ANAHEIM — For more than 10 minutes after the end of the Angels’ loss Tuesday night, Logan O’Hoppe sat alone in the dugout. He then trudged back up to the clubhouse and angrily tossed items into his locker.
After that, the Angels’ catcher had a brief, terse interaction with reporters, one dripping with frustration.
A day later, he acknowledged the emotional struggle he’s endured with a season that has not gone as planned.
“I don’t like to lose,” O’Hoppe said Wednesday. “I just want results, and I want them now. Trying to see the big picture and stay in the process, but I want results now and if I don’t get them, I’m going to be upset about it.”
There have been a few moments in the past few years when O’Hoppe’s frustration has boiled over in that way. He acknowledges it may not be the best way for him to react, but he’s also not going to change.
“I’m not going to be ever OK with not getting the job done or losing,” O’Hoppe said. “I’d rather drive myself insane doing that than lie to myself and try to give myself grace and understand the failure of it. At the end of the day, results take care of everything. Everything.”
Interim manager Ray Montgomery said he’s talked to O’Hoppe in an effort to give him perspective.
“I had a chat with him just understanding how much progress he’s made and not to lose sight of that,” Montgomery said. “We talked about hitters going in and out of stretches where you’re not having the kind of offensive performance you want. The unique part of what Logan has to do is he’s got the psychology of 13, 14, 15 different pitchers. He’s got pitch-calling. He’s got offense. He’s got a lot of things that are happening. Stay for the long play. Not just in the moment stuff.”
Defensively, O’Hoppe struggled so much this year with framing and blocking that he’s twice changed his technique, going from catching on one knee to getting back on the traditional two feet and then reversing course a month later.
Montgomery said lately “there’s been significant progress on defense.”
At the plate, O’Hoppe was hot until around late May, and then he had a horrible month. Since late June, he’s been more consistent, with smaller ups and downs. Over his last 15 games, he’s hit .280 with a .799 OPS. For the season, his OPS is .708. His OPS last year was .712, and the major-league average OPS for a catcher is .704.
“I don’t think I’m in a bad spot,” O’Hoppe said. “Seeing the ball well. The walk last night was an indicator of that. Just riding the wave. It’s a roller-coaster ride. If it were that easy to be consistent, then everyone would do it.”
A BAD SEND
Third-base coach Bo Porter’s decision to send O’Hoppe home in the fifth inning on Tuesday was the third time in the last month that the Angels have made a costly out on the bases under Porter’s direction.
Nolan Schanuel was thrown out at home in the first inning July 22 in New York. Gustavo Campero was thrown trying to go from first to third on a single Friday night, costing the Angels the tying run.
Montgomery said Porter acknowledged the mistakes, and they talked about it. When asked when it was appropriate to do more than have a conversation, Montgomery said: “It’s a fair question. I’m not going to hide from it. When every game matters and you’re in that situation, it matters. So he’s got to be better. We talked about it, and he knows it. Like I said, in the dugout last night we discussed it immediately, and we talked about it afterwards. I’m not running from it. We’ve got to be better.”
Porter was the Angels’ first-base coach last year and the start of this season. The Angels had Porter and Eric Young Jr. reverse roles earlier this season because they wanted Young to have more time to spend coaching the baserunners.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Kyle Hendricks, 6-8, 4.59) at Tigers (LHP Tarik Skubal, 11-3, 2.18), 4:10 p.m. PT Friday, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM
Originally Published:
