Two games and two blowout losses led to a team meeting for the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
It’s not how they drew up the start to their 2024 season, but new manager Ron Washington called it a necessary measure after Saturday’s 13-4 road defeat to the Baltimore Orioles followed an 11-3 one in the team’s opener.
“Just wanted to let them know they’ve played only two games and we can’t get off track,” Washington told reporters. “Our focus is on a 162-game championship season. Not two games. The two games haven’t gone like we wanted, but we just got to make certain that we come to the ballpark ready to go.”
The 23 runs the Angels have allowed are the most through two games of a season in franchise history.
On Saturday, the Orioles scored nine runs in the sixth inning before their first out, leading the Angels to yank starter Griffin Canning and then reliever Luis Garcia before a third pitcher, Guillermo Zuniga, finally retired a batter.
“Until then we were in the ballgame, but we just lost in the sixth,” Washington said. “We just couldn’t stop them there. No matter who we brought in.”
Angels players said they had no problem with the early-season call for a team meeting from Washington, who’s in his first year managing the club.
“We all need to take a look at what we did tonight and learn from it, and then turn the page quickly,” outfielder Taylor Ward said, according to MLB.com. “I just think individually. Like there’s stuff that I did that I could do better. And I think everyone could probably say that, too. And we’ve got to learn from it. I think it’s great everything Wash has done so far.”
Added catcher Logan O’Hoppe: “We work too hard for that to happen. And it is two games and we have 160 left. So no one’s hitting the panic button. We’re not happy with it by any means. Just come and trust the process and work tomorrow.”