Angels' power problem runs deep

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When the Los Angeles Angels added Albert Pujols and welcomed Kendrys Morales back to their lineup, they figured they could hang with the best of them when it came to hitting home runs. And through the first 16 games, they have hung with the best.

They're leading Matt Kemp by two home runs.

Gary A. Vasquez/US PresswireAlbert Pujols has now had 65 at-bats without going deep, the longest homerless streak to open a season in his career.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' center fielder has hit nine and the 14 position players on the Angels have combined for 11.

Pujols, zero.

Torii Hunter, zero.

Morales, one.

That's a grand total of one home run from the Angels' No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters, three guys who have combined for 784 career homers. The Angels' power problem is more systemic than just zeroing in on a few spots in the lineup, however. Starting Sunday's game, seven of the nine Angels batters had hit either zero or one home run. One of those, hit by Peter Bourjos, was inside the park.

So, after 16 games, the Angels have hit 10 balls over a fence. Only five teams in the majors, and none in the American League, have hit fewer. If the Angels are looking for the most efficient way to fix this sluggish start, they could start with muscling up a bit more. The rotation is not only good, but has shown signs of turning an early corner. The bullpen might be better at protecting leads if they weren't all so slim.

But it's so much easier said than done. When most hitters try to go deep, it only puts them in a deeper funk, a negative feedback loop that can compound the very problem they're trying to fix. And Hunter, Morales and Pujols all are line-drive hitters whose home runs are a product of good at-bats rather than massive swings. They're not classic power hitters willing to strike out 150 times or more in order to hit 45 home runs.

So one of the Angels' biggest early deficiencies happens to be practically a taboo topic.

"Listen, my goal is to try to have quality at-bats and that's what I'm going to try to do every day," Pujols said.

"The power's going to come. We know that. That just has to be one small part of a consistent offense," manager Mike Scioscia said.

"You just keep swinging and it'll happen," Hunter said. "When they happen, they come in spurts. You can't try to hit a home run."

Pujols has now had 65 at-bats without going deep, the longest homerless streak to open a season in his career, but not his longest power outage. He went a month, from April 24 to May 23 last year, without hitting a home run, a stretch of 105 at-bats. A year ago, people wondered whether impending free agency and the fear of the unknown was bothering him. Now, they wonder if the pressure of a $240 million contract is the problem.

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The more worrisome thought for the Angels, who have him signed through 2021, would be that his bat speed isn't what it used to be. Pujols, 32, hit 47 home runs in 2009, 42 in 2010 and 37 in 2011. His RBIs have declined in a similar pattern and, thus far, he has driven in only four runs.

The trends certainly aren't in the Angels' favor. They're even starker in the case of Hunter, 36, who didn't hit a home run all of spring training. Combine those at-bats with the start of this season and Hunter has started 2012 with 117 at-bats without a home run. Pujols has a team-high seven doubles; Hunter has four and two of them were the result of hustle when an outfielder was slow to retrieve the ball.

"I'm not a home run hitter anyway, I'm a doubles guy and then I occasionally get you," Hunter said.

Those are all the reasons to worry. Here's a good reason not to: The Angels have played 10 home games, tied for most in the American League. Angel Stadium is one of the more difficult stadiums to hit a home run out of, particularly in April when the air is still cool and heavy. Only Marlins Park in Miami and AT&T Park in San Francisco have had fewer home runs per game than Angel Stadium thus far.

Starting Tuesday, they play their next six games in Tampa and Cleveland, both more hitter-friendly than their home ballpark. Seven of the Angels' home runs have come in six road games as opposed to four in 10 at home.

Things tend to even out over the six-month march of a baseball season and track records suggest this power drought can't continue for long. But every day that it does will send the Angels scurrying to fix the ignition, the glove box and the air conditioning while the engine remains stalled.

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Mark Saxon

ESPNLosAngeles.com

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Mark Saxon is a staff writer for ESPNLosAngeles.com. He spent six years at the Orange County Register, and began his career at the Oakland Tribune, where he started an 11-year journey covering Major League Baseball. He has also covered colleges, including USC football and UCLA basketball.