Jacob deGrom Gave Up Four Homers, And That's *Still* Not The Angels' Biggest Problem Right Now

Alright, fam, you gotta see what's happening down south with the Angels. This squad is in an absolute freefall, and honestly, it’s getting hard to watch. They just dropped their third straight game, losing 3-2 in 10 innings to the Athletics on Thursday night, making it nine losses in their last 10 games. Manager Kurt Suzuki isn't sugarcoating it, straight up saying, "We just need to find ways to score runs. That's all." And man, is he right, because this team is averaging a measly 2.9 runs and batting a brutal .217 over their last 30 outings.

The Wheels Have Come Off, and They Can't Find 'Em

The Angels are rocking the worst record in the entire league at 17-34. Think about that for a second. Worst in the majors! Suzuki says his guys still have a good attitude, that "They believe," and that Mike Trout and all the dudes are in the dugout rooting each other on. But the brutal truth is, as he put it, "we're just not (putting up runs)." It's not for lack of effort, but when you only scrape together five hits in a 10-inning game, you know the offensive woes are real. They're stuck in a brutal 6-24 stretch, and every game feels like another gut punch.

The Big Guns Are Coming to Town

And guess what? It's not getting any easier. Tonight, they kick off a three-game set against the Texas Rangers, and who's on the bump for Texas? None other than two-time Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom. The dude is 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA, and even though he's coming off a 4-1 loss to Houston last Saturday where he coughed up four solo homers in six innings, he's still Jacob freaking deGrom. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, and Zach Cole were the guys who got him, but as Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said, "Solo home runs shouldn't beat us." DeGrom himself admitted he was "fighting myself to throw the ball where I wanted to." So yeah, he had an off night by his standards, but you know he's gonna be locked in. He's 1-2 with a 3.76 ERA in five career starts against the Angels, including going 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in three starts against them last season, so maybe there's a glimmer of hope?

Grayson Rodriguez's Long Road Back to the Mound

For the Angels, they're sending out Grayson Rodriguez, a guy with a completely different story, to face deGrom. Rodriguez is sitting at 0-1 with a truly eye-popping 17.18 ERA. He was traded from the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason for Taylor Ward, and his last start, a 10-1 shellacking by the Dodgers, was his first since way back on July 31, 2024. He got rocked for seven runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3 2/3 innings, even though he struck out four and hit 99 mph. Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages had two-run singles in a five-run fourth inning that sent him to the showers early. This kid has been through it, too, missing the second half of 2024 with a lat injury and all of 2025 with lat, shoulder, and elbow issues, including surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. He even started this season on the IL with shoulder soreness. He told reporters, "With rehab and stuff, there were a lot of dark days, so today was special for me just to be able to take the mound on a big-league field." You gotta feel for the guy, but facing deGrom and a team that wants to win? This is gonna be a tough one. He’s 1-1 with a 7.53 ERA in three career starts against Texas. Tonight's game is gonna be a test of character for the Angels, especially with Rodriguez on the mound. Can they scratch across some runs against a likely fired-up deGrom? Can Rodriguez find his rhythm after such a brutal road back? It’s going to be a battle, and man, you know we'll be watching to see if they can find that spark.

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