ATLANTA — The mood in the Angels' clubhouse these days isn't exactly night-and-day different from what it's been all season, but players say things have definitely been enhanced in the vibes department.
But that'll happen when ownership and the front office decide to go for it and maximize whatever time they have left with the greatest baseball player on the planet.
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Through trades, solid play and the tried-and-true method of having more wins than losses, the ripple effects of this new philosophy have taken the Angels from a losing team two weeks ago to a winning one now, from one that used to be just beyond shouting distance of a playoff spot to one now close enough for normal conversation volume.
Exciting. Energetic. Stronger. Hopeful. These are words Angels players use to describe the team's position as it heads down the stretch and, ideally, to its first postseason appearance since 2014. No team has a longer playoff drought.
"The whole mood in the clubhouse before the deadline was to get to the playoffs. That's been the mood all year since spring training," Mike Trout told The Sporting News. "And you see how the front office added a lot to this team. ... They're trying to win, and so are we, so it's good for the clubhouse."
It's a welcome change of pace for a franchise that has traditionally trudged through the dog days even when there was early-season optimism.
"Obviously you know that when you get players in that you're making a push at the postseason, so it boosts the confidence in the clubhouse," Mike Moustakas, who joined the team in a June trade with the Rockies, told SN. "And seeing new guys walk through the door that are very talented players, it just makes us a better team and makes us excited to continue to go out there and make this push."
Since a six-game losing streak put them at two games under .500 on July 14, the Angels have won 11 of 17 and now sit just four games back of a wild-card spot entering play Thursday.
It's not a coincidence that the turnaround happened as the team pledged to not trade Shohei Ohtani, despite the haul it would bring in return, and then acquired front-line starter Lucas Giolito and some new bats — all to try to build a roster formidable enough to not just get to the playoffs, but win.
"We got new guys in, big-name guys, so the energy's always gonna be up, probably more than it has been," rookie shortstop Zach Neto told SN.
Though a rookie, Neto is aware of the Angels' previous reputation: the team with Ohtani and Trout that always under-achieves and sells at the trade deadline. But now?
"People are noticing who we are," he said. "The front office, they're pushing to get us over that hump."
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Behind that push is belief, perhaps best exemplified by the conversation GM Perry Minasian had with owner Arte Moreno after outfielder Taylor Ward was hit in the face Saturday by an Alek Manoah pitch, suffering fractures that will likely end his season.
There was already urgency to bolster the roster, but Ward's injury made it palpable.
"I felt it — hey, keep going, keep going, keep going," Minasian told reporters in Atlanta.
Moreno was 100 percent on board.
"It was one phone call," Minasian said. "It was five minutes. And it was basically, 'Hey, we just had another injury. I believe in this team, I think this team can win. We have to keep adding to it. And that involves adding payroll.' And there was no hesitation. Make the team as good as you can make it."
One of those additions was outfielder Randal Grichuk, who came over in a trade with the lowly Rockies late Sunday. And never underestimate the boost a player can get when going from a losing team to a team that's right in the hunt.
"Definitely, playing meaningful games down the stretch is what every player wants to do," Grichuk said. "Unfortunately, we weren't doing it in Colorado, but I was playing well enough that a team that was (winning) wanted to trade for me, so that's definitely special for me and ... definitely gives you a little bit more excitement and energy to play the game."
Grichuk gave truth to his words when he homered in his first game with the team and helped the Angels to a 4-1 win over the juggernaut Braves.
CJ Cron, who came over from Colorado with Grichuk, also had an RBI in that game. He sees the potential for the team too.
"They're right in it. They're right in the division, they're right in the wild card, so win a few games and next thing you know, you're in first place," he told reporters before that first game in Atlanta. "That's kind of the focus now, to win as many games as possible, and I'm hoping I can contribute and help the team win as much as I can."
So here they are, a new-look team with a new urgency as they try to chart their way down what's almost certainly the one path to keep Ohtani beyond this season: a postseason run that concludes with a World Series championship.
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It certainly won't be easy, but those new clubhouse vibes will provide some initial fuel for the mission.
"We all appreciate the faith in us to get this done, and it's a good buzz in there," manager Phil Nevin said.
How could it not be? They've got Ohtani, a winning record, solid reinforcements and can finally smell the playoffs in the distance. And, oh, yeah, that Trout guy, one of the greatest to ever play the game, should be back from the IL soon.
"I'm really excited (to get back)," Trout told SN. "The team's been playing well, but I'm just really anxious to get out there, especially with the additions."
The front office delivered. Now, it's the players' turn.
"Them adding new pieces just makes us stronger," Neto told SN, "and hopefully we can go out there in October and win some ball games."
