Rash of season-ending injuries cost Angels

ANAHEIM — Angels slugger Albert Pujols has been around long enough to know it’s hard for a team to reach its goals when unpredictable obstacles get in the way.

For the 2016 Angels, a rash of injuries to the pitching staff, particularly the rotation, derailed their quest for a second division title in three years.

“It’s been a rough year, but when you lose the strength core of this team, which is our starting pitchers, you can talk to any team, it doesn’t matter what organization it is, if you lose that strength of that core, which is the stronger part of your team — you lose three or four guys of that — it’s pretty hard,” Pujols said. “It’s just a rough year, but at the same time, you can’t blame things, the injuries.”

Angels need 2017 help with pitching, lineup depth

The Angels not only were hurt by injuries to key pieces of their team, but they also struggled with inconsistency in all phases of the game in the most difficult season of manager Mike Scioscia’s 17-year tenure. Still, there were enough positives to give the team hope for a rebound next season.

Record: 74-88, fourth place, American League West

Defining moment: The Angels were dealt a huge blow to their rotation less than one month into the season when Opening Day starter Garrett Richards sustained an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his pitching elbow. Richards exited his May 1 start against the Rangers after 79 pitches, and doctors found a tear in his UCL four days later. He did not pitch again for the rest of the season.

So far, Richards has been able to avoid Tommy John surgery, and the Angels are hopeful he can pitch in the instructional league in October.

The rotation never fully recovered after Richards’ UCL gave out after six starts.

What went right: The core position players — Mike Trout, Pujols, Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons, Yunel Escobar and C.J. Cron — all had productive …

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