The Los Angeles Angels, who have the worst record in the majors, are on the fast track toward their 11th consecutive losing season.
Los Angeles will look for a spark on Friday night when it turns to right-hander George Klassen (0-1, 11.57 ERA) in the opener of a three-game series against the host Miami Marlins. Klassen will be recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game.
Although his two starts with the Angels in April didn’t go well, the 24-year-old owns a 6-6 record with a 3.96 ERA in 19 starts with the Bees this season.
The Angels have an uncertain future, as they fired general manager Perry Minasian in June. First-year manager Kurt Suzuki still is in place, but his contract is set to expire at the end of this season.
But despite all of that, three-time American League MVP Mike Trout still is committed to the franchise that drafted him 25th overall in 2009.
“We’re not where we want to be,” said Trout, who has 18 homers and an .825 OPS this year. “But (selling at the trade deadline) I think helps our future, and we’ll see where it goes.”
This weekend’s series will serve as a homecoming for Angels shortstop Zach Neto, a Miami native who was a Marlins fan as a youth.
Neto has played in nine career games against the Marlins and has yet to hit a homer, batting .207 with a .626 OPS. In three games in Miami, Neto is hitting .333 with an .833 OPS.
On Thursday afternoon, Neto broke out of a 5-for-40 slump with his first homer since July 5, helping the Angels record a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He reached the 20-homer plateau for the third straight season.
This weekend also will mark the homecoming of Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who grew up in Boca Raton — about 90 minutes north of Miami. He was the Angels’ first-round pick in 2023 (No. 11 overall). He has played in six games against the Marlins, batting .267 with one homer, three RBIs and a .967 OPS.
Meanwhile, the Marlins are expected on Friday to start right-hander Tyler Phillips (3-5, 3.53 ERA), a former reliever who has never faced the Angels.
In 70 career games as a reliever, Phillips has a 2.45 ERA. In 20 games as a starter, he is at 5.60.
The Marlins made one significant move at the trade deadline this week, moving catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks to Tampa Bay.
Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said the emergence of rookie catcher Joe Mack enabled the trade.
“Joe Mack is a budding superstar,” Bendix said. “He’s going to catch as many games as he can handle for us. This (trade) was not a knock on Liam. It’s a compliment to Joe.”
With Hicks gone, Agustin Ramirez is getting another look as a backup catcher/designated hitter. As a rookie last year, Ramirez hit 21 homers with 67 RBIs and a .701 OPS in 136 games.
Ramirez, 24, was demoted to the minors this year, however. Now, he will get a chance to prove his value.
The Marlins enter Friday’s game having gotten swept in three games at Atlanta.
“We didn’t lead for an inning all series,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of his team, which was outscored 19-6. “They just beat us.”
–Field Level Media
