Angels News: Halos Hit New Low in Latest Power Rankings

Is this rock bottom for the Angels?

It wasn't that long ago that the Los Angeles Angels were suddenly winning and looking like a team that could contend for at least an AL Wild Card spot and maybe even a division title in a deep AL West.

Things were clicking for the Halos.

The team was getting healthy, a previously maligned pitching staff was exceeding preseason expectations, and the lineup was helping to rack up the wins as part of an 11-3 run over a couple weeks in June.

Then the calendar flipped to July and the bottom fell out.

A 1-9 stretch before the All Star break and an injury to superstar centerfielder Mike Trout that could keep him out through August put a damper on the rare highs that the Halos were riding.

Now the goal has changed from trying to grab a division title to break their nine year playoff drought, to just trying to get things back in order before any path to the playoffs goes out the door.

The Angels' nightmarish stretch led to them dropping to a season low No. 21 in Bleacher Report's latest MLB power rankings, and Joel Rueter didn't pull punches in his explanation of why.

With a 1-9 record in their last 10 games to close out the first half, the Angels entered the break at their lowest spot in the ranking all season. Missing the postseason for the 13th time in the last 14 years would likely be the final nail in the coffin to losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency, and they open the second half against a Houston Astros team that leads their season series 5-2 with a plus-10 run differential.

As things stand, the Angels are seven games out of first in the division race and five games back as far as the last AL Wild Card spot is concerned.

Neither of those deficits are insurmountable, but given the Angels' free fall and injuries, it'll be a difficult road back for the Halos after losing so much ground, a loss of that cherished momentum that could prove costly come September.