Opening Day couldn’t have gone much worse for the Angels, as backup infielder Nicky Lopez—known for his slick fielding rather than his pitching—ended up making his team debut on the mound in an 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the worst team in baseball last season.
Position players pitching in blowouts has become more common, but seeing it happen on Opening Day drew plenty of mockery. For an Angels team hoping to rebound from a franchise-worst 63-99 record in 2024, it was a symbolic start that suggested more of the same struggles.
As social media had its fun with Lopez’s (successful) pitching cameo, it was just the final oddity in a string of questionable decisions from manager Ron Washington.
Angels’ Lineup and Bullpen Decisions Raise Eyebrows
Washington’s Opening Day lineup was an unusual mix of traditional baseball strategy and modern analytics. The results? Just five hits in 32 at-bats, two walks, and an overall ineffective offensive showing.
Analytics suggest that a team’s best hitters should be placed near the top of the lineup, particularly in the No. 2 spot. That logic would suggest future Hall of Famer Mike Trout should bat second. Instead, Washington slotted lefty Nolan Schanuel into that spot between leadoff hitter Taylor Ward and Trout at No. 3.
It appeared Washington was applying an outdated philosophy of placing a contact-oriented situational hitter second while also breaking up consecutive right-handed bats. However, that approach wasn’t consistently applied throughout the lineup.
Following the top three of Ward, Schanuel, and Trout, the order featured slugger Jorge Soler in the cleanup spot, followed by Tim Anderson, Luis Rengifo, Logan O’Hoppe, Jo Adell, and Kevin Newman. Notably, spots three through five were occupied by consecutive right-handed hitters—contradicting the logic behind breaking up righties earlier in the order.
With a puzzling lineup construction and unconventional bullpen decisions already in the spotlight, the Angels’ season is off to a head-scratching start.
Adding to the confusion, Tim Anderson—who posted a dreadful 27 wRC+ last season—was slotted fifth in the lineup ahead of switch-hitter Luis Rengifo, who hit .300 with a 117 wRC+ in 2024, and emerging star Logan O’Hoppe, who provided the team’s only offense in the game.
Neither traditional baseball logic nor modern analytics justified Anderson’s high placement when clearly better hitters were pushed lower in the order. If Washington was concerned about balancing righties and lefties, elevating Rengifo would have helped, while moving O’Hoppe up would have ensured more at-bats for one of their best hitters.
Questionable Bullpen Decisions
Before Lopez took the mound, Washington’s bullpen management was equally perplexing. Despite some minor blemishes, Yusei Kikuchi exited after six innings with the Angels still within reach, down just 3-0.
Rather than turning to an experienced arm, Washington called on Ryan Johnson—making his major league debut with no minor league experience—for the seventh inning. While Johnson handled it well with a 1-2-3 frame, he was sent back out for the eighth, where he unraveled, allowing five runs.
If the goal was to preserve the bullpen, using Johnson in that spot made little sense. The Angels had two former starters, Reid Detmers and Ian Anderson, in the bullpen—both of whom are accustomed to pitching multiple innings. Either would have been a more logical choice to limit damage while keeping the team in the game.
Washington’s Impact on the Loss
While some struggles—like Jorge Soler striking out on a full count with the bases loaded, underscoring the Angels’ 0-for-6 performance with runners in scoring position—weren’t on Washington, he still failed to put his team in the best position to win.
Nicky Lopez pitching may have been the defining meme of Opening Day, but it was Washington’s inconsistent and puzzling decisions that truly doomed the Angels. If they hope to compete in 2025, those missteps must be addressed.
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