What We Learned from the Angels vs. Yankees Series

Apr 15, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout watches his two run home run against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. All MLB players are wearing number 42 today to honor Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

What We Learned from the Angels vs. Yankees Series

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Jeff Joiner | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 7:04 PM ET

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The Angels split a four game set in the Bronx that very easily could have been a sweep. Offense was on tap in every game but the pitching failed in two others.

Let's take a look at the key takeaways from the series.

Mike Trout is back to being Mike Trout

This really started in Spring Training when his sprint speed and batted ball profiles started to look like vintage Mike Trout. The Cactus League is not the regular season so it was understandable to temper expectations. Then on Opening Day Mike Trout reminded us all why we love him.

He absolutely destroyed the Yankees. Five home runs in four games is ridiculous yet his slash line is even more amazing: .400 batting average, .471 on base percentage, 1.467 slugging percentage, 1.938 OPS. Yes, Mike Trout was worth an average of 1.5 bases every time he stepped to the plate for an entire four game series.

Perry Minasian failed to create a bullpen...again.

Jordan Romano blew two games or the Angels would have swept the series. Jordan Romano should not be closing games. Pitchers don't usually improve at age 33 and his cumulative stats over the last 2 seasons are horrific: 56.1 innings, 7.83 ERA, 14 home runs allowed, ERA+ of 56.

In short, Romano is 44% worse than average and only a complete failure by the Angels GM left him as the closer on this team.

Yusei Kikuchi's new pitch simply is not working.

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A big reason the Angels lost the series opener is the fact Kikuchi was pulled in the 4th inning. Add that to bullpen mismanagement by Kurt Suzuki over the weekend and the Angels experienced a very Angels meltdown and blew one of Mike Trout's best games.

Kikuchi has been hit around this year. I took a look at why he is struggling and it is due to a new pitch and pitch mix. Trying new things in Yankee Stadium against that lineup is not wise. Let's see if he ditches the cutter or finds a way to make it useful soon.

Jack Kochanowicz is arriving.

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Not only did Romano ruin one of Mike Trout's best games, he blew Jack Kochanowicz best game of the year. After getting tagged by Aaron Judge in the first inning then giving up a 2 out, 2 run singe to Trent Grisham in the second inning Jack really settled down. He did not give up another run and lasted 6.2 innings.

In addition to pitching deeper into games, Kochanowicz is racking up more strikeouts than he has in the past. He added 6 yesterday. He recorded 7 in his start against Seattle on the 4th. He'll need more consistency but he is looking much better in 2026 than he did in 2025.

Oswald Peraza has some juice in his bat.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The kid had to love getting some payback against his old club. Last year the Yankees traded Peraza to the Angels for the MLB equivalent of a bag of peanuts. He torched his old club over this series, though.

How about a slash line of .462/.533/.923 with a dinger, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI? Peraza has been smoking the ball since midway through Spring Training and had the best series of his Angels career.

The offense can survive the loss of Jorge Soler for now.

Soler missed the last two games of the series and will miss the first two against the Padres. His suspension came when he was hot at the plate and will impact the Angels quite a bit. But when guys like Mike Trout are hot they can carry the team until the slugger gets back on Sunday.

Jo Adell hitting a grand slam today more than made up for the slack.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Angels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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