An Already Weak Los Angeles Angels Pitching Staff Just Got a Whole Lot Weaker

By Djack

The Angels missed ace Garrett Richards for most of last year and will now miss him for most of this year. After missing nearly an entire season due to a UCL tear, instead of just getting the surgery to repair it Richards opted to just try to rehab it back to full strength, which apparently he did, and then in his first start back he leaves with a bicep injury. Richards has gone down with a horrible knee injury, although that was just a freak thing, a torn UCL that he didn't have Tommy John surgery on, and now he has a strained bicep. Richards will miss two months of the season at the bare minimum, meaning they'll get him back right after the all-star break by my best guesstimation.

That wasn't the only pitcher they sent to the DL, Cam Bedrosian, a young closer for the Angels is also headed to the 10-day DL with a strained groin. He shouldn't miss too much time, although when injuries like this occur it's more likely to happen again, or effect something else. Keep an eye on Bedrosian now, a lot of time the injury bug bites a pitcher and then it's almost impossible to get rid off it. The Angels certainly can't afford to lose any arms in the bullpen, especially not their closer since he's  the best and most reliable arm they have. Cam Bedrosian is also new to this closer role, you don't want him losing the great rhythm he had going from his to start the season.

The Angels just can't seem to catch any breaks. Garrett Richards missed enough time last year, the fact he's going to miss a huge chunk of the season this year too is really discouraging. The part that really worries me is that his UCL isn't truly healed, so he could easily re-injure that, displacing him from the rotation for another two years. At which point you basically just have to call it quits on the guy. That guy is their ace and they have a lot riding on that ace, so they better pray he gets healthy and stays healthy. As for Bedrosian I really don't think this will be all that big of a deal, and he will hopefully be back in the closer role 10 days from now. Certainly not an easy time for Angels fans, just stick with it, and things will eventually turn around for you guys. You guys do have the best player in the world on your team, so it could be worse.