Phillies vs. Angels: What you should know about the series

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 31: Odubel Herrera /

I apologize for missing the Atlanta series, but what an incredible four games. The Phillies hit the ball, pitched it well, and played what seems like their best baseball of the season. Now, they enter a difficult West Coast swing that opens in Anaheim, California. If they can continue to play winning baseball, perhaps they will catch the attention of the city that has cast them off as misfits.

I am truly convinced that Jose Altuve is superhuman. Good luck convincing me otherwise. Not only did Altuve just miss hitting .500 for the entire month of July, he simply dominated the series against the Phillies. He was 7-12 with a walk, three RBI, four runs, and four extra basehits. The Phils were able to strike him out twice, which seems like a slight miracle. I am glad he does not come to town very often.

Phils Grade: F

Mike Fiers seems to be the pitcher who awoke the Phillies bats from their collective slumbers. While the Phillies could not hit Houston starters in the first two games, they had much more luck with Fiers. Phils hitting knocked the right-hander out of the game after four short innings. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks. Oddly enough, he struck out seven in his four innings, but could not overcome his 102 pitches. The Phils would take the game 9-0 and salvage the series.

Phils Grade: D

The Team: Anaheim Angels

The Anaheim Angels are a team sitting just barely under .500 (51-55) and in fourth place. In the far off distance, the Houston Astros continue to run away with the division. I really did not expect the Astros to be anywhere near .500 when the season began, but here they sit.

The Angels offense is not a very exciting one outside of the obvious. They come in just ahead of the Phillies in runs scored with 442 (4.1 per game). Their team .700 OPS is worst in the American League and 29^th in baseball. It is also being pulled up by the efforts of Mike Trout’s individual 1.134 OPS. The Angels have hit 113 homers, which is 13^th in the AL and rank dead last in baseball with 280 extra basehits.

Team pitching seems to be their strength and what is keeping them afloat to this point. They rank in the middle of baseball when it comes to most of the major stats, but two stood out to me. The Angels are in the top ten in baseball in walks allowed and WHIP against them. The two are obviously aligned in some capacity, but it says that they do not put themselves into difficult positions very often.

The Phillies offense will be challenged this week, but it seems as though the pitching staff may be able to continue the hot streak they have been on as of late.

ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim returns to the dugout after flying out during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 1, 2017 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

The Position Player: Mike Trout

There will be no arguments. There will be no questions. If you have disagreed with me on every singly piece I have written this season, it will not happen on this specific slide. It would be a complete joke if I decided to pick anyone except Mike Trout here.

Yes, Andrelton Simmons is leading the team in hits and OBP. Sure, future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols is on the roster and has knocked in a team-high 63 runs to this point. Trout is just that presence that should terrify everyone and he was hurt for a piece of the season, which is why he does not dominate Anaheim’s stats.

In his 217 at bats this season, Trout has been as good as advertised. He is currently the team’s leader with 19 homers and has a ridiculous 1.134 OPS. He has 46 walks in comparison to his 55 strikeouts and has not slowed down at all since the All-Star break.

Over the last week, Trout is hitting .360 and has five walks, three RBI, and four runs. He is not necessarily coming into this series cold.

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Trout carries with him a career 95 homers and .971 OPS at home into the week. He can hit in any count, but if a pitcher falls behind in any way, he becomes incredibly dangerous. In every count in which a batter is considered ahead, Trout has an average of over .400, but more importantly, an OBP of well over .400 as well.

The good news is that he has never faced any of the three pitchers he will be facing this week. Aaron Nola, who has been absolutely fantastic recently, Jake Thompson, and Jerad Eickhoff will be introduced to the perennial MVP candidate soon enough.

It looks as though climbing the ladder on Trout is possibly the only way to get him out at this point. He has success with fastballs down in the zone, but has struggled when pitchers raise the ball on him. Trout is a true low-ball hitter, so the Phillies are going to want to make sure they keep the ball above the waste.

As I said, the Angels are a fairly boring offense, but if pitchers are not careful with Trout, there will definitely be some fireworks.

ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 23: Parker Bridwell /

The Pitcher: Parker Bridwell

Whether it is because of the East Coast bias or simply because he is new to the scene, I have never heard of Parker Bridwell until I sat down to write this article. However, it is hard to ignore a pitcher when his team has won eight of the nine games in which he has appeared.

The 25-year-old became a full-time starter for Anaheim this season. Since June 25, Bridwell has not thrown less than six innings and has allowed more than two earned runs only one time.

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Schedule