Josh Lowe's .184 Average Is So Bad, The Angels Benched Him. Your M's Just Blanked KC.

Alright, 12s, you gotta see this. While we were all busy celebrating our Mariners kicking butt and taking names, down in Anaheim, the Angels are already in full meltdown mode. Seriously, they just optioned struggling left fielder Josh Lowe to Triple-A Salt Lake and then, to really twist the knife, placed third baseman Yoán Moncada on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation. It's May, folks, and their team is cracking under the pressure. Unbelievable.

Lowe's Bat Went From Bad to Unplayable

Remember when the Angels thought Josh Lowe was gonna be a big deal? They grabbed him last winter in a three-team trade, hoping he'd bring that 2023 Rays magic where he put up a .292 average, .835 OPS, 20 homers, and 83 RBI. Yeah, about that. This guy was hitting a dismal .184 with a .546 OPS in 45 games, tallying only five homers, two doubles, and 14 RBI. And get this: 39 strikeouts to just six walks. That's a brutal ratio. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki even admitted, "It's definitely been a grind. We want him to take a step back, maybe take some pressure off of him, go down there, where there's not so much focus on success, and work on what he needs to work on. We expect him back soon." Look, we all know life hits hard. Lowe's mother, Wendy, tragically passed away from brain cancer in early March. That's absolutely heartbreaking, and it definitely had an impact, as he started the season batting a shocking .091 with a .423 OPS in his first 12 games. But even after that, his numbers stayed ugly. To top it off, he hit a two-run homer on Wednesday against the Athletics, only to commit two fielding errors in the same game, one of which cost them a run in an eventual 10-inning, 6-5 loss. You just can't make this stuff up.

Moncada's Defense Was Minus-5, Now He's Out

And as if Lowe wasn't enough drama, Yoán Moncada, their 30-year-old switch-hitter, also joined the MASH unit. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal last winter, and let's just say it hasn't paid off. Moncada's hitting .189 with a .605 OPS, three homers, one double, and 10 RBI in 41 games, with 45 strikeouts and 17 walks. But the real kicker? He's been a total liability on defense, committing two errors and racking up a minus-5 in outs above average. That's just rough to watch. To fill these gaping holes, the Angels called up infielder Donovan Walton and outfielder Wade Meckler from Salt Lake. Both were immediately thrown into the lineup against the Texas Rangers, with Meckler in left field and Walton at third base. Oh, and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who has shoulder inflammation, got transferred to the 60-day IL. Their rotation is gonna feel that.

Meanwhile, Your Mariners Are Winning!

While the Angels are scrambling, your Seattle Mariners are out here handling business! We just took down the Kansas City Royals with a clean 2-0 shutout victory. That's the kind of performance we love to see from our boys in the Emerald City. It's still early, but seeing our team grind out wins while other squads are already looking for answers, it just hits different, doesn't it? Get ready for the next one, Mariners faithful. Let's keep that momentum rolling!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.