Angels pitcher Dane De La Rosa kisses his wife Katie before making his 2013 debut against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday. (Associated Press)

This afternoon, Mike Scioscia bristled at the notion that he and reliever Sean Burnett were not on the same page about the non-blister on Burnett’s pitching hand Tuesday. After the game, an 11-5 loss to the Oakland A’s, the Angels did something that teams do when they need to get on the same page. They held a team meeting.

From the outside, it’s easy to misconstrue team meetings as a red flag or a panic button. To the players inside a clubhouse, they’re typically constructive. So it was no surprise that Albert Pujols left Wednesday in what seemed to be an upbeat mood.

“We’re having a good time,” Pujols said. “We’re having fun. We’re talking about eight games.”

The Angels are 2-6 for the second time in the last four seasons. That’s only four games under .500, which is an easy hole to climb out of in a 162-game season — even if the American League West standings look like this:

Oakland 7-2
Texas 6-3
Seattle 4-6
Houston 3-6
Angels 2-6

“Everything always looks worse at the start of the year,” pitcher Joe Blanton said, and right now he couldn’t be more correct.

So why hold a team meeting after eight games?

Continue reading “Postgame notes: A’s 11, Angels 5.” »