Column: Angels have a lot to prove since they do not appear to be any better than last year

Friday was opening night at Angel Stadium, which brought out the sights and sounds typically associated with the event. The team introductions. The national anthem and the oversized American flag. The pregame fireworks and the roaring fly-over of the military aircraft. The television reporter who rarely covers baseball and addressed Angels manager Mike Scioscia as “Coach.”

Somehow, it all felt kind of … well, meh.

Perhaps it’s that the season was already four games old, the Angels having played a series in Oakland earlier in the week.

Most likely, it was something else: This Angels team looks too similar to the Angels team last year.

They still have Mike Trout, who is the best position player on the planet. They still have Albert Pujols, who is closing in on his 600th home run.

And then what?

It’s more or less the same team that won 74 games and finished fourth in the American League West last year.

The Angels won’t be afforded the same benefit of the doubt as the Dodgers.

The Dodgers will be viewed as contenders until they demonstrate otherwise. The Angels have to prove they are contenders.

Opening day at Dodger Stadium was also a relatively low-key affair, only the restraint there was interpreted as a sign of the franchise’s ambition.

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Angels fans stare up at the sky as a C-17 military plane does a fly-over after introductions on the Angels’ opening night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels fans pour into the stadium on opening night before a game against the Mariners at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels first baseman C.J. Cron’s bat splinters as he fouls off a ball against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Cameron Maybin reacts after hitting a solo homer to give the Angels a 3-1 lead over the Mariners in the sixth inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels center fielder Mike Trout, right, congratulates Cameron Maybin after his solo homer to give the Angels a 3-1 lead over the Mariners in the sixth inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels center fielder Mike Trout hits a single in the fifth inning of a game against the Mariners on April 7 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Mariners catcher Mike Zunino runs after a passed ball as batter C.J. Cron signals tothe baserunner during the third inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Mariners shortstop Jean Segura slides under the tag of Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa for asteal during the first inning of a game on April 7.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar scores the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Mike Trout during the first inning of a game against the Mariners on April 7.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Fans cheer as Angels catcher Martin Maldonado approaches the dugout after scoring against the Mariners during the third inning of a game on April 7.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels starting pitcher Jesse Chavez gets the start on opening night on April 7 against the Mariners at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts planned to speak to his players Monday before the season opener against the San Diego Padres, but decided against it at the last minute.

“Just seeing the mood and how we went about our pre-series meeting, the focus was there,” Roberts said. “For me to call guys together was overkill and didn’t really serve a purpose.”

The Dodgers came within two wins of reaching the World Series last year. They know what they want to do.

It’s as if their fans picked up on that too, the calmness in the stadium reflecting a belief there are better days ahead for the Dodgers.

The tameness of Angel Stadium represented something else. The majority of seats were still empty as the players and coaches were introduced. Tickets were available on StubHub for as little as $13 when the Angels ran to the defensive positions for the start of the game with “The Boys Are Back In Town” blaring over the public-address system.

This was a crowd searching for reasons to believe and the Angels were making them search hard.

It says a lot about the state of the team when Garrett Richards can be placed on the disabled list and this can be counted as a positive development.

“Considering where Garrett was last year,” Scioscia said, “this is a minor bump in the road.”

Translation: The situation could be worse.

Scioscia said Richards wouldn’t throw a baseball for about a week and Pedro Moura of The Times reported the pitcher has an irritated nerve in the biceps of his throwing arm. But Richards’ elbow is structually sound, which means his season isn’t over – and, by extension, the Angels’ isn’t either.

Richards’ scare was the latest reminder of how this team has little to no margin for error.

Richards has the potential to be a frontline pitcher, which would bolster a rotation that is mediocre but not awful.

The team’s defense is outstanding, with left fielder Cameron Maybin, second baseman Danny Espinosa and catcher Martin Maldonado looking like upgrades at their respective positions. The offense is better than many think.

But the bullpen remains a question mark. The Angels will need a lot more relief performances like the ones they got Friday, when Jose Alvarez, Bud Norris, Andrew Bailey and Blake Parker combined to pitch 31/3 scoreless innings in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

If they don’t, this season won’t get much better than it did on this night, with only Trout’s extraordinary play and Pujols’ making of history offering the fans here reasons to cheer.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez