July 14, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners in the eighth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Angels will host the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif. Both teams are out of the playoff race, but both have players trying to make their mark and prove they belong in the major leagues.
That’s been the case for a while for Jo Adell, who is expected to start Thursday in right field for the Angels. Adell has had an up-and-down career, mostly down, but he showed signs this season that he could be a first-round pick in 2017.
Adell, who went 0 for 4 in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners, is hitting just .194 and hasn’t hit over .200 since June 4. However, he leads the team in homers (15) and RBIs (46). His strikeout rate is too high — he’s struck out 33.4 percent of the time in his career — but he’s cut it to 29.5 percent this season.
What might be surprising is that Adell is hitting well in critical situations. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting .286 (20 of 70) with an .839 OPS this season. And more recently, he’s hitting .321 (9 of 28) with an .875 OPS over the last nine games.
“It’s a good thing,” Adell said. “I really slow down when I get in those situations. That ‘less is more’ mentality really helps me pitch and not miss. The home run isn’t always the answer, and I think that’s kind of summed up my last 10 games.”
Angels manager Ron Washington said he was pleased with Adell’s progress.
“It’s getting better every day,” Washington said. “And he’s getting the opportunity to perform in those situations, and he’s learning how to handle them. … He’s growing.”
Left-hander Kenny Rosenberg (0-0, 6.30 ERA) will make his first start of the season (third appearance) for the Angels. He is 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 14 starts for Triple-A Salt Lake.
Rosenberg has made two relief appearances against Oakland in his career, allowing just one run in nine innings.
Right-hander Ross Stripling (1-9, 5.82 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for the A’s. He is 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 10 career games (six starts) against the Angels.
Despite Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Houston Astros, the A’s have won five of their last seven games. And they’ve been led by outfielder Lawrence Butler, currently the major league’s leading hitter.
Butler, who went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk Wednesday, is hitting .500 (16 for 32) with 10 extra-base hits in his last seven games. In July, he is hitting .413 (26 for 63) with eight homers, 24 RBIs and a 1.408 OPS.
“I think this is probably one of the best stretches in baseball right now,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “He might be on the verge of a July type of thing that can be recognized as well. … This kid just has momentum right now. This is the type of baseball I thought he was capable of playing. Now we’re starting to see it every day.”
–Field level media
