Only the moribund White Sox and tanking A’s have a worse winning percentage in the American League.
The Angels have been outscored by a whopping 67 runs and sit 12.5 games behind the Mariners in the AL West.
But Ron Washington insisted he hasn’t lost confidence he can turn them around, even if Mike Trout (meniscus knee surgery) isn’t expected back before the All-Star break next month.
“I haven’t had a sleepless night since I took this job,” the Angels’ manager told USA Today Sports. “This record isn’t anything what I hoped, and we’re not playing like I expect. But we’ve got such a young team. There are nights when we’ve got everyone on the field making the minimum salary.
“But you know what? It’s coming. I know it’s coming. We’ll get it done here, and it’s going to be a beautiful damn thing when we’re on top.’’
That sounds like a fairy tale, even if the Angels have won six of their last 10 games.
They are more likely to sell off pieces at the trade deadline than be in a playoff race.
They are 10 games out of the final wild card spot.
In the interview, Washington said he was warned not to take the job, that at the age of 72, it was a losing proposition.
He ignored that advice, and still doesn’t regret taking the job.
“I ain’t no damn failure,” Washington, who last managed in 2014, said. “I’ve never been a failure in my damn life. I might be failing, but I ain’t no failure. There’s a difference. “I’m going to do what it takes to not fail. I’m not going to let it just keep happening to me and say I’m a failure. [Expletive] that. I’m going to do what I have to do to come out of it.
“Sometimes you can snap out of it, and sometimes it can take a minute.”
Odds are, this rebuild will take longer than that.