Angels searching for their footing amid recent stretch

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- It’s no secret that the last two weeks have been incredibly difficult for the Angels, who have lost 13 of their last 15 games.

General manager Perry Minasian spoke with reporters for the first time in more than a month before Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Mets and remained optimistic despite the club’s recent struggles. The starting pitching has more than held its own, even during this rough patch, while the offense has gone hot and cold and the bullpen has been a major issue.

With that in mind, here are five observations on the Angels (13-23) as they try to get things back on track:

Neto could use a break

Shortstop Zach Neto led the Angels in Wins Above Replacement in each of the last two seasons but has been scuffling at the plate, recently mired in an 0-for-22 funk with 13 strikeouts over that stretch.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he’s considered giving Neto a day off but values his defense and believes he can impact the game even when he’s not hitting.

Neto also prides himself on being in the lineup every day, which also makes it more difficult to give him a breather. But even if it’s just one day like Wednesday’s day game ahead of an off-day, it would make sense to give him a mental reset.

Lowe needs to get it going

Left fielder Josh Lowe has struggled offensively this season, hitting .154/.204/.297 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 32 games. Suzuki said Monday that he still likes the way Lowe has been swinging the bat despite his lack of production and that’ll he’s expected to get more run in left field.

But at some point, the Angels should consider using a combination of the left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier and right-handed-hitting Bryce Teodosio in left field. Lowe, acquired in a three-way trade with the Rays in the offseason, still has a Minor League option remaining so he could be sent to Triple-A Salt Lake if he can’t get on track in the Majors.

Grissom/Peraza should get more playing time

The Angels have mostly used Yoán Moncada as their primary third baseman with Frazier at second base. But Moncada, 30, is hitting .176/.306/.30 with three homers and nine RBIs in 32 games. Frazier, 34, has been solid, but if he plays more left field, it could open a scenario where Oswald Peraza starts at third and Vaughn Grissom starts at second.

Peraza, 25, has slashed.280/.343/.462 in 33 games while Grissom, 25, has hit .298/.375/.447 in 16 games. They’ve mostly started against lefties but both were in the lineup against right-handers on Saturday and Sunday. The Angels should consider shaking things up and giving them more opportunities.

Help is on the way

The Angels have four pitchers rehabbing at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga with Alek Manoah, Ryan Johnson, Ben Joyce and Kirby Yates all seeing action over the weekend. Of that group, Johnson and Joyce seem the most likely to return soon and make an immediate impact.

Johnson struck out seven over 3 1/3 innings on Sunday and is likely to make another start but could rejoin the rotation after that. The rotation has been a pleasant surprise this year but lefty Yusei Kikuchi is on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation and could miss significant time while rookie Walbert Ureña is the fifth starter.

Joyce touched 103 mph in his second rehab appearance on Saturday, although he’s also likely to need a few more outings before he’s activated to join the bullpen. Manoah and Yates, however, need to build up their velocity as they both sat at around 90 mph on Saturday.

Trout, Soriano have been among the game’s best

While it’s been a tough start for the team record-wise, superstar Mike Trout looks like his three-time AL MVP self while right-hander José Soriano is off to a historic start on the mound.

It would be really cool to see Trout get named an All-Star for the 12th time, especially because it’s in Philadelphia this year and he grew up in nearby Millville, N.J. Soriano is also making a strong case to be an All-Star for the first time and just picked up his first career AL Pitcher of the Month honor for March/April. It’s also big for the organization going forward, as Trout remains under contract through 2030 and Soriano is under team control through ’28.