Victor Mederos struggles in Angels' blowout loss to Cubs

Jeff Fletcher, The Orange County Register on Aug 24, 2025

Published in Baseball

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ANAHEIM, Calif. —As if the Angels’ 12-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night wasn’t ugly enough on the scoreboard, the Angels came out of it dealing with at least two injured players, and a third who isn’t sure.

Right-hander Victor Mederos, who gave up six runs in four innings, said after the game that he “felt something” in the fourth inning, when he gave up a grand slam.

Asked if that meant something was physically wrong, he said: “Just some fatigue. We don’t know what it is. Just taking it day by day. Just seeing what it is.”

As uncertain as that sounds, it was slightly worse with first baseman Nolan Schanuel and right-hander Carson Fulmer.

Schanuel dove for a ball down the first base line in the fourth inning, and he came out a couple innings later. Schanuel said he’d been dealing with a sore wrist for more than a week, and it was aggravated on that play. He’s going for further tests on Sunday.

“We’ll see what comes back,” Schanuel said. “Hopefully I’m good and it’s just a bone bruise and I can be back in there.”

Fulmer was trying to handle mop-up duty after Mederos left the Angels in a 6-0 hole. Fulmer could only manage four outs, and he was charged with six more runs. He said he felt something in his elbow, and he’ll also go for testing on Sunday.

As for Mederos, he’s had three turns in the rotation since taking the spot vacated by Jack Kochanowicz, who was sent to Triple-A with a 6.19 ERA. Mederos now has a 7.41 ERA.

The Angels expressed optimism in Mederos because of the way his stuff looked since he adjusted to a change in his delivery this season. He’s had stretches within each of his starts in which he looked good — as Kochanowicz did.

On Saturday night, he gave up just one hit in the first run through the Cubs order, striking out four of the nine hitters.

With two outs in the third, Cubs leadoff hitter Michael Busch doubled in his second look at Mederos. Kyle Tucker then got a sinker over the middle of the plate and he hammered it over the right field fence, for a two-run homer.

In the fourth, Mederos lost his control, walking two hitters and hitting another to load the bases. Still, he was a pitch away from escaping, with two outs, when his 1-and-2 sinker to Reese McGuire drifted back over the middle of the plate. McGuire hit a grand slam, getting the ball to just beyond the reach of leaping center fielder Bryce Teodosio.

Mederos also had his velocity drop. His fastballs started out at 95-96 mph, but in the fourth inning several of them were 91 or 92 mph.

The Angels (61-68), who dropped to seven games under .500 for the first time since May 16, are not likely to pull Mederos from the rotation after just three turns unless there is a physical problem. They would like to assess his value for the future. Kochanowicz started 19 games before going down for the first time.

“We’ve talked about the pluses going from where he came quick as a reliever, where you come in, empty the tank and you’re thinking one, maybe two innings, to working through lineups multiple times and having to turn lineups over for four or five to six innings,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “I think the plus is there. The arsenal that he’s put together obviously gives him a chance to (get righties and lefties). He’s still working through the command of everything and kind of sequencing and just things that go along with getting people out here consistently.”

Mederos said he’s done well enough at times to have confidence he can be successful.

“Just being able to be in the zone and locate and execute pitches, I’ll be able to compete against anyone,” he said.

After Mederos was done and Fulmer got hurt, right-hander Luis Garcia got two outs to finish the seventh and then infielder Oswald Peraza handled the final two innings. He did not give up a run.

Even if the Angels had pitched better, it might not have mattered because the hitters were also suffering through another bad night.

The Angels have scored 10 runs in the last five games.

Cubs right-hander Cade Horton efficiently dominated the Angels over his six innings, allowing just three hits.

Horton didn’t even throw a ball until his 22nd pitch of the night, which was against the 10th hitter that he faced, ending the third inning.

The only time the Angels got a runner into scoring position against Horton was with one out in the fifth, after Jo Adell and Luis Rengifo had back-to-back singles. Logan O’Hoppe struck out and Bryce Teodosio hit a flyout.

Adell finally put the Angels on the board with his 29th homer of the season, in the seventh.