"The Angels have relieved Joe Maddon of his duties" - Los Angeles Angels fire manager Joe Maddon after 12-game losing streak, interim manager appointed
The Los Angeles Angels announced this afternoon that manager Joe Maddon has been relieved of his duties. Maddon was in his third season as manager of the Angels. After a 27-17 start to their season, it appeared that Maddon may contend for Manager of the Year, but the team has now lost its last 12 games and are possibly out of the playoff picture.
The Angels have relieved Joe Maddon of his duties as Angels Manager today. https://t.co/oiyzSpQSxV
"The Angels have relieved Joe Maddon of his duties as Angels Manager today. Phil Nevin has been named Interim Manager." - @ Angels
Not only was Maddon released, but his replacement was also announced.
The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Joe Maddon in the midst of a 12-game losing streak.
"The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Joe Maddon in the midst of a 12-game losing streak." - @ Angels
Third Base Coach and former MLB player Phill Nevin has been named interim manager of the team for the remainder of the season.
Los Angeles Angels fire Joe Maddon: What it means going forward
The Los Angeles Angels have not made the postseason since 2014 and have arguably the most talented team since that season. After a 27-17 start, the Angels looked well on their way to a postseason appearance, especially when you factor in the expanded playoffs this season.
After a great start, the team has lost 12 straight games and the Boston Red Sox have now passed them for the last American League wild card spot. In the same 12-game span, the Red Sox have gone 8-4. The Angels have the talent to make a postseason trip, but for whatever reason, it seems the team has consistently underperformed the last few years.
The Angels have two of the best players in baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. They made multiple moves this offseason to improve the pitching staff by adding Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen. The season is still young, and there is hope for the Angels to turn things around, given the talent on the team. As of now, the Angels are 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the last Wild Card spot.
Angels fans deserve better than what they have had to go through the past eight seasons. Perhaps with a new voice in the clubhouse, the team will find a spark and deliver a long-awaited playoff berth.
What's on Tap?
The Angels continue their series later today against the Boston Red Sox. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. EDT. After the series with the Red Sox, the team travels to Seattle to take on the Mariners for a pivotal weekend series in the AL West. For more news and updates, go to the Sportskeeda Baseball page.