Apparently the key is to lose the first game of the series. For the second straight series, the Angels lost game one, and rolled the rest of the way. Kind of reminds me of a certain post-season in recent memory.
After a close victory Friday and a comfortable win last night, no doubt made better by the bitchslapping that the Senators gave the Ducks, the Angels needed some Vladimir Guerrero heroics, a two run homer in the ninth, to pull out today's victory. I missed Friday night's game because I was drinking with some friends, and I really just didn't feel like writing about last night's game.
58 games into the season, the Angels have baseball's third best record. They have some separation between themselves and the M's and A's, and Texas is completely out of the picture already. Apparently it's their best record ever after 58 games. Next up are the Twins, who've been hanging around .500, and are a solid 7-3 in their last ten games. Something about the Twins. The Angels always seem to play playoff style close games against the Twins.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Mariners 6; Angels 8; Cubs Slaughtered
I missed the first five innings or so of last night's game due to a friend of mine coming up with free Cubs tickets. I hate the Cubs, and I couldn't really care less about the Marlins, but the tickets were pretty good (first row of the upper deck, about even with the bullpen), and it was a nice night. First game I've been to at Wrigley this year, which is fun to go to, but doesn't really hold the allure for me that it does for most people. It was neat the first couple of times, but it kind of feels like a glorified high school stadium to me. For me, major league parks are giant monoliths surrounded by parking lots. At least the Cubs didn't disappoint, getting hammered more than most of the people in the stands for once.
I was in a cab on the way home when Vlad hit the three run homer off of King Felix to put the Angels in front for good. Weaver was already gone by the time I got home, but it sounds like he really struggled with his command. While I don't want to see him struggle, games like last night's don't bother me. First, they still won. Second, it wasn't an issue of him getting so much as he just had a hard time finding the strike zone. Only two of the nine hits he allowed went for extra bases, and none of them left the yard. Sometimes guys just don't have it.
Just ask King Felix, who got drilled for seven runs on nine hits, including three homers and a double. It was the second time the Angels got to him this season, and he could still be struggling coming back from his injury. His big mistake came against Vlad in the fifth, when his high fast ball got crushed over the right center field wall for the Angels third homer of the night.
Reggie Willits was on base three times again, while Cabrera continued his scorching pace with three more hits. While Napoli has cooled a little, Casey Kotchman stayed hot, hitting his fifth home run, and pushing his average comfortably back up over .300 to .309. Meanwhile, Howie Kendrick has yet to find a consistent stroke since returning to the lineup. He was 0-4, dropping his average to .256. He's now 0 for his last nine, and has just four hits in 25 at bats since his return.
Scot Shields has quietly gone from the unreliable Scot Shields to the once again dominant Scot Shields. He pitched a perfect eighth, striking out two, and his ERA is down to 2.83. Frankie was a little shaky in the ninth, starting it off with a walk before striking out the side. His slider must have been really breaking hard, because it appeared that he couldn't control it, and they were taking some pretty awful swings at it. But hey, sometimes that's to a pitcher's advantage. I mean, if he doesn't know where it's going, chances are the hitter doesn't either.
The Mariners were a hot team entering Anaheim before the Angels cooled them off. Now Baltimore comes in having won five straight, moving all the way up to second place, still 10.5 games behind the Red Sox. Escobar, Lackey, Saunders, and Santana will work the series for the Angels.
I was in a cab on the way home when Vlad hit the three run homer off of King Felix to put the Angels in front for good. Weaver was already gone by the time I got home, but it sounds like he really struggled with his command. While I don't want to see him struggle, games like last night's don't bother me. First, they still won. Second, it wasn't an issue of him getting so much as he just had a hard time finding the strike zone. Only two of the nine hits he allowed went for extra bases, and none of them left the yard. Sometimes guys just don't have it.
Just ask King Felix, who got drilled for seven runs on nine hits, including three homers and a double. It was the second time the Angels got to him this season, and he could still be struggling coming back from his injury. His big mistake came against Vlad in the fifth, when his high fast ball got crushed over the right center field wall for the Angels third homer of the night.
Reggie Willits was on base three times again, while Cabrera continued his scorching pace with three more hits. While Napoli has cooled a little, Casey Kotchman stayed hot, hitting his fifth home run, and pushing his average comfortably back up over .300 to .309. Meanwhile, Howie Kendrick has yet to find a consistent stroke since returning to the lineup. He was 0-4, dropping his average to .256. He's now 0 for his last nine, and has just four hits in 25 at bats since his return.
Scot Shields has quietly gone from the unreliable Scot Shields to the once again dominant Scot Shields. He pitched a perfect eighth, striking out two, and his ERA is down to 2.83. Frankie was a little shaky in the ninth, starting it off with a walk before striking out the side. His slider must have been really breaking hard, because it appeared that he couldn't control it, and they were taking some pretty awful swings at it. But hey, sometimes that's to a pitcher's advantage. I mean, if he doesn't know where it's going, chances are the hitter doesn't either.
The Mariners were a hot team entering Anaheim before the Angels cooled them off. Now Baltimore comes in having won five straight, moving all the way up to second place, still 10.5 games behind the Red Sox. Escobar, Lackey, Saunders, and Santana will work the series for the Angels.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Mariners 1; Angels 4
No shame in thinking this one was trouble about two batters into the first inning. Ervin Santana allowed the first two runners to reach, and only retired Guillen on a shot to third that Quinlan was able to stab. He became Ervin the Usual against Ibanez, turning an 0-2 count into a walk before completing his streak of eight straight balls against Richie Sexon. For a team that doesn't walk, the Mariners' first five batters were very patient, laying off some very close pitches. Then Kenji Johjima stepped up, grounded into a double play, and Santana had escaped with minimal damage. To top it off, the Angels got a run back in the first to tie it up.
With his new lease on life, Santana exploded. He went six more innings allowing only two hits and no walks, completing seven innings having allowed only one run, and needing fewer than 100 pitches to do it. So a reprieve for now. He'll remain in the rotation, and his next start is at home. Maybe two straight home starts, if he can get it done again, will boost his confidence for that next road game. Maybe that double play was a turning point. We can only hope.
On the offensive side of the ball, Reggie Willits showed that last night wasn't just a bump in his slump, as he produced his second two hit game in a row. Behind him, Orlando Cabrera added three hits of his own, pushing his average to .314. Kind of a strange game offensively. The top three hitters reached base a total of 8 times, yet they still needed an unlikely two run homer from Shea Hillenbrand to provide the winning runs (with insurance added later). Mike Napoli's hitting streak ended on a rocket to third that Adrian Beltre had to grab simply to save his own life.
Speaking of Cabrera and Napoli, if you're wondering about the Angels recent success, you need look no further than those two players and Casey Kotchman. Not that they've been alone, but on May 8th, the Angels lost to the Indians and dropped to 17-16. Following that game, those three stood as follows:
Jered on the mound tomorrow night to hopefully take the series. He hasn't been great of late, but he's been good enough.
With his new lease on life, Santana exploded. He went six more innings allowing only two hits and no walks, completing seven innings having allowed only one run, and needing fewer than 100 pitches to do it. So a reprieve for now. He'll remain in the rotation, and his next start is at home. Maybe two straight home starts, if he can get it done again, will boost his confidence for that next road game. Maybe that double play was a turning point. We can only hope.
On the offensive side of the ball, Reggie Willits showed that last night wasn't just a bump in his slump, as he produced his second two hit game in a row. Behind him, Orlando Cabrera added three hits of his own, pushing his average to .314. Kind of a strange game offensively. The top three hitters reached base a total of 8 times, yet they still needed an unlikely two run homer from Shea Hillenbrand to provide the winning runs (with insurance added later). Mike Napoli's hitting streak ended on a rocket to third that Adrian Beltre had to grab simply to save his own life.
Speaking of Cabrera and Napoli, if you're wondering about the Angels recent success, you need look no further than those two players and Casey Kotchman. Not that they've been alone, but on May 8th, the Angels lost to the Indians and dropped to 17-16. Following that game, those three stood as follows:
- Kotchman - 232/304/384
- Cabrera - 266/338/379
- Napoli - 194/296/339
- Kotchman - 302/381/487 - 6th in AL OPS among every day first basemen
- Cabrera - 314/359/425 - 5th in AL OPS among every day short stops
- Napoli - 259/339/491 - 6th in AL OPS among every day catchers
Jered on the mound tomorrow night to hopefully take the series. He hasn't been great of late, but he's been good enough.
Long Weekend
Lots to cover, so I'll just give it all the short shrift in which I specialize.
The Angels finally reached .500 on the road, recovering from a couple of awful games in Detroit to take three from the Yankees. Kendrick's back, and Kotchman and Napoli are currently raking. Figgins looks pretty much lost on both sides of the ball, alternative good plays with spotty plays at third base, and generally alternating bad at bats with crappy at bats. Hillenbrand is still a total waste of a roster spot.
They came home and harnessed that momentum into a total implosion against the Mariners last night. Poor pitching, poor fielding, and mediocre hitting against a team that has now won four straight and sits only 3.5 games behind the Angels in second place. Santana and Weaver close out the set against the M's, then it's Baltimore for four and the Twins for three. It's a 10 game homestand in which the Angels should really go 7-3, but last night wasn't exactly a confidence builder.
In the college ranks, UC Riverside won it's first ever Big West championship, and will be making it's second appearance in the field of 64. Unfortunately they were screwed by the selection committee and have to travel to Tempe for the regional. Traditionally, the Big West champ hosts a regional. This year, the committee decided to reward second place Long Beach State. That would be the same Long Beach State that UCR bitchslapped three straight times a couple weeks ago. Sort of reminds me of that year in the mid '90s when UCR was the top team in the regional (D2) and was forced to head up north because the NCAA didn't want to make Sac State and Chico State travel south.
As for me, I spent the weekend running around, playing golf, and boozing with friends for the most part. Finally took the new irons (it's a mixed set) out on the course and struck the ball pretty well. CDGA Amateur qualifying is next week.
The Angels finally reached .500 on the road, recovering from a couple of awful games in Detroit to take three from the Yankees. Kendrick's back, and Kotchman and Napoli are currently raking. Figgins looks pretty much lost on both sides of the ball, alternative good plays with spotty plays at third base, and generally alternating bad at bats with crappy at bats. Hillenbrand is still a total waste of a roster spot.
They came home and harnessed that momentum into a total implosion against the Mariners last night. Poor pitching, poor fielding, and mediocre hitting against a team that has now won four straight and sits only 3.5 games behind the Angels in second place. Santana and Weaver close out the set against the M's, then it's Baltimore for four and the Twins for three. It's a 10 game homestand in which the Angels should really go 7-3, but last night wasn't exactly a confidence builder.
In the college ranks, UC Riverside won it's first ever Big West championship, and will be making it's second appearance in the field of 64. Unfortunately they were screwed by the selection committee and have to travel to Tempe for the regional. Traditionally, the Big West champ hosts a regional. This year, the committee decided to reward second place Long Beach State. That would be the same Long Beach State that UCR bitchslapped three straight times a couple weeks ago. Sort of reminds me of that year in the mid '90s when UCR was the top team in the regional (D2) and was forced to head up north because the NCAA didn't want to make Sac State and Chico State travel south.
As for me, I spent the weekend running around, playing golf, and boozing with friends for the most part. Finally took the new irons (it's a mixed set) out on the course and struck the ball pretty well. CDGA Amateur qualifying is next week.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Two straight
No one could have reasonably expected Santana to win today the way he's been going. As I've said before (and it's no great analysis), Santana during the day on the road is a recipe for disaster.
If they had taken some momentum into today's game, it may have been a different story, but Mike Scioscia, whom I can only assume was a little upset with Mike Napoli and his three run homer yesterday, inexplicably turned the ball over to arguably the AL's worst reliever this season. Predictably, he allowed the Tigers to double their lead, and predictably, the Angels almost came back, only to lose by one. And while the souls over at Halos Heaven may not like it, Vlad was almost as at fault as Bart and Scioscia, grounding into a double play with the tying run on first.
So what had the makings of nice trip has turned into a precarious journey, which now requires the Angels to take 2 of three against the suddenly not so terrible Yankees to salvage a .500 trip. And while they've had great success over the Yankees in the last 10 years, that has to end some time.
As for me, I missed today's game, partly because of work, and partly by design, as I had no desire to see Santana get drilled. And last night's game ended just in time for me to head over to Schuba's to catch the Broken West, this time headlining (they supported the Walkmen earlier). While the mix was a little too heavy on the guitar and to light on the vocals, the show was otherwise excellent. Not to sound like a music snob, but shows with less than 100 people are kind of cool to see when you really like the band, and they really are excellent.
If they had taken some momentum into today's game, it may have been a different story, but Mike Scioscia, whom I can only assume was a little upset with Mike Napoli and his three run homer yesterday, inexplicably turned the ball over to arguably the AL's worst reliever this season. Predictably, he allowed the Tigers to double their lead, and predictably, the Angels almost came back, only to lose by one. And while the souls over at Halos Heaven may not like it, Vlad was almost as at fault as Bart and Scioscia, grounding into a double play with the tying run on first.
So what had the makings of nice trip has turned into a precarious journey, which now requires the Angels to take 2 of three against the suddenly not so terrible Yankees to salvage a .500 trip. And while they've had great success over the Yankees in the last 10 years, that has to end some time.
As for me, I missed today's game, partly because of work, and partly by design, as I had no desire to see Santana get drilled. And last night's game ended just in time for me to head over to Schuba's to catch the Broken West, this time headlining (they supported the Walkmen earlier). While the mix was a little too heavy on the guitar and to light on the vocals, the show was otherwise excellent. Not to sound like a music snob, but shows with less than 100 people are kind of cool to see when you really like the band, and they really are excellent.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Angels 6; Tigers 3
Last year the Angels gave up 80 unearned runs. Only the Cleveland Indians allowed more. And despite the offensive woes, I've maintained that it was the main reason that the Angels failed to win the AL West. Part of that was also a function of some bad luck. It seemed every time they made a mistake, they paid for it.
This year, their team ERA is the best in the AL. In addition they've cut their unearned run percentage by over 30% (from .49 to .33), which is a sign that a) their defense has played better, and b) mistakes haven't translated into a lot of runs. And at no time have they played better defense than they did last night.
HGHMJ made two terrific catches in center field, one which save at least two runs early in the game. In addition, Chone Figgins and Robb Quinlan each saved extra bases, and Orlando Cabrera ended the night with his spear of a Carlos Guillen liner that would have put the tying run in scoring position, and the winning run on base.
For Figgins, Cabrera, and Quinlan, it wasn't all defense. Figgins went 2-4 and scored both times he reached base, Quinlan took Mike Maroth deep in the sixth inning to provide the Angels final run of the game, and Cabrera added a two run shot of his own. Mike Napoli has pushed his average all the way up over the .250 mark, collecting two hits last night, including a fourth inning homer.
The only struggles came from John Lackey, who had trouble finding the strike zone until he really needed to, walking four against only three strike outs. But he held the Tigers to one run through five innings, and turned the ball over to Dustin Moseley, who continued to impress with two scoreless innings. Even Darren Oliver looked sharp until the ninth inning, at which point he remembered he was Darren Oliver and loaded the bases with nobody out, at which point the Angels required the services of Frankie Rodriguez.
Good start to the trip. Win one more in Detroit, and they can head to New York with their eyes on another solid road trip. As an added bonus, Homerin' Howie Kendrick rejoins the lineup tonight to take over for a slumping Erick Aybar.
This year, their team ERA is the best in the AL. In addition they've cut their unearned run percentage by over 30% (from .49 to .33), which is a sign that a) their defense has played better, and b) mistakes haven't translated into a lot of runs. And at no time have they played better defense than they did last night.
HGHMJ made two terrific catches in center field, one which save at least two runs early in the game. In addition, Chone Figgins and Robb Quinlan each saved extra bases, and Orlando Cabrera ended the night with his spear of a Carlos Guillen liner that would have put the tying run in scoring position, and the winning run on base.
For Figgins, Cabrera, and Quinlan, it wasn't all defense. Figgins went 2-4 and scored both times he reached base, Quinlan took Mike Maroth deep in the sixth inning to provide the Angels final run of the game, and Cabrera added a two run shot of his own. Mike Napoli has pushed his average all the way up over the .250 mark, collecting two hits last night, including a fourth inning homer.
The only struggles came from John Lackey, who had trouble finding the strike zone until he really needed to, walking four against only three strike outs. But he held the Tigers to one run through five innings, and turned the ball over to Dustin Moseley, who continued to impress with two scoreless innings. Even Darren Oliver looked sharp until the ninth inning, at which point he remembered he was Darren Oliver and loaded the bases with nobody out, at which point the Angels required the services of Frankie Rodriguez.
Good start to the trip. Win one more in Detroit, and they can head to New York with their eyes on another solid road trip. As an added bonus, Homerin' Howie Kendrick rejoins the lineup tonight to take over for a slumping Erick Aybar.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
So, the Sweep
That really was a great sweep, wasn't it? Two fairly equally matched teams, one just kicking ass on the other all weekend. Of course, I'm referring to UC Riverside's sweep of Long Beach State, vaulting the Highlanders into first place in the Big West, and probably locking up no worse than a spot in the field of 64 for the second time in school history. They can clinch a share of the conference title with a win against UCI this weekend. If they win one, and LBSU loses at least one in their season finale against Cal State Fullerton, the Highlanders take the title outright.
Oh, you thought I was talking about the Angels. Alright, so I missed Saturday's game. It happens. I was unavoidably detained, drinking heavily with friends, including one who writes a national baseball column, so at least baseball was on the conversation menu. And Sunday was more or less spent recovering from Saturday's activities.
As has been the case recently, the pitching dominated yet again, and early offense set the tone, with the Angels getting first inning runs in every game. Ervin Santana continued his home goodness allowing one run over six innings to win the opener. Jered Weaver got himself back to .500 with another quality start, pushing his ERA down to 3.46 for the season. And on Sunday, Kelvim rebounded from a rough start to shut out the Dodgers over eight innings on Sunday.
It's been pointed out that Reggie Willits has a knack for getting on base. But one of his most useful tools is his ability to see a lot of pitches in every plate appearance. As mentioned in the Times article, this helps the Angels get to their opponents bullpen earlier. But what's occasionally overlooked is what this does for Orlando Cabrera, and nowhere was this benefit more evident than in game one. Willits drew a walk in a long at bat, seeing (IIRC) about seven pitches before getting the free pass. Not only did Cabrera get a chance to see much of Brad Penny's arsenal from the on-deck circle, but Penny had extra incentive to start the at bat off with a strike to avoid another long at bat. The result was a fastball that Cabrera hammered to left center field for an RBI double, and just like that, the Angels led 1-0. It's another example of Willits' value to the Angels, and it's why Mike Scioscia is going to have a hard time getting him out of the line up when Garret Anderson returns.
So the lead is up to 4.5 games as the Angels hit the road to face the Tigers and Yankees. The good news is that Ervin will start only one game on the trip, and it's in a pitchers' park. They've now won 8 of 10, and we're reaching the point of the season where champions open up ground on their pursuers. A 3-3 trip would be acceptable. A 4-2 trip would be great. Anything else is gravy.
Oh, you thought I was talking about the Angels. Alright, so I missed Saturday's game. It happens. I was unavoidably detained, drinking heavily with friends, including one who writes a national baseball column, so at least baseball was on the conversation menu. And Sunday was more or less spent recovering from Saturday's activities.
As has been the case recently, the pitching dominated yet again, and early offense set the tone, with the Angels getting first inning runs in every game. Ervin Santana continued his home goodness allowing one run over six innings to win the opener. Jered Weaver got himself back to .500 with another quality start, pushing his ERA down to 3.46 for the season. And on Sunday, Kelvim rebounded from a rough start to shut out the Dodgers over eight innings on Sunday.
It's been pointed out that Reggie Willits has a knack for getting on base. But one of his most useful tools is his ability to see a lot of pitches in every plate appearance. As mentioned in the Times article, this helps the Angels get to their opponents bullpen earlier. But what's occasionally overlooked is what this does for Orlando Cabrera, and nowhere was this benefit more evident than in game one. Willits drew a walk in a long at bat, seeing (IIRC) about seven pitches before getting the free pass. Not only did Cabrera get a chance to see much of Brad Penny's arsenal from the on-deck circle, but Penny had extra incentive to start the at bat off with a strike to avoid another long at bat. The result was a fastball that Cabrera hammered to left center field for an RBI double, and just like that, the Angels led 1-0. It's another example of Willits' value to the Angels, and it's why Mike Scioscia is going to have a hard time getting him out of the line up when Garret Anderson returns.
So the lead is up to 4.5 games as the Angels hit the road to face the Tigers and Yankees. The good news is that Ervin will start only one game on the trip, and it's in a pitchers' park. They've now won 8 of 10, and we're reaching the point of the season where champions open up ground on their pursuers. A 3-3 trip would be acceptable. A 4-2 trip would be great. Anything else is gravy.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
Two out of Three
Solid series in Seattle, after coming off a solid series in Texas. The Angels are now 10-12 on the road, which is pretty good following their 1-7 start. The most satisfying moments from this series? Jose Guillen striking out with the bases load and two out in a 2-0 game in game 2, and watching the ball go right between his legs on a base hit to right field last night. That was pretty sweet.
The Revs got a post up over at the mother ship about what's been good and bad so far. I'll say that I've been wrong on Matthews to this point, though I still think five years is way too long of a deal. However, I have been right about Willits. I maintained that Willits would outproduce Matthews this season, based partly on high expectations I had for Willits, and low expectations for Matthews. Reggie hasn't disappointed.
So after a quarter of the season, the hold a three game lead over the Mariners and A's. They've had Garret Anderson miss a ton of time (no big loss), and they've have Howie Kendrick miss a ton of time (big loss). In addition, Colon appears to be back and healthy, and Weaver has been solid, save for one unfortunate outing. The looming issues right now are Scot Shields, who has been good, but unreliable, and Justin Speier, who seems to have disappeared for some reason. And then there's Sheam Hillenbrand, who has been awful. He's either going to head back towards the mean and be decent the rest of the way, or he's history once Garret Anderson comes back. I'm guessing the latter.
I'm not particularly concerned about Kotchman or Napoli. Napoli has showed signs of breaking out of his slump a little bit. Kotchman is going to be up and down all season. He's a streaky hitter at this point, and a lot of that is probably due to his youth. I think he'll find that consistency as his career moves on.
So I could be happier right now, but all in all, things look pretty good. They've got room to improve, and they'll need to play better if they hope to win the division, but there's not a whole lot to complain about right now.
The Revs got a post up over at the mother ship about what's been good and bad so far. I'll say that I've been wrong on Matthews to this point, though I still think five years is way too long of a deal. However, I have been right about Willits. I maintained that Willits would outproduce Matthews this season, based partly on high expectations I had for Willits, and low expectations for Matthews. Reggie hasn't disappointed.
So after a quarter of the season, the hold a three game lead over the Mariners and A's. They've had Garret Anderson miss a ton of time (no big loss), and they've have Howie Kendrick miss a ton of time (big loss). In addition, Colon appears to be back and healthy, and Weaver has been solid, save for one unfortunate outing. The looming issues right now are Scot Shields, who has been good, but unreliable, and Justin Speier, who seems to have disappeared for some reason. And then there's Sheam Hillenbrand, who has been awful. He's either going to head back towards the mean and be decent the rest of the way, or he's history once Garret Anderson comes back. I'm guessing the latter.
I'm not particularly concerned about Kotchman or Napoli. Napoli has showed signs of breaking out of his slump a little bit. Kotchman is going to be up and down all season. He's a streaky hitter at this point, and a lot of that is probably due to his youth. I think he'll find that consistency as his career moves on.
So I could be happier right now, but all in all, things look pretty good. They've got room to improve, and they'll need to play better if they hope to win the division, but there's not a whole lot to complain about right now.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Get used to this
Maybe not the final. Maybe not the horrendous defense. Maybe not the bad outing.
But get used to the Angels losing every game started by Felix Hernandez for probably the next 15 years or so.
Say what you will about Escobar, but if Figgins isn't a moron, he goes into the third tied, and if not for Ztu, it's a tie game with one out in the third. Kelvim didn't have his good stuff, but his defense killed him.
But get used to the Angels losing every game started by Felix Hernandez for probably the next 15 years or so.
Say what you will about Escobar, but if Figgins isn't a moron, he goes into the third tied, and if not for Ztu, it's a tie game with one out in the third. Kelvim didn't have his good stuff, but his defense killed him.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Angels 7; Rangers 2
This being a day game, I had to sort of watch while "working". Missed Kotch's grand slam, and since most of the fireworks came in that at bat (shout out to Napoli's double as well, and the two run single from Murphy), there wasn't a whole lot left to see on the offensive end.
That's seven safe trips to first base for Kotchman in the last two games. He's establishing himself as a somewhat streaky hitter, which isn't all that surprising for a guy who's only 24. Consistency should come with more experience and at bats.
Little Weav was strong again, pitching through a rain delay, and going seven innings with only 87 pitches, striking out five while allowing eight to reach safely. This was Weaver's 25th start, and maybe that's a good time to make a comparison to his brother. There's another guy out there who likes this comparison a lot, so let's see where we're at.
Jeff: 25 starts, 8-10, 5.23 ERA, 144.2 IP, 101 K, 1.304 WHIP, 22 Homers
Jered: 25 starts, 13-5, 2.79 ERA, 155.1 IP, 135 K, 1.127 WHIP, 18 Homers
If you follow those links, click on the red numbers on the right to get cumulative career stats through that particular game. Granted, the Tigers sucked when Jeff played for them, so pay as little attention to that record as you'd like. And in the interest of full disclosure, Jeff was a year younger (so you could make the case that Jered is MUCH better at this age than his brother), and those starts came over the course of one season, as opposed to two. But the rest of the numbers speak for themselves. Granted, Jeff had great numbers through 14 starts. We're now 11 starts past that, and Jered is still kicking ass, and if you take away his one awful start this year (a true anomaly through his first 25), his numbers get even more impressive.
Additionally, if we dig a little deeper, we find that Jeff was 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA after 14 starts. Jered was 9-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Both look pretty damn good. But one of the main cries of the skeptics has been "wait 'til the league sees Jered twice". Assuming that MLB teams actually have an advanced scouting budget, I'm guessing that most teams are prepared for Jered at this point. So let's see how each fared over his next 11 starts.
Anyway, the Angels are now 8-11 on the road, which isn't that great, but consider they're 7-4 since that awful start, and they seem to have righted the ship somewhat. Aside from Santana's road woes (nice perspective given by the Chronicler over here), the starters have been fantastic. The bullpen has been spotty, or rather, most of the bullpen has been great, Darren Oliver sucks, and Scot Shields has not been reliable. The offense should get a jolt when Howie Kendrick returns, but all we can do is hope that it's not negated by Garret Anderson's return, which may very well lead to less time for Reggie Willits. Hopefully that's a net positive. And pending the eventual DFA of Shea Hillenbrand, the offense may improve from "terrible" to simply "not very good". With their pitching, that might be enough.
On to Seattle to hopefully open some ground on the M's. The good news? Santana's misses the series and his next start is on friendly ground.
That's seven safe trips to first base for Kotchman in the last two games. He's establishing himself as a somewhat streaky hitter, which isn't all that surprising for a guy who's only 24. Consistency should come with more experience and at bats.
Little Weav was strong again, pitching through a rain delay, and going seven innings with only 87 pitches, striking out five while allowing eight to reach safely. This was Weaver's 25th start, and maybe that's a good time to make a comparison to his brother. There's another guy out there who likes this comparison a lot, so let's see where we're at.
Jeff: 25 starts, 8-10, 5.23 ERA, 144.2 IP, 101 K, 1.304 WHIP, 22 Homers
Jered: 25 starts, 13-5, 2.79 ERA, 155.1 IP, 135 K, 1.127 WHIP, 18 Homers
If you follow those links, click on the red numbers on the right to get cumulative career stats through that particular game. Granted, the Tigers sucked when Jeff played for them, so pay as little attention to that record as you'd like. And in the interest of full disclosure, Jeff was a year younger (so you could make the case that Jered is MUCH better at this age than his brother), and those starts came over the course of one season, as opposed to two. But the rest of the numbers speak for themselves. Granted, Jeff had great numbers through 14 starts. We're now 11 starts past that, and Jered is still kicking ass, and if you take away his one awful start this year (a true anomaly through his first 25), his numbers get even more impressive.
Additionally, if we dig a little deeper, we find that Jeff was 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA after 14 starts. Jered was 9-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Both look pretty damn good. But one of the main cries of the skeptics has been "wait 'til the league sees Jered twice". Assuming that MLB teams actually have an advanced scouting budget, I'm guessing that most teams are prepared for Jered at this point. So let's see how each fared over his next 11 starts.
Jered: 66.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 9 HR, 61 K
Jeff: 58.2 IP, 8.59 ERA, 16 HR, 40 K
Anyway, the Angels are now 8-11 on the road, which isn't that great, but consider they're 7-4 since that awful start, and they seem to have righted the ship somewhat. Aside from Santana's road woes (nice perspective given by the Chronicler over here), the starters have been fantastic. The bullpen has been spotty, or rather, most of the bullpen has been great, Darren Oliver sucks, and Scot Shields has not been reliable. The offense should get a jolt when Howie Kendrick returns, but all we can do is hope that it's not negated by Garret Anderson's return, which may very well lead to less time for Reggie Willits. Hopefully that's a net positive. And pending the eventual DFA of Shea Hillenbrand, the offense may improve from "terrible" to simply "not very good". With their pitching, that might be enough.
On to Seattle to hopefully open some ground on the M's. The good news? Santana's misses the series and his next start is on friendly ground.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Sheamful
If the Angels lose a game, chances are it has Hillenbrand's fingerprints all over it. Today, he may have homered, but he also left five guys on base, three in scoring position, in his last two at bats.
The guy sucks. Everyone knew he sucked before the Angels signed him, except possibly Bill Stoneman.
His failure to drive in a run in either at bat meant that Scot Shields was pitching the ninth, instead of Frankie, and Shields has more or less been about as reliable as a Trabant this season, and once again, he didn't even give his fielders a chance, serving up a game ending gopher ball to Nelson Cruz. Erick Aybar wasn't any better, going 0-5 and leaving six men on base. The difference, however, between Aybar and Hillenbrand is that Aybar can contribute defensively, and has played to a level that has warranted more playing time. Shea hasn't.
Santana was not good, but he kept his team in the game, though he continuously blew leads. Then again, if you expected Santana, against the Rangers offense, on the road, during the day, to even come close to pitching a good game, you're a moron.
On the plus side, Kotchman and HGHMJ each had three hits, and Napoli is up over .200. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Alfonso Maquez is a fucking idiot, not only screwing up a tag up play (in the Angels' favor), but also booting Carrasco for "throwing at" Ian Kinsler....in a tie game....with no one out....in the seventh inning....with a curve ball. Kinsler, of course, did nothing to move out of the way of the pitch, but that no longer matters to major league umps. Scioscia, for his part, got tossed while telling Marquez he's a fucking idiot.
It's looking like the Royals series. Weaver goes tomorrow, and don't be surprised if the Angels turn a good opportunity into a pile of crap yet again.
The guy sucks. Everyone knew he sucked before the Angels signed him, except possibly Bill Stoneman.
His failure to drive in a run in either at bat meant that Scot Shields was pitching the ninth, instead of Frankie, and Shields has more or less been about as reliable as a Trabant this season, and once again, he didn't even give his fielders a chance, serving up a game ending gopher ball to Nelson Cruz. Erick Aybar wasn't any better, going 0-5 and leaving six men on base. The difference, however, between Aybar and Hillenbrand is that Aybar can contribute defensively, and has played to a level that has warranted more playing time. Shea hasn't.
Santana was not good, but he kept his team in the game, though he continuously blew leads. Then again, if you expected Santana, against the Rangers offense, on the road, during the day, to even come close to pitching a good game, you're a moron.
On the plus side, Kotchman and HGHMJ each had three hits, and Napoli is up over .200. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Alfonso Maquez is a fucking idiot, not only screwing up a tag up play (in the Angels' favor), but also booting Carrasco for "throwing at" Ian Kinsler....in a tie game....with no one out....in the seventh inning....with a curve ball. Kinsler, of course, did nothing to move out of the way of the pitch, but that no longer matters to major league umps. Scioscia, for his part, got tossed while telling Marquez he's a fucking idiot.
It's looking like the Royals series. Weaver goes tomorrow, and don't be surprised if the Angels turn a good opportunity into a pile of crap yet again.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Angels 6; Rangers 3
I've been hard on John Lackey for the last couple of seasons because of his seeming refusal to put hitters away when he's ahead in the count. Time after time, he'll be ahead early, and let hitters off the hook, and even if he does get the out, he ends throwing 2-4 more pitches than he should have. Well, not tonight. Tonight he challenged guys, he got ahead, and he put them away. And guess what? He still struck out seven.
The proof is in the pitch count. He threw 95 pitches tonight, working eight and a third innings, and almost 73% of those pitches were strikes. That's efficiency, and that's not only going to allow John to work later into games, but it's going to help him enter his next start with similar sharpness.
Offensively, the Angels benefited greatly from an Ian Kinsler error, which would have started an inning ending double play, and instead allowed two Angels runners to cross the plate. As it was, the Angels still grounded into four double plays, with Kendry accounting for two of those, one on a shot back up the middle which took a fortuitous bounce off of Vicente Padilla right to Michael Young, or else it would have been an RBI single. Kendry was 1-4 and accounted for five outs, but still, he hit the ball hard every time up, which is more than you can say for the man he replaced.
Three straight wins, and just like that, the Angels seem to have turned it around a bit. It falls to big Bart tomorrow. I won't see this one, because a) I'll be playing golf, and b) it's a Fox regional broadcast, so I'd be blacked out anyway. Oh well.
The proof is in the pitch count. He threw 95 pitches tonight, working eight and a third innings, and almost 73% of those pitches were strikes. That's efficiency, and that's not only going to allow John to work later into games, but it's going to help him enter his next start with similar sharpness.
Offensively, the Angels benefited greatly from an Ian Kinsler error, which would have started an inning ending double play, and instead allowed two Angels runners to cross the plate. As it was, the Angels still grounded into four double plays, with Kendry accounting for two of those, one on a shot back up the middle which took a fortuitous bounce off of Vicente Padilla right to Michael Young, or else it would have been an RBI single. Kendry was 1-4 and accounted for five outs, but still, he hit the ball hard every time up, which is more than you can say for the man he replaced.
Three straight wins, and just like that, the Angels seem to have turned it around a bit. It falls to big Bart tomorrow. I won't see this one, because a) I'll be playing golf, and b) it's a Fox regional broadcast, so I'd be blacked out anyway. Oh well.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Hell?
I missed today's game due to a golf tournament in Michigan. What the hell happened? Figgins with two hits? Escobar in a game that lasted less than three hours? Has the whole world gone crazy?
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Angels turn the tables on Indians....and me
I'd love to say the previous post was reverse psychology, but I was actually pretty convinced that the Angels were going to lose tonight. Of course, I became convinced sometime last night, but that's another story.
As mentioned before, I missed the top of the first because I was at the Michael Penn show. He was at Schuba's, and I assume he was promoting his new compilation CD. And he played with the Last Town Chorus, which is essentially made up of Megan Hickey and whoever she brings along to play with her. And she's very attractive, and really cool (we had a nice chat after the show). It's not too often you see a woman on slide guitar, and she really makes it sing. Very glad I made it to the opening set. But I digress.
Anyway, Jered looked fairly solid, if not completely sharp for the following five innings, holding the Indians at bay, even though he may have needed a Houdini routine in the sixth inning.
Moseley entered from there to keep the Tribe down in the top of the seventh before Kendry Morales, replacing the heretofore worthless Shea Hillenbrand, provided the fireworks, crushing a pitch into the right field seats, tying the game at two. Following another excellent inning from Moseley (2 IP, 1H, only 16 pitches), Gary Matthews provided the winning margin in the bottom of the eighth, even though FSN may not have wanted you to see it. Frankie worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save, and temporary stem to the bleeding.
I'll gladly take the win, and it keeps the Angels above .500. But there's still not a whole lot to get excited about. On the plus side, they pounded out 11 hits, including a double from Kotchman. Perhaps more exciting than the Morales home run was the simple fact that he was in the lineup over Hillenbrand. It's a start.
Moseley dropped his ERA to 1.77 and earned his first win. The longer the offense continues to flounder, the more you have to think that Moseley's future is in another uniform. You can say what you will about his ceiling, but he's proving he can get major league hitters out, and he can do it as a starter or as a reliever.
Enjoy the victory, but this team is going to have to start scoring more than three runs per game if they hope to go on the type of May or June run that opens up a lead in the division that holds up the rest of the way.
Here's LTC doing David Bowie's Modern Love.
Indians something; Angels less than the Indians also something, for now
Just walked in the door after returning from the Michael Penn concert. Flipped on the TV and saw that the Angels gave up two runs in the top of the first.
At least it was nice of them to go ahead and lose tonight's game early. Now I've got time to do some cleaning, watch something else, etc.
It's unbelievable how much this team sucks.
Update: Will wonders never cease? Kendry Morales with an absolute bomb to right field and the game is tied. That's two more runs than I expected them to score.
At least it was nice of them to go ahead and lose tonight's game early. Now I've got time to do some cleaning, watch something else, etc.
It's unbelievable how much this team sucks.
Update: Will wonders never cease? Kendry Morales with an absolute bomb to right field and the game is tied. That's two more runs than I expected them to score.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
This team is awful
Bottom of the third inning, and from the swings they're getting against Cliff Lee, we may very well be in for a no-hitter tonight. I'm serious.
Fourth inning, now 3-0 Indians, and the game is officially over. See you tomorrow night.
Eighth inning. 3-1. Scioscia officially gives up on this game and brings in Darren Oliver.
Physioc just mentioned that, with Speier on the DL, Carrasco will pitch in more high pressure situations in the next two weeks. Umm, don't you have to be able to score enough runs to get a lead before you can be in a high pressure situation? I don't think Pipo will be in too many high pressure situations in the next two weeks.
It wasn't a fluke, folks. The Royals didn't get lucky to take two of four games from the Angels. This team is honestly no better than the Kansas City Royals. They're that bad.
Fourth inning, now 3-0 Indians, and the game is officially over. See you tomorrow night.
Eighth inning. 3-1. Scioscia officially gives up on this game and brings in Darren Oliver.
Physioc just mentioned that, with Speier on the DL, Carrasco will pitch in more high pressure situations in the next two weeks. Umm, don't you have to be able to score enough runs to get a lead before you can be in a high pressure situation? I don't think Pipo will be in too many high pressure situations in the next two weeks.
It wasn't a fluke, folks. The Royals didn't get lucky to take two of four games from the Angels. This team is honestly no better than the Kansas City Royals. They're that bad.
Drew Gordon to Westwood
Huge get for Ben Howland and the Bruins. Considered to be the best power forward (6'9") in the West, the Bruins have landed for 2008 three of the top 42 players according to Scout. Joining Gordon are guards Malcolm Lee (6'4") and Jerime Anderson (6'1"). That's a power forward, a combo guard, and a point guard. Nice combination of recruits, especially with a center already coming in next year.
On the one hand, the first thing that comes to mind is if Love stays two years, and dare I say it, even three, they're going to be scary good. On the other hand, even if Love goes, does anyone think Howland won't find a replacement? The guy is getting almost everyone he wants. Two final fours will do that.
Best of all, the haters have been saying all along that the UCLA style of play will turn off recruits. High school kids want to run and gun and have fun. They don't want to hunker down on the defensive end. So why has Gordon verbally committed to UCLA?
Only six months until basketball season.
On the one hand, the first thing that comes to mind is if Love stays two years, and dare I say it, even three, they're going to be scary good. On the other hand, even if Love goes, does anyone think Howland won't find a replacement? The guy is getting almost everyone he wants. Two final fours will do that.
Best of all, the haters have been saying all along that the UCLA style of play will turn off recruits. High school kids want to run and gun and have fun. They don't want to hunker down on the defensive end. So why has Gordon verbally committed to UCLA?
Gordon felt the Bruins, with their defensive-oriented style, fit his all-around capabilities best.Sounds like a smart kid. Sounds like a kid who wants to work hard at both ends of the floor. And with Ryan Wright's departure, the Bruins still have a scholarship to offer Jrue Holliday, Scout's #3 ranked player in the 2008 class. Nab him, and the Bruins likely have a top 3, if not top overall, recruiting class in 2008.
"I had to think about the style of play," said Gordon, who has both sets of grandparents living in the L.A. area. "What it comes down to is being an all-around good player. You have to be able to pick up the pace, slow down the pace. In this case, UCLA, I'll slow down the pace a little bit, learn and get better slowing myself down, focusing on defense instead of run and gun.
Only six months until basketball season.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
White Sox 4; Angels 3 - Shields blows it Again
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)