With offense slumping, Angels hold hitters’ meeting

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A day after going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and failing to score after loading the bases with nobody out in the second inning, the Angels held a closed-door meeting for their hitters that Manager Mike Scioscia said involved ‘a lot of voices’ prior to playing the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium.

‘The talent we have is not playing to its potential right now and that’s obviously our responsibility,’ Scioscia said. ‘We feel good about this team, we feel good about moving forward with them and we just need guys to keep that focus and visualization where it needs to be productive.’

The Angels’ .256 batting average entering Tuesday ranked 10th in the American League, and their .319 on-base percentage ranked 11th, areas that Scioscia said needed improvement.

‘The number of runners we have been able to get in scoring position is noticeably down and that is obviously affecting our production,’ Scioscia said.

Scioscia said he did not get the impression that players were waiting for another trade to boost an offense that has sagged for long stretches since first baseman Kendry Morales suffered a season-ending leg injury in late May.

‘This offense’s success is not contingent on an outside player coming in,’ Scioscia said. ‘We have a number of guys we feel can and will produce more.’

--Ben Bolch