 skid Sunday with a bloop single in the third inning of the Angels’ 9-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. It might not have been the convincing sort of slumpbuster he was hoping for, although the 360-foot flyout to deep right field in Trout’s next at-bat mustered some momentary majesty. It would have been a home run in Yankee Stadium, according to Statcast.
The overall trend line is distressing: Trout has seen his on-base plus slugging percentage fall from 1.020 on April 29 to .826. A 22-for113 (.195) stretch from May 7 until Sunday’s single lowered his batting average 50 points, to .252. Recently, Trout was dropped from second to third in the lineup.
For Trout, a bloop single felt as good as a 100-mph liner off the bat.
“It’s a start,” he said. “It’s so many times in this game where you line out to third or line out to short or just hit the ball hard and you get out. You’ve got to take the ones that just bloop in there.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin said he considered giving Trout the day off Sunday, but had second thoughts after looking ahead to the Angels’ forthcoming road trip to Texas and Kansas City.
“I’m not going to give it to him yet,” Nevin said. “I’m not going to play him four days on Astroturf.”
The Rangers’ home venue, Globe Life Park, utilizes a synthetic grass playing surface.
“I don’t want to play him three in a row, so game two or three, we’re looking ahead to that,” Nevin said. “(Trout) feels fine. Right now, some timing issues with his swing. It still feels good writing Mike Trout in the lineup. I’ve seen this before. When he breaks out he goes crazy. I know it’s coming.”
Case for Barría
Jaime Barría, who will start Tuesday’s game, is quietly making a case to make his first All-star Game appearance July 11 in Seattle.
Barría has a 2-2 record and a 1.85 ERA in 14 games (three starts) for the Angels. Take away his first game of the season, a mop-up relief appearance April 4 in Seattle, and Barría’s ERA falls to an eye-popping 1.02 across 36 1/3 innings.
“Since the middle of April, nobody’s got better numbers than Jaime Barría,” Nevin said. “It would be a pretty awesome clubhouse if that happened. That would be great.”
The challenge for Barría is twofold.
In Trout and Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have two superstars who are nearlocks to represent the American League at their respective positions. That decreases the likelihood of another Angel sneaking onto the roster. Nevin mentioned Carlos Estevez, who’s 17 for 17 in save opportunities, as another strong candidate.
But while Estevez has been entrenched as a closer since April, Barría switched roles in May. There is little precedent for a swingman making an All-star team.
Pitchers and reserves are determined via “Player Ballot” choices, and selections made by the Commissioner’s office. The complete All-star rosters will be announced July 2.
Also
The Angels optioned reliever Gerardo Reyes to Triple-a Salt Lake and recalled reliever Jimmy Herget. Reyes threw one inning and was charged with one earned run in his 2023 debut Saturday. … Left-hander Matt Moore (oblique) threw from flat ground for the second straight day. … Moore and right-hander Ben Joyce (right ulnar neuritis) will both travel with the Angels on their road trip, Nevin said. … Gio Urshela, who is dealing with a minor back injury, was not in the lineup for the second time in three games. … Matt Thaiss was removed after taking a foul tip off the inside of his kneecap in the third inning. He batted twice more before Chad Wallach replaced him at catcher.