For the Angels' Postseason Hopes, the Schedule is Quickly Becoming a Problem

The clock is ticking! The Angels must win every game to get to the postseason.

With 51 games to play, the Angels have an uphill battle to reach the playoffs for the first time in Shohei Ohtani’s major league career. The likelihood of Ohtani leaving as a free agent after this season is great and is growing with every loss. 

The Angels have 55 wins and 56 losses. They are in fourth place in the American League Western Division, 8.5 games behind the first place Rangers. The Angels are only 5 games behind in the Wild Card race but have the Mariners, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Yankees to leapfrog over to earn the final spot.

Chasing one team is relatively easy. Whenever the team ahead loses and your team wins, your team gains a game in the standings. But having 4 teams lose on a given night and having the Angels win on the same night is impossible.

Most teams who reach the playoffs have at least 90 wins. To achieve this, the Angels need at least a .686 winning percentage for the rest of the season. Is it possible?

Yes.

Is it likely?

No!

The Angels (56-55) are now five games out of a Wild Card spot and would need to jump four teams in the final 51 games to make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/loAHrQ94eD

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 5, 2023

Mike Trout is still out. Ohtani has cramps when he pitches, and the Angels are debating whether he should skip a start.

Yes, the Angels acquired Lucas Giolito, C.J. Cron, and Randal Grichuk at the deadline. These players may help them to get to .500, but they won’t enable the Angels to win more than 2/3 of their remaining games.

It might be another lost season in Anaheim...