
In the middle of May, the playoff-deprived Los Angeles Angels were 11 games over the .500 mark, and in possession of one of the American League's three wild-card spots. But their early-season achievements haven't been welcomed by the month of June. The Angels' shutout loss to the visiting Boston Red Sox on Monday extended their losing skid to 12 games -- the longest in the majors this season. The team is now 27-29 overall, and outside of the playoff picture.
To make matters worse, Angels superstar outfielder Mike Trout is mired in the worst slump of his illustrious career. Although he reached base twice against Boston on Monday, he entered the game in a stunning 0-for-26 hole, and his previous worst slide was 21 at-bats. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, Los Angeles has a 30-percent chance to reach the postseason, and just two weeks ago, it was 72-percent. Trout hasn't seen the AL playoffs since 2014.
"If they're going to [right the ship], they've got to do it now... And they're in a world of hurt right now," MLB Network host and reporter Alanna Rizzo told the Reiter Than You show on Tuesday. "And I think this team has always been built on hitting. And if you look over the course of time and championship teams -- and I know it's very cliche -- it always comes down to pitching and defense... You don't have enough depth. Not only in the pitching staff, but in the lineup.
"You don't have enough depth. And they're one massive injury away from not being able to do anything... They're in a world of hurt. And I never want to see anybody lose their job, but I don't know how long Joe Maddon is going to be there. Because you can't tell your fanbase this is okay... They were built to win this year, if they were going to win it all, and the Astros aren't going anywhere. If they're going to make it happen, they better change it, really quickly."
The entire baseball conversation between Rizzo and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.