Scioscia hopes Halos can fix defensive dip

ANAHEIM -- One of the most disappointing aspects of this Angels season is one that's gone relatively unnoticed, lost amid Josh Hamilton's slump and Joe Blanton's struggles and Albert Pujols' foot and the injuries to Sean Burnett and Ryan Madson:

The defense has inexplicably gone from great to awful.

Consider the numbers:

• The Angels rank 28th in the Majors in Defensive Runs Saved, after being second in that department in 2012.

• They're 21st in Ultimate Zone Rating, one season after having the second-best score in the sabermetric stat.

• They entered Monday tied with the Brewers for the Major League lead in errors, at 83.

• Their catchers have the 29th-lowest caught-stealing percentage.

Manager Mike Scioscia pointed out that despite all the errors, the Angels are pretty much average in terms of unearned runs allowed (they're tied for 11th in the Majors, with 37). The Angels skipper also said a lot of the team's errors have been in the outfield, on balls that have already fallen for hits, but added that double plays haven't been turned consistently, runners have picked up too many bases and the error count is egregious.

"There's a whole team defense component of our club that needs to be picked up," Scioscia said.