Mike Trout Says He's Been 'Grinding' To Break Out of Slump for Angels

The Los Angeles Angels saw their three-time MVP display how hard work pays off.

Despite the loss to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, Mike Trout fueled the team's two sole runs with a pair of monster dingers in a week where he has been struggling to get hits. No matter how many accolades one earns over a career in MLB, nobody is above hard work.

“Me and the hitting guys have been grinding,” Trout said. “It's nice some things finally clicked.”

In the last five games leading up to Saturday, Trout had just one hit and 11 strikeouts in 18 at-bats.

Saturday night, the MVP responded with two home runs and two RBIs in his four at-bats. He almost had a third in the ninth inning that would have tied the game in 15 other ballparks, but turned into a 384-foot fly-out instead.

“I knew I hit it off the end of the bat but I thought it had a chance,” Trout said. “It's tough early in the season, the marine layer comes in. I was just happy my swing tonight was a lot better than the last couple days.”

Trout knows that something seems to have clicked in his game, but also realizes that there is more to do to get the Halos back in the win column.

"I just have to get up there and get myself in a good position to hit and hit the ball hard. I felt like, especially on the road trip, the last few games I hit the ball hard but just right at people. That’s baseball.”

Not many people know this sport better than Trout, who has been in the majors since 2011, but if the captain can get his swing back, it may prove to be the catalyst to get the rest of his team rolling.

Another major source of energy for the Halos was the Friday night return of Zach Neto, who has been out since September nursing a shoulder injury. With the return of last season's most productive player, and the apparent reemergence of Trout, things may start to be looking up for the Angels.