With every 96-mph fastball delivered with ease, Garrett Richards strengthened the Angels’ playoff dreams. With every 90-mph slider spun out of reach, Richards supplied hope. But the end came quick, and for the next week, until he’s back on a major league mound, that hope will have to suffice.
Richards desires to prove he can be depended on, and the Angels need Richards to reach their goals this year.
“When he’s right,” teammate Kole Calhoun said, “he’s a guy who is a frontline starter, a No. 1 for a lot of teams. To get a guy back like that who hopefully feels good and can definitely help us going forward is big.