Mike Trout on Sunday had a batting average of .000, “Trout” and a string of zeroes rarely appearing in the same sentence.
Of course, that was over only a single game, a sample size comically small but also fully representative on a day of lost chances and a lost game, the Angels falling to Minnesota 7-5.
“Mike’s never that far off,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Occasionally, you’re going to have some stretches where hits aren’t falling in.”
Before Sunday, he was batting .317 this season under such circumstances, with a 1.037 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
So Trout stranding eight runners as the team was three for 15 with men in scoring position was the sort of development the Angels aren’t used to seeing.