There are only three things you have to do in baseball: catch the ball, throw the ball, and hit the ball.
Right now, the Los Angeles Angels are struggling to do any of those.
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Angels have made the fourth most errors in the American League (30 in 44 games, including four at the catching position), leading to 19 unearned runs.
Which hasn’t done anything to help a beleaguered pitching staff that has no problem giving up runs on its own.
Angels hurlers are riding neck-and-neck with the Boston Red Sox for the worst team ERA in the league, while L.A.’s bullpen is by far the worst in that category at 5.42.
As a whole, the team has given up the most doubles, the most triples, the most home runs, the second most walks, and the second highest batting average against.
And as for hitting the ball, a nearly identical lineup to the one that set franchise records for batting average and runs scored in 2009 is maddeningly inconsistent here in 2010.
The Angels currently sit in the bottom half of league with a .249 team average and just 185 runs scored. They are also last in triples with only one, although they reside in the fifth spot in the AL with 79 doubles and 43 home runs.
Catching the ball has not been easy, throwing the ball has been a disaster, and hitting the ball hasn’t been enough to make up for the first two areas of concern.
With all of that in mind, here are the top five changes the Angels must make if they want to stay competitive in the American League West.