[TribeTown]

One Week In: Angels Show Flashes of Promise, but Bullpen Woes and Trout's Slow Start Lead to 2-5 Opening Stretch

Seven games are far too few to define a season. They are enough, however, to reveal early strengths, expose weaknesses, and begin shaping the questions that will follow a club through April. For the Angels, the opening week of the Andy Cardinal era produced a little of everything.There were encouraging debuts, emerging young hitters, plenty of power, and signs that the offseason overhaul may eventually pay dividends. There were also late-inning collapses, inconsistent pitching behind the starters, and an uncharacteristically quiet Mike Trout. The result was a 2-5 start that leaves Los Angeles searching for momentum as the season enters its second week.

Opening Day ends in heartbreak
The season began exactly as the Angels hoped. Reid Detmers matched one of the American League's premier young pitchers nearly pitch for pitch on Opening Day in Houston. Detmers limited the Astros to one run over five solid innings, while Hunter Brown was even sharper, allowing only one run over 6⅓ innings as the game evolved into a classic pitchers' duel.

The score remained tied entering the bottom of the ninth before Robert Stephenson took the mound.Two batters later, Lane Thomas ended the afternoon. Thomas drove a two-run home run into the seats, giving Houston a dramatic 3-1 walk-off victory and handing the Angels a painful loss despite an outstanding effort from their pitching staff.

Offensive breakout salvages one game in Houston
The offense responded the following night. George Valera and Jorge Soler both homered as the Angels outslugged Houston 8-6 for their first victory of the season.

The Astros received an extraordinary performance from catcher Yainer DÃ*az, who collected five hits in six at-bats, but Los Angeles answered with timely power throughout the evening.

The biggest swing belonged to Soler. With the game tied in the eighth inning, the veteran designated hitter launched a three-run homer that proved to be the decisive blow, continuing what has quickly become one of baseball's hottest starts.

Schmidt impresses despite another loss
One of the brightest developments of the opening week came in Clarke Schmidt's Angels debut. Acquired from the Yankees during the offseason, Schmidt looked every bit the reliable starter the front office envisioned. He allowed just one run on four hits over six innings while striking out nine Astros. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, his effort went largely unrewarded.

Christian Javier and two Houston relievers held the Angels' offense in check before the Astros erupted against the bullpen, scoring six runs over the final two innings to turn a close game into a lopsided victory.

Astros claim the series
Houston closed out the opening series with a convincing 9-3 victory. The Astros scored three runs in the opening inning and never relinquished control, handing the Angels their third loss in four games. The lone bright spot came from Angel MartÃ*nez, who connected for his first home run in an Angels uniform.

Wells delivers in Chicago
The Angels finally found another victory in the opener of their series at Wrigley Field. Locked in a 2-2 game entering the seventh inning, Austin Wells delivered his biggest hit since arriving from New York, ripping a two-run double that gave Los Angeles a lead it would not surrender in a 6-2 victory. José Fermin earned the win with effective relief work, improving to 2-0 and providing one of the few bright spots from an inconsistent bullpen.

Cubs win final two
The optimism proved short-lived. Chicago jumped on Reid Detmers early in Game 6, chasing the left-hander after 3⅓ innings and six earned runs. Alex Bregman provided the Angels' lone highlight with his first home run since signing as a free agent, but Los Angeles never seriously threatened.

The Cubs completed the series victory on April 1, defeating the Angels 5-3 and sending Los Angeles home with a 2-5 record.

Early trends: Encouraging...
The offense has not lacked power.

No player has made a stronger impression than Jorge Soler, who already has four home runs and nine RBIs through seven games.

Angel MartÃ*nez has also emerged as one of the season's earliest surprises. Entering the second week, he is batting .381 while showing the versatility that made him such an attractive acquisition from Cleveland.

Zach Neto has continued where he left off last season, providing quality at-bats.

Perhaps equally encouraging has been the performance of Clarke Schmidt, whose Angels debut suggested he could become a significant addition to the middle of the rotation.

...and concerning
The bullpen has been the club's biggest weakness. Late-inning leads have disappeared, close games have become comfortable losses, and the relief corps has repeatedly failed to capitalize on strong starts from the rotation. Through one week, it remains the roster's most pressing concern.

Then there is Mike Trout. Baseball seasons are notorious for producing small-sample oddities, and few players are likely to remain quiet for long. Still, Trout's opening week has been unusually slow. Through seven games, the franchise cornerstone has managed just one hit and has yet to drive in a run.

No one inside the organization is likely to panic over one week from one of baseball's greatest hitters. But if the Angels hope to climb back toward .500, they'll need Trout to resemble himself sooner rather than later.

The bottom line
A week into the season, the Angels resemble a team still discovering exactly what it is. The rotation has shown promise. The offense has displayed legitimate power. Several offseason acquisitions—including Valera, Wells, MartÃ*nez and Schmidt—have already made positive impressions. But until the bullpen becomes more reliable and the lineup receives more production from Trout, the club will struggle to consistently turn competitive games into victories.

Seven games have produced more questions than answers. Fortunately for the Angels, there are still 155 games left to answer them.