It’s not often that you can look at a matchup and conclude that the Angels are clearly the superior club, but that’s precisely how things seemed coming into this past weekend’s series against the Miami Marlins. In addition to being on a winning run, the Angels were, theoretically, a far superior club versus the Miami Marlins.
As all good things must come to an end, the Halos won game one of the series, extending their winning streak to eight games in a row. The series ended on Saturday, but Sunday’s finale should have given the Angels a chance to bounce back and win a third straight series before the New York Yankees, who are a formidable team, visit town on Memorial Day.
Instead, the club was blanked by a score of 3-0, fanning 15 times in total, including 10 times against Miami starter Edward Cabrera. Another patented Ron Washington brain scratcher was at the center of the offensive no-show.
Ron Washington’s head-scratching lineup decision in shutout against the Marlins is nothing new for the Angels in 2025
Although Zach Neto would later be used as a pinch hitter, Washington had made the decision to give the standout shortstop a well-earned day off on Sunday. That shouldn’t cause too many concerns on its own.
But Tim Anderson, who replaced him in the order, also took Neto’s usual leadoff position. Yes, that Tim Anderson, who had a 2025 OPS of.499 and was cut by the same wretched Marlins last season due to his vile batting performance, was selected to bat leadoff.
Although Zach Neto would later be used as a pinch hitter, Washington had made the decision to give the standout shortstop a well-earned day off on Sunday. That shouldn’t cause too many concerns on its own.
But Tim Anderson, who replaced him in the order, also took Neto’s usual leadoff position. Yes, that Tim Anderson, who had a 2025 OPS of.499 and was cut by the same wretched Marlins last season due to his vile batting performance, was selected to bat leadoff.
Regretfully, this is only one of many perplexing judgments made by Ron Washington. On his first day, he batted Anderson fifth in the lineup and also struck out rookie Ryan Johnson, a pitcher who had never pitched professionally before, for a second inning before he collapsed, forcing Washington to use now-departed utility infielder Nicky Lopez to end the game.
On April 30, Washington sent two pitchers to the mound simultaneously for no apparent reason, which was the season’s low point. Many people thought Washington was already under pressure early in the season.
The Angels probably won’t alter their management, although teams like the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates have already done it. Washington is one of the most popular and recognized managers in the world, but they haven’t descended to the same levels of hopelessness as those two teams in 2025.
Having said that, his standing with the company will become increasingly hazy as long as these missteps and gaffes persist. The more he makes decisions that make no baseball sense, the more probable it is that the Angels will not pick up the experienced manager’s option at the conclusion of the season, allowing them to move on.
