Fans have a theory. Arte Moreno is building a team that’s ready for a potential work stoppage. But reportedly, the three fired pitching staff was involved with the team in a one-year deal. This call probably had more to do with the staff’s approach than the rotation allowing the most walks in the league (512) and the seventh-worst ERA (4.49). Moreno’s rebuilding efforts seem evident, as this move came just one week after the Los Angeles Angels traded eight major leaguers off its roster.

“The Los Angeles Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott, and bullpen coach Dom Chiti, sources tell ESPN. Maddux joined them in the offseason and was working on a one-year contract. Angels pitchers have a 4.53 ERA and the most walks in MLB,” reported Jeff Passan on X.

With the worst-record in the majors, standing at 46-74, Tuesday’s decision came owing to interim general manager John Mozeliak’s determination that the team wasn’t using the technology and analytics available to the pitchers sufficiently.

“I think there was becoming some level of frustration with the inconsistency of that, and so ultimately that’s when we started thinking about, ‘Do we need to make a change?’” Mozeliak noted. 

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And Monday’s 4-1 loss was probably the last nail that the team had to go through after they allowed a combined 19 runs in Miami during the weekend.

Reliever Luke Murphy entered the 10th inning against the Texas Rangers and gave up a walk and a single, loading the bases. Then, with one out, the Angels called Blake Weiman, who surrendered a single to Brandon Nimmo and Jake Burger. And that was it for Los Angeles despite Mike Trout’s homer.

As the scoreboard showed 4-1, the Angels couldn’t score against the Texas Rangers’ reliever Jacob Latz. He shut down the Halos to record his 23rd save, while the Angels have blown 20 of 36 save opportunities so far in the season.

With only 43 games remaining in the season, the Angels are probably on their way to record their first 100-loss season in franchise history. But Mozeliak is hoping for the best. That’s why he had to go against his assurance of telling first-year manager Kurt Suzuki that the entire coaching staff is safe from back in June.

“My goal was not to make any staffing changes until the season ended. However, after discussions with the coaches, interviews with players, reflection, self-reflection on where we are, we decided it was time to make a change… I view this as an opportunity. I see this as a chance for us to make a difference. Expectations to implement our processes and use all our tools will be mandated.” Mozeliak noted.

Mozeliak also added that he had discussed the matter with Suzuki, whose job may also be hanging right now, and that they plan to utilize the remaining time to “evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward.”

Double-A pitching coach Tim Leveque and assistant pitching coordinator Michael Wuertz will step into the roles of interim pitching coach and interim bullpen coach, respectively.

“He’s (Leveque) a smart guy who really understands where the game is at, and I think he’ll be a good resource for (Suzuki),” Mozeliak again assured that there won’t be any more changes in the coming 7 weeks.

Maddux, Scott, and Chiti were appointed to Suzuki’s first coaching staff in 2026. Despite the firing, the veteran that is Maddux cannot be denied.

The 65-year-old pitched for 15 years in MLB. He has served as a pitching coach for five different teams through 24 seasons, leading staffs for the Milwaukee Brewers (2003 to 2008), Washington Nationals (2016 to 2017), St. Louis Cardinals (2018 to 2022), Texas Rangers (2009 to 2015, then 2023 to 2025), and Angels.

His biggest achievement came with Texas in 2023, winning a championship, and he turned out to be instrumental in the development of numerous pitchers. The Rangers boasted the best ERA in the majors in 2025 under Maddux.

Meanwhile, Chiti (67) rejoined the organization in 2023, serving as the bullpen coach for the first time this season. First, he was a scout and a minor league coach, and then spent 20 years as the bullpen coach for the Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.

Scott, 58, was in his first season with the Angels after spending six seasons with the Colorado Rockies, after being their minor league pitching coordinator.

The Angels entered the season hoping a new manager and revamped coaching staff could help stabilize a franchise that had gone through disappointing seasons. Just before the MLB Draft this season, general manager Perry Minasian was fired, and former long-time general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals was brought in as a consultant and to oversee baseball operations while the team looks for a new general manager.

Now, carrying a .381 winning percentage and sitting 14.5 games behind, even after winning their last game against the Rangers (3-2), the issues look far from resolved.

Was it only the Angels’ pitching under pressure?

The Angels’ broader statistical profile has been poor. Entering August 10, the club had scored 484 runs while allowing 575, producing a -91 run differential.

Its record against the team at or above .500 was 24-48, while the road record stood at 20-40. But it has never been just about the pitching.

From July 9, in their last 26 games, the Angels have scored an average of 2.7 runs per game. That’s the lowest in the league during that stretch. In Monday’s game, their offense scuffled.

In six innings, starter Reid Detmers allowed only three hits, all singles, walked four and struck out six. But after Trout’s homer in the first inning, the team went scoreless.

The Halos finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

“Definitely a tough day with the bats. Really couldn’t get anything going. (MacKenzie) Gore threw the ball well, but at the end of the day, we got to try to string some of the bats together. It’s been tough to do at times, but we just gotta keep trucking,” Suzuki shared after the game.

Even Wade Meckler showed his heroics in the game, as the scoreboard remained tied. With two on and two out, Corey Seager launched a long drive off of Tayler Saucedo. It looked destined to be a tie-breaking three-run homer. But Meckler perfectly timed his jump and robbed Seager of the go-ahead home run from the right-field wall.

Yet, the Angels couldn’t be rescued.

In the bottom 7th, they stranded the go-ahead run on base, followed by a leadoff single in the 8th that got erased by a double play, and went down in order in the ninth.

So, the struggle is not just with the pitching staff, but the entire roster. However, the issues with the pitching coaches seem real, because Mozeliak has been confident that the offensive staff has been using the technology on par with the big leagues.

Players, like Detmers, have even been vocal.

“I mean, if we have it, might as well use it, right? I’m not saying we didn’t use it all the time, but there’s definitely times where we could have used it. In my eyes, it’s only going to make you better,” Detmers noted about using the resources after the firing news broke, who not only evaluates his biomechanics in every bullpen session and consults with his personal coaches during the season, but also owns the 14th-best WHIP in the majors (1.10).

But the thing is, the Angels had already undergone an almost entirely revamped coaching staff heading into 2026. For Suzuki, the move creates another challenge during his first year in the dugout.

Looking at the new pitching coach, Tim Leveque was serving the same role at the Angels’ Double-A Rocket City affiliate for the first year after his time in the Cardinals organization during Mozeliak’s tenure. It included working in the team’s scouting department in 2025 and as a minor league pitching coordinator and coach for the previous 19-years.

For the interim bullpen coach, Michael Wuertz has been the minor-league assistant pitching coordinator with the Angels and is currently in his 11th year.

At the Trade Deadline, the franchise has already moved several veteran bullpen names, and now there is a younger pitching staff. Leveque and Wuertz’s job will definitely not be easy. But as the Los Angeles Angels are likely headed to their 12th straight non-playoff season, something had to be done, as Suzuki said after Tuesday’s news broke:

“I appreciated everything that they did. They worked hard. They prepared. At the end of the day, Mo and I felt like the path moving forward in these last 43 games … we felt like this was the best way.”