Oh No! We Suck Again: Angels 1, Rays 11

hank God for the Lakers, because no one will care about this game. The Angels looked like they didn't care much either. Ervin Santana followed up John Lackey's brutal performance with one of his own. He lasted only 4.2 innings, and allowed six runs on eight hits, one of which left the yard off the bat of Evan Longoria. The bullpen was just as brutal. Rich Thompson only needed two-thirds of an inning to give up four earned runs. He allowed two homers, a solo shot to Dioner Navarro, and a three run blast to Carlos Pena.

On the plus side, it's not as if they wasted a great offensive performance. The Angels managed only four hits off of David Price and Grant Balfour. They didn't get any off of Randy Choate and Joe Nelson. Their only run came in the fifth inning on a Torii Hunter RBI single.

Amazingly, Price's performance wasn't good enough for the win. He didn't last the required five innings, primarily because his six walks and six strikeouts cost him 105 pitches through 4.1 innings. The Angels walked eight times in all, yet still couldn't muster more than one run.

Thoughts on the game:

• This team is very frustrating. Every time you think they've turned a corner, they do a 360 and end up right where they started. A series of good starts leads into a series of bad starts. Solid offensive games are mirages. I'm losing faith in their ability to put it together.
• This is the part where I try to look for positives, but I just didn't see any tonight. The three guys at the top of the lineup all get on base at nearly a .400 clip, yet they can't score more than one run. Again, frustrating.
• At least the Lakers won.

Wonderful Weaver: Angels 4; Rays 3

After a disappointing finish to the Detroit series, the Angels got off to a good start in Tampa Bay. That was no surprise, as their 2009 ace, Jered Weaver, was on the mound to start the series. It was his third straight win, and after going six innings and allowing two earned runs, it left his season ERA at 2.31, good enough for third in the American League. He kept the Rays off balance most of the night, working his change up to left handers with regularity, changing speeds and arm angles, and working out of a few jams. He struggled a bit with his command, walking four, but he made big pitches when he needed to. Tonight was an opportunity for Weaver to show that he's evolving from a throwier to a pitcher. He didn't have his best stuff, but he made it work.

The Angels got him some help early. Chone Figgins reached on an error to lead off the game. Bobby Abreu singled him to third, and two batters later, Vlad Guerrero delivered an RBI single for the first run of the game. Juan Rivera chased Abreu home on an RBI ground out. In the fifth inning, Howie Kendrick missed a home run by a matter of inches, but ended up with a triple. The umpires reviewed the play, but made the right call. Chone Figgins drove him in with a sac fly in the next at bat.

Tampa Bay finally got to Weaver in the sixth. After Evan Longoria walked, Carlos Pena doubled to put runners on second and third with no one out. An RBI ground out and a sac fly later, the Rays were within one run. The Angels added to the lead in the seventh, although they missed an opportunity to break the game open. Howie Kendrick led off the inning with a single, but was thrown out trying to go first to third on Chone Figgins' single. Bobby Abreu followed with an RBI double that would have scored Kendrick as well as Figgins.

Jason Bulger entered the game in the eighth inning and gave up a lead off homer to Ben Zobrist, but retired the next three hitters, two via the strike out. Brian Fuentes came on in the ninth inning, and promptly walked Joe Dillon. He almost did the same to BJ Upton, but got some help from home plate umpire Mark Wegner before getting Upton to fly to center. Fuentes induced a double play ball to second from Carl Crawford to end the game.

Thoughts on the game:

• Jered Weaver shows no signs of slowing down. He's very fun to watch, and he's really showing that he knows how to set up hitters and put them away with an array of pitches.
• Howie Kendrick is doing just enough to stay in the lineup. After five straight games without a hit, he has hits in five of his last six, including two tonight. He could be righting the ship before breaking out, or he could be bailing just enough water to stay afloat before sinking. Still, the signs for now are positive.
• Vlad is hitting .314 in his last eight games, but still not hitting for power. Hopefully the increased contact is a precusor to more power, but it's clear the Angels need to find power somewhere. They're scoring far too few runs for a team whose top three in the lineup are all getting on base at a clip better than .386, and can all run. They have table setters. They're just having a hard time getting those guys across the plate.

Angels 6; Jays 5

For the second straight night, the Angels got off to a quick start. John Lackey, trying to get back on track after some rocky outings, found a groove, lasting seven innings while allowing only two runs on seven hits. He threw 114 pitches, 69 for strikes, showing that he's apparently regaining his stamina.

The offense took advantage of Brian Tallet's shakiness in the first inning. Chone Figgins led off the game with a walk. He advanced to second on Erick Aybar's ground out, avoiding the double play by running on the pitch. Vladimir Guerrero singled him home. After Vlad stole second, it was Torii Hunter's turn to drive in the run. Another stolen base from Hunter and a Juan Rivera RBI double later, the Angels led 3-0. They pushed the lead to 4-0 when Chone Figgins singled home Robb Quinlan in the fourth inning. After the Jays pulled to within three, Mike Napoli's solo shot put the Angels back up by four.

Things got dicey in the eighth inning. Darren Oliver entered the game to start the eighth and allowed three straight hits. Justin Speier relieved him and allowed the first two hitters he faced to reach base before retiring the side. When the dust settled, the Jays had tied the game at 5-5. But the Angels fought back in the top of the ninth. Howie Kendrick bunted his way to first base to lead off the inning, and advanced to third on Chone Figgins' single. Erick Aybar grounded into a double play, scoring Kendrick for a 6-5 lead. Brian Fuentes struck out the side in the ninth, but not before allowing the go ahead run to reach first base.

Thoughts on the game:

• Chone Figgins was on base three more times, pushing his OBP to .385. Hopefully for Figgins, former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon is taking notice. He may be an all-star this year.
• Howie Kendrick is still struggling, but his bunt single probably saved this game for the Angels.
• Two straight quality starts for Angels pitchers. If they can get Ervin Santana straightened out, and if Kelvim Escobar returns strong, this could be the start of a good run.

Weaver Dominant Again: Angels 8; Jays 1

After a seemingly endless week of falling behind early and virtually losing games before they started, the Angels turned the tables on Wednesday night, getting off to a fast start and giving Jered Weaver plenty of run support on the way to his fifth win of the season. Chone Figgins opened the game with a single, and before Blue Jays starter Casey Janssen knew what had hit him, Bobby Abreu drove a pitch over the center field wall, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead.

It turned out those two runs were all they needed, though they would add six more. Jered Weaver was dominant in one of his best performances as a professional. He struck out a career high 10 hitters. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay combined for two doubles and the Blue Jays' only run. Weaver lasted seven innings, allowing only three hits and two walks. He lowered his ERA to 2.26, second in the AL only to Zach Greinke's otherwordly 1.10. 72 of his 107 pitches went for strikes. Weaver appears to be in line to become the Angels' fourth starting pitcher to be selected to the All-Star game in the last three seasons.

The offensive explosion was unncessary, but still enjoyable. Figgins added two doubles to his first inning single, pushing hit batting average over .300. Bobby Abreu homered, doubled, and drove in four runs. Vladimir Guerrero, Maicer Izturis, and Erick Aybar each recorded two hits, as the Angels finished the game with 13, seven of which went for extra bases.

Thoughts on the game:

• Blame it on the contract year, but Chone Figgins has been an ideal lead off man this year. He's getting on base at a .380 clip, and has stolen 20 bases, while only being thrown out four times. He saw more pitches (23) than any other Angel last night, which is what a lead off hitter is supposed to do. With Bobby Abreu's .390 OBP and 15 stolen bases in 15 tries, the Angels' offensive woes don't start at the top.
• Jered Weaver is finally fulfilling the promise he showed in his first string of starts, and he couldn't be doing it at a more important time. With Lackey and Santana struggling, and Saunders running hot and cold, Weaver has been the Angels' ace. He's doing everything a pitcher with his velocity needs to do. He's commanding the strike zone, he's throwing everything in his arsenal for strikes, and he's keeping hitters off balance. Best of all, he's fun to watch.
• Two solid innings in relief from Jason Bulger and Jose Arredondo last night. Still looking for signs of life from the bullpen. This may be a mirage, but it's nice to see for one night. On April 25th, Bulger had an ERA of 12.86. Since that date he's allowed only one earned run and 13 baserunners in 15.1 innings, lowering his ERA to 4.43. He's struck out 13 in that stretch. If this is for real, he may be pitching eighth innings a lot from here on out.

Well, this sucks

I'm sure nobody who reads this site cares about this, except me, but Aleksandra Campesinos! is leaving Los Campesinos! She's the redheaded vocalist in the video. I can't say enough about how fun these guys are to listen to and to see in concert. I'm sad to see her go.

Mariners 5; Angels 2

The Angels lack of offense made life made life difficult for Angels pitchers. John Lackey pitched a good but not great 7.1 innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out only two. But the offense never came close to bailing him out after the Mariners scored three runs in the third inning, and the Angels dropped their third game in the last four.

Lackey seemed to have decent command. 68 of his 106 pitches were in the strike zone, and he only walked two, but he was not missing a lot of bats. He struck out only two hitters. In the third inning, the Mariners did enough damage to win the game as they strung together four hits, a walk, and a sac fly, pushing three runs across in the process.

Juan Rivera homered in the fifth to pull the Angels within one, but Endy Chavez drove in the Mariners’ fourth run a half inning later. The Angels threatened in the seventh. They closed the lead to two runs, and had the tying run on base with one out. But Jason Vargas struck out Mike Napoli and Howie Kendrick to end the threat.

• Juan Rivera had a nice game, with three hits, a homer and a terrific catch that robbed Russel Branyan of a home run.
• On the other hand, the Angels had only five hits. Two by hitters not named Juan Rivera.
• Maybe Lackey and Santana needed an extra rehab start or two. Neither have looked particularly sharp since coming back, other than one Santana start. Lackey’s ERA is now 6.05.

Angels 3; White Sox 1

The Angels salvaged the final game of their three game set against Chicago. Jered Weaver, who has clearly been the Angels ace this season, shined yet again. He needed 103 pitches to last eight innings, allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out eight. He improved to 4-2 on the season, and he dropped his team leading ERA to 2.36. Brian Fuentes allowed only a hit in the ninth inning to close out his 13th save. Fuentes has now allowed only one run in his last 9.2 innings of work.

The Angels, who looked lethargic at the plate in the first few innings, got all of their offense in the sixth. Jeff Mathis led the inning off with a single. Chone Figgins followed with a single of his own, and Bobby Abreu drove both of them in with a double to right field. Two outs later, Juan Rivera hit what was arguably the worst pitch I’ve ever seen into the gap in left field for an RBI double, completing the scoring. Gavin Floyd threw a letter high change up that didn’t move an inch, and Rivera killed it.

Thoughts on the game:

• Weaver’s fastball seems down a couple of ticks from last year, but his location and control have been phenomenal. He’s changing arm angles and hitting his spots. He’s really having an all-star season so far.
• Bobby Abreu was on base three more times in this game. His OBP of .414 is actually higher than his SLG (.408). With Chone Figgins reaching base a .374 clip, the Angels actually have some table setters at the top of the lineup.
• Brian Fuentes is really starting to pitch well. He’s not going to blow guys away, so he won’t post the dominant saves that we used to see from Frankie Rodriguez when he was on his game, but the Angels just need him to get outs, and he’s doing that now.

Angels 3; White Sox 17

The score pretty much says it all. Not one Angels pitcher delivered an acceptable performance. It started at the top. Ervin Santana allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base, and gave up three first inning runs. The Angels offense bailed him out, getting three runs themselves in the bottom of the first, two coming home on Torii Hunter’s 38th and 39th RBIs of the season. But then the roof really collapsed. Second inning, single, single, single, homer, walk, and Santana was gone.

As bad as Santana was, the bullpen wasn’t any better. Rafael Rodrigues, up for the injured Shane Loux, allowed six runs in three innings. Jason Bulger allowed a run in two innings (the Angels’ ace of the night). Justin Speier allowed two in two innings. Jose Arredondo allowed one in his only inning.

Fortunately for the pitching staff, the offense was just as bad. The Angels managed only four hits all night, and only one after the first inning. This loss was a total team effort.

Thoughts on the game:

• Good news and bad news. The good news is that Vlad Guerrero was back in the lineup, and Howie Kendrick felt good enough to get into the game after it was out of reach.
• The bad news is that Guerrero and Kendrick combined to go 0 for 6 with two strikeouts.
• On the plus side, there’s no sense in wasting good offense on a night when the other team scores 17 runs, so hopefully the Angels saved something for the last two games.

Angels 10; Dodgers 7

The Angels fought back from an early 4-0 deficit to take the series from the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine, keeping Matt Palmer from taking his first loss of the season. The bullpen showed some cracks for the second straight night, but the offense arrived to bail them out as the Angels moved back to the three games over .500 on the season. They remain three games behind the first place Rangers, who completed their sweep of the Houston Astros.

Palmer struggled early, as he's done a few times this season. He allowed the first four hitters in the second inning to score, three of whom came home on Jamie Hoffman's first career home run. But Palmer settled down and kept the Dodgers scoreless into the fifth inning before he was replaced by Jason Bulger. Bulger tossed an inning and a third scoreless, and was followed by Justin Speier, who also delivered a scoreless frame.

In the meantime, the Angels offense got rolling. In the third inning, Robb Quinlan doubled home Erick Aybar, and a Chone Figgins single chased home Quinlan to cut the lead in half. In the sixth inning, the Angels erased the deficit completely and took their first lead of the game. Following a Chone Figgins walk and Bobby Abreu single, Torii Hunter delivered an RBI single. It came just minutes after Hunter almost left the game following a dazzling catch made while crashing into the wall into the bottom of the fifth. Juan Rivera followed with an RBI single, and Kendry Morales got Hunter home on a sac fly for a 5-4 lead.

Hunter's two run single in the seventh pushed the lead to three. The Dodgers threatened in the bottom of the eighth. They pulled to within one and loaded the bases with one out. But Darren Oliver induced a first to home ground out from Rafael Furcal, and Juan Pierre lined out to second to end the inning. The Angels added three in the top of the ninth, and though the Dodgers put on on the board in the bottom of the ninth, they could get no closer.

• He wasn't sharp all day, but Matt Palmer continues to provide what you want out of a fifth starter, which is a chance to win. He's kept the Angels in the game in his starts, and the offense has responded.
• Another 16 hit outburst by the offense. It's not a reliable way to score, but they've won a few games this year with the same death by a thousand cuts approach that was so successful in 2002.
• Kendry Morales may not be Mark Teixeira, but he's providing nice production for about 20 million bucks cheaper, and he's actually been pretty solid, if not spectacular, at first base.

Angels 3; Mariners 0

The Angels shut out the Mariners and finished the series in Seattle by taking three games out of four. Joe Saunders righted the ship after last week’s poor outing against Texas. He worked seven scoreless innings before turning the game over to Scot Shields and Brian Fuentes, who combined to close out the Mariners.

The staccato style offense may have only provided five hits., but three of those hits left the yard. Juan Rivera hit his third home run of the year, and second in four games, in the top of the first inning, providing the winning margin. Gary Matthews, Jr. followed with his first home run of the season in the third inning.

Both home runs came against starter Eric Bedard, who was otherwise effective. He allowed only those two hits, and struck out six in five innings as he returned from injury. Howie Kendrick finished the scoring for the Angels with a bomb to left field in the eighth inning off of Garret Olson. It was his fourth homer of the season.

Thoughts on the game:

• The Angels bullpen has now tossed 10.1 consecutive scoreless innings, dropping their ERA over a half a run in the process. Make no mistake, this will be the key to the Angels success this year.
• A winning team needs two of a good offense, good starting pitching, and good bullpen. The offense is what it is, and that means that the pitching, ALL of the pitching, needs to pick up the slack. This is why I think the bullpen will be key.
• No Angel had more than one hit, though Mike Napoli walked twice.
• Howie Kendrick continues to show signs of life, albeit barely. He went 5-15 in the series with a double, a homer, and 3 RBIs.

Jakubauskas'd: Angels 0; Mariners 1

Ervin Santana showed the form that he brought to the mound for most of last season, but Chris Jakubauskas showed the form of Bob Gibson circa 1968. Santana’s 6.2 innings of five hit baseball weren’t enough to overcome Jakubauskus’ six shutout innings, during which he allowed only two hits and two walks. Jakubauskas earned his third win of the season in the process.

The Mariners provided the game’s only offense in the first inning. Ichiro Suzuki led off the game with a double to right center field. Two batters later, Ken Griffey drove him home with a base hit to right, and with that, the Mariners put the only run of the night on the board.

The Angels’ most dangerous threat came in the top of the fourth inning. After Jakubauskas retired the Angels’ first two hitters, Torii Hunter doubled to left. Kendry Morales and Gary Matthews Jr. followed with walks to load the bases, but Howie Kendrick, swung at the first pitch and flied out to right field to end the inning.

The Mariners got three excellent innings of bullpen work from Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, and David Aardsma to close out the game. The trio combined to allow only two baserunners.

Thoughts on the game:

• Kendrick followed his two steps forward with a big step back. He was hitless in three at bats, and left four runners on base. As mentioned above, in the fourth inning, he came to the plate with the bases loaded, following two walks. Logic says you make the pitcher throw a strike, or even two, before taking an aggressive cut. But Kendrick offered at the first pitch he saw, and the Angels never threatened again. People are asking what the Angels will have to do with either Erick Aybar or Chone Figgins to make room for Brandon Wood, but the answer just may be “move one of them to second base”.

• The Angels bullpen, which entered the game as the worst in the American League, has now worked eight and a third consecutive scoreless innings. If they can bring their 5.91 ERA down by a run and a half by the end of the season, the Angels will win the division. It’s been their biggest hindrance to this point, and right now they aren’t ham and egging it very well, but with the starting rotation back in decent shape, if the bullpen gets going, their mediocre offense should be just barely good enough.

• Then again, the Angels were swept for the second time this season, and the second time in four games. Mediocre may be an optimistic assessment of the offense. Still, when everyone is back and healthy, they strike me a team that can win eight straight, and 14 of 15 at some point this season.
  

Still Perfect Palmer: Angels 6, Mariners 5

Matt Palmer needed a lot of help from the offense and the bullpen, but he gave the Angels a chance to win yet again, and his teammates responded, lifting him to fifth victory against zero losses as the Angels beat the Mariners for the second night in row. The Angels pulled to within three games of the first place Rangers, and moved two games over .500 for the season. They seem to have righted the ship a bit after last week’s debacle in Arlington.

The offense got started early against Felix Hernandez. The first four batters reached base. Chone Figgins led the game off with a single and Maicer Izturis drew a walk. Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter followed with back to back RBI singles to give the Angels a 2-0 lead. It was gone by the second inning. Palmer served up a solo shot to Ken Griffey Jr. in the first inning, while Ronnie Cedeno touched him for a two run homer in the bottom of the second, giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead.

The Angels tied the game in the fourth inning on Howie Kendrick’s RBI single. The Mariners retook the lead on Ichiro’s fourth inning RBI double, but the Angels responded the next half inning with a little luck and two runs, the first on a wild pitch from King Felix. The took a 5-4 lead when a tailor made double play ball from Mike Napoli ducked under the glove of Jose Lopez and rolled into center field.

The Angels extended the lead and chased King Felix with Abreu’s two out double in the sixth inning. The Mariners clawed back to within one after Palmer allowed a lead off double to Kenji Johjima, who would later come around to score, in the sixth inning.

The Angels bullpen took over from there, as Bulger, Scot Shields, and Brian Fuentes worked four innings of scoreless relief, hopefully a sign that the bullpen is getting back on track.

Thoughts on the game:

• As I mentioned yesterday, I thought this was going to be a tough one for the Halos. The Mariners clearly had the edge in the pitching matchup, but the offense touched Hernandez for six runs, and the pitching staff made it hold up. The pendulum swings back to the Angels tonight, as Ervin Santana goes against Chris Jakubauskas.
• The bullpen was really phenomenal. Bulger, Shields, and Fuentes combined for four perfect innings, with nine of the twelve outs coming via the strikeout. Fuentes struck out the side in the ninth.
• Howie Kendrick had two hits, again showing signs of life. Unfortunately, he was inexplicably double off of first base when Chone Figgins hit a looping liner in the eighth inning. Baby steps.

Angels 10; Mariners 6

John Lackey made his second season debut, and wasn’t great. He allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings. But the Angels offense delivered 10 runs, and delivered Lackey his first win of 2009.

The Angels pounded out 15 hits, seven for extra bases. They left their pop-guns in Texas, and showed up in Seattle with a Howitzer. Kendry Morales hit two home runs, giving him eight on the season. Juan Rivera hit his second of the season. But perhaps the biggest hit of the game came from Torii Hunter. Trailing 4-2 in the fifth inning, Kendry Morales singled, and reached third on Howie Kendrick’s double. After a Chone Figgins strike out, Erick Aybar delivered an infield single, pulling the Angels to within a run. Bobby Abreu drew one of his three walks to load the bases. Torii Hunter followed with a double to deep right center field, clearing the bases and giving the Angels a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Kendrick showed signs of life with two hits. In all, the bottom third of the Angels order (Rivera, Morales, Kendrick) combined to go 7-14 with three homers, a double, seven runs, and five RBIs.

Lackey was knocked around for seven hits in his five innings, but showed better control than he did in Texas, walking none. He was a victim of poor defense from Mike Napoli in the second inning. With Kenji Johjima on third base and Franklin Gutierrez on second, Ronnie Cedeno laid down a safety squeeze. Johjima broke for the plate only after Napoli decided to throw to first. The throw sailed into foul territory, and two runs scored on the error. The Angels bullpen allowed one run in four innings of work. Darren Oliver allowed the run in his two innings. Jose Arrendondo was a little shaky in a scoreless eighth, and with the save out of reach, Justin Speier worked a scoreless ninth.

Thougts on the game:

• Great production out of the bottom of the order, and Howie Kendrick better hope this is the start of a warming trend. With Brandon Wood destroying PCL pitching, Kenrick’s bat has emerged as the most likely to be replaced.
• Mike Napoli had two hits, but he also struck out twice, and his error cost the Angels two runs. It wasn’t one of his better games, but the bottom of the order really picked him up.
• Tonight’s win was important. As well as Matt Palmer has pitched, the Mariners have the better pitcher going tomorrow in King Felix, so it was important to get one on the board tonight. Wednesday won’t be a picnic either if Eric Bedard is healthy.

Swept back to .500; Angels 0; Rangers 3

The Angels fell back to .500 and 4.5 games behing the first place Rangers, as the offense came up empty against Scott Feldman and a trio of Texas relievers.

Jered Weaver went the distance, lasting eight innings while giving up three runs, all in his final two innings. His ERA climbed to 2.59. He allowed six hits and walked three, while striking out seven.

On the offensive end, the Angels were ineffective all afternoon. They amassed only five hits, and left runners in scoring position multiple times. Arguably their best chance to score came in the 7th inning. Following a Gary Matthews single, Howie Kendrick launched a fly ball to right center field. Josh Hamilton tracked it down and leapt into the wall the make the catch, saving at least one run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Hank Blalock opened the frame with a double. He advanced to third on a Nelson Cruz single, and scored on David Murphy’s sac fly. It was all the offense the Rangers needed.

Thoughts on the game

• Darren O’Day hasn’t been with the Rangers long, but he lasted an inning and a third, retired all four batters, and struck out two. He might look pretty nice in a bullpen full of guys that can’t get anyone out. Too bad the Angels let him get away.
• Jered Weaver has elevated himself to ace status so far this season. He’s been good enough to win in every start.
• Mike Scioscia probably wished he’d let Weaver go the distance in his last start. Instead, he pulled Weaver with a lead after 98 pitches, and the bullpen coughed it up.

Case Made: Angels 8; Red Sox 4

Matt Palmer overcame a shaky start and retired the last 19 Red Sox hitters he face. Mike Napoli saved a run by cutting down Jacoby Ellsbury trying to steal second, then blasted a three run shot to center field, which gave the Angels a lead that they would not relinquish.

Mike Scioscia, perhaps second guessing himself after last night’s bullpen meltdown, allowed Palmer to go the distance for his first major league complete game. Palmer surrended three hits in the first inning, including a two run shot to Jason Bay. In the second, he walked two and gave up a double to Nick Green as the Sox plated two more runs for a 4-0 lead.

But the Angels stormed back in the third inning against Tim Wakefield, as the first five hitters in the inning reached base. Reggie Willits, in for the ailing Gary Matthews, singled and stole second. Bobby Abreu walked. Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales delivered consecuting RBI singles, and Napoli cleared the bases with his bomb to center. Hunter added a solo shot of his own in the fourth inning, and the Angels tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth for the final margin.

Palmer was the story of the game, however. He needed 109 pitches to complete the game, allowing four runs on five hits, all in the first three innings. He didn’t allow a baserunner over the final six innings, and finished the game with eight strike outs, improving to 4-0 on the season in what may be his last start for a while.

* Palmer has made a strong case to stay in starting rotation. Ervin Santana will start tomorrow, and John Lackey returns on Saturday, but Palmer has earned the fifth spot over Shane Loux for now.
* Loux could be a valuable weapon out of the bullpen, especially if he enters a game with runners on base. He’s a good sinker baller, and has an above average GB/FB ratio. Just what you want when you need a double play.
* Mike Napoli’s bat has become a must have in the Angels line up. I don’t expect his average to remain high, but he and Torii Hunter are the only power sources right now, and he has the ability to carry an offense.

Jered vs. Jeff

I don't really want to write about what happened at the end of last night's game, since it was fairly predictable. What was somewhat unpredictable was Mike Scioscia's hook, pulling Jered Weaver after seven innings and fewer than 100 pitches. He survived a dangerous sixth inning, but breezed through the fourth, fifth, and seventh, and appeared to be pitching well. Maybe Weaver told Scioscia he was done.

Regardless, that's just a lead in to something I haven't looked at in a while. The sentiment has been expressed by some members of the Halosphere (not to mention any names......rob) that Jered Weaver is simply a younger version of Jeff Weaver, and that his solid young career is simply a carbon copy of Jeff Weaver's solid young career, which eventually turned to crap. So let's see where Jered sits in comparison to Jeff at this point.

Some disclaimers: Jeff Weaver was 22 years, 135 days old when he made his first major league start. He also played on a crappy team, which undoubtedly affected his W-L record. Jered Weaver was 23 years, 235 days old when made his debut, and played on a much better team. Let's look at the numbers through 84 career starts:

Jered: 38-20, 508.1 IP, 3.59 ERA, 480 H, 142 BB, 1.22 WHIP*, 407 K, 59 HR, 1 CG.
Jeff: 30-37, 526 IP, 4.57 ERA, 538 H, 164 BB, 1.33 WHIP*, 357 K, 67 HR, 6 CG.

*WHIP typically doesn't inlcude HBP, and I didn't include it here, but Jeff had hit 38 batters to that point against Jered's 12.

Jeff has a clear advantage in complete games. Jered has sizable advantages almost everywhere else. He's been a run per game better. Both in the aggregate and per inning he's allowed fewer baserunners, struck out more, walked fewer, and allowed fewer homers. Jered has outpitched Jeff in every category through this point in their careers, significantly so.

I know what you're going to say. Jered started like a ball of fire and since then, he's been good, but not terrific. His numbers are skewed by that great start. Fair enough. Through his first seven starts, Jered was 7-0 with a 1.15 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, had struck out 40 in 47 IP, and allowed only two homers. So let's compare Jered, minus those first seven starts, against Jeff's numbers above.

Jered minus first seven starts: 3.84 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7.16 K/9, 1.11 HR/9
Jeff from numbers above: 4.57 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 6.11 K/9, 1.15 HR/9

Even if we ignore the best stretch of Jered's career, he's still outpitching Jeff in every important category by a significant margin through a similar career point. It's really no contest.

And the coup de grace? Jered is pitching better at this point than at any other point in his career, save for his first 10 starts. He's shouldering the load with Joe Saunders, and he's risen to the occasion. We'll be following this periodically, but I'd say that 84 starts are a pretty fair sample, and the verdict to this point is clear.

Sweep: Angels 4; Royals 3

The Angels didn’t generate much at the plate, but they took advantage of some Kansas City mistakes, and got some timely fielding from Torii Hunter to sweep the Royals for their fourth win in a row.

Shane Loux left after allowing three runs on seven hits in just 3.2 innings, but Darren Oliver and Scot Shields provided 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, giving the Angels offense an opportunity to get back into the game. They got their chance in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Kendry Morales was erased on what looked like botched hit and run, Mike Napoli walked. Howie Kendrick bounced one back to Jamey Wright, who threw an easy double play into center field. Kendrick then stole second, and Jeff Mathis delivered a two run single. Howie Kendrick should have been out by 15 feet at the plate, but Miguel Olivo couldn’t handle Jose Guillen’s throw. After an Erick Aybar single, Chone Figgins squeezed home Mathis for the game winning run.

Brian Fuentes came on in the ninth for the Angels and quickly gave up a long fly ball to Miguel Olivo. Hunter tracked it down, leaped, and pulled the game tying home run back into the park for the first out. After allowing a walk and a single, Fuentes induced a game ending double play from David DeJesus.

Thoughts on the game:

• Sometime aggressive baserunning takes you out of an inning, but the Angels forced the Royals defense to make plays in the pivotal seventh inning, and the Royals were not up to the task.
• If you missed Torii Hunter’s game saving catch, don’t worry. It will be on TV all night. It was a tremendous catch.
• Bobby Abreu’s production at the plate has fallen off recently, but he today he did what the Angels hoped he’d do when they signed him. He reached base four times, all via the walk.

You've seen it everywhere by now, but here's that catch:

.500!! Angels 4; Royals 1

Matt Palmer made his second straight excellent start, and picked up his second straight win. He lasted 5.1 innings, allowed one run on two hits, walked three, and struck out five en route to his third victory. He lowered his ERA to 3.06. Darren Oliver relieved Palmer in the sixth and pitched an inning and two thirds. He allowed two hits, and matched those with two strikeouts. Jose Arredondo and Brian Fuentes pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings respectively, as the Angels finally clawed their way back to .500.

The Angels offense pounded out ten hits*, including two each from Maicer Izturis, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli, and Howie Kendrick*. Jeff Mathis singled home Mike Napoli in the second inning, and Napoli singled home Torii Hunter in the third. In the sixth inning, with Juan Rivera on second base, Howie Kendrick hit a high fly ball down the left field line. Jose Guillen reached the ball in plenty of time to make the catch, but much to the delight of Angel fans, he misplayed the ball. The ball rolled into the right field corner. Juan Rivera scored easily, and Howie Kendrick raced around the bases for an inside the park home run*.

*Note that these numbers may change. The Kendrick fly ball was ruled an inside the park homer, but I expect that ruling to change. The ball glanced off Guillen’s glove, and should be scored an error.

Thoughts on the game:

• Darren Oliver should be congratulated for recording his 1,000th career strikeout in the seventh inning.
• The bullpen is starting to come together, though right now it appears Oliver will be filling the role we expected Scot Shields to play. Emphasis on “right now” as that could change. But Arredondo and Fuentes are pitching very well.
• Tomorrow’s matchup should be excellent. Joe Saunders brings his four wins and 3.29 ERA against Zach Grienke and his otherworldly 0.40 ERA.

The Tim Salmon Interview

For a longer background, refer to this post. Long story short, Tim Salmon is helping to promote a test drive event for the Can-Am Spyder Roadster, which will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 9th at Angel Stadium. You can test drive the vehicle, and Tim will be present for pictures and autographs.

As part of the promotional efforts, a few Angels bloggers were given the opportunity to individually interview Tim for about 15-20 minutes. We conducted the interview yesterday over the phone. Here is the full transcription (it's kinda long for this template, so beware). I should also just put the disclaimer here. I am NOT a professional journalist. My intention was not to ask penetrating or controversial questions. My goal was to ask the types of questions that I thought Angels fans would enjoy. When I write about the Angels, it's from a fan's perspective, and it's written for other fans. So to the extent that I don't live up to your expectations as a journalist, well, sorry. Also, for more Tim, see this interview at SoCal Sports Hub. The questions about slow starts and the 2009 Angels were mine (we shared info).

The Interview

Seitz: Great to talk to you. I’ve been a long time fan of the Angels going back to the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, so I was there for the entirety of your career watching and enjoying what you guys brought to the team. First off a couple of baseball questions, I wasn’t planning this, but I have to ask your reaction to the whole Manny Ramirez thing.

Tim Salmon: Pretty shocking, and as the hours go by, it becomes even more and more. I just did the Fox interview and they were saying something about the female hormone treatment which basically according to Jose Canseco is a masking agent for steroid use or something like that. I don't know all the details. When you first hear something like that you're shocked and you give them the benefit of the doubt and then the more that comes out, the more you go "oh no, we've got another A-Rod situation on our hands here."

Seitz: Especially considering it doesn't sound like they're going to appeal. the first excuse sounded like it was a mistake, but you figure if that was the case there would be some further action on their part, and it doesn't sound like there's going to be.

Tim Salmon: I know and that's usually a sign that there's something beneath the surface there. I just think for the game of baseball we just need to jump this hurdle and get it over with. Unfortunately there are still enough of these guys out there that it's going to keep coming back at different times. On one hand it's sad because you'd like to move on with the game and know that what we've got in place is the right thing and the game will survive and get better for it, and then these things just kind of pull it back.

Seitz: You played under a number of different managers with the Angels; Buck Rodgers, Marcel Lacheman, Terry Collins... What it is about Scioscia that gives him the staying power where other guys seem to wear out their welcome.

Tim Salmon: Scioscia has a unique style in that he's very personable, he's really interested in building team chemistry I think the coaching staff that he brings along with him really cultivates that in the clubhouse I think he's been blessed by the fact that the whole philosophy up and down the organization is on the same page. We have a minor league system that is being developed with great scouting. We're a factory of young talent so you don't necessarily need to go buy your way to a championship. You can fill it with players who are helping us get there with the young superstar of the team like a John Lackey. The building from within philosophy is really helping him because he's able to reload and keep himself on the winning end of things and I think as long as you're a winning manager, that's going to give you the most staying power. But I think it's his philosophy and his personality, the way he goes about dealing with people and managing the game. The managing part of the game, that's the part that maybe those who don't know him don't realize that he's such a student of the game, such a smart manager, never unprepared, very well organized in every aspect of the game. So I think organizationally speaking, he's the CEO and he's a phenomenal CEO. he handles every aspect of the game from top to bottom.

Seitz: Along those same lines, you've played for three different ownership groups. The Autry's were beloved by most Angels fans. Disney brought a world championship. But the success under Arte Moreno has been phenomenal both on the field and in the stands. What have you noticed under Moreno that seems to sustain the success?

Tim Salmon: Arte is probably what Mr. Autry was in his younger years. He's a passionate owner who wants to win and has the resources to make it happen, to bring in the necessary pieces of the puzzle. He's a great owner to play for because he's an owner who wants to win and he wants to win it all and there's no sidestepping that, and I think every player out there will tell you, you know in the organization what their objective is. There's a lot of years when they want to win and be competitive, but they don't want to do what they have to do to win the World Series, paying for the free agent or making the deal at the deadline, or making the commitment to something. Players know that, and over the course of my career I saw that too at times. When Mr. Autry was at the end of his career and we went through a rebuilding phase, with young players, that gave me an opportunity, but you knew there wasn't going to be that commitment to win a world championship. We were going to do the best we could with what we had, but sometimes it takes more than that, and you need resources. The Disney thing, we felt more like a stepchild. We were part of a bigger organization more corporate. there wasn't a lot of love necessarily. You have your GM, but beyond that, you didn't know where it ended. Nonetheless, we were able to bring in the right pieces. Stoneman and Scioscia came in towards the tail end of that ownership and that was the beginning of our success. They brought in the gameplan and it happened on their clock, so they get the credit for it. But without a doubt, Arte is the owner that every player in the country would love to play for. He's committed to winning and he just asks what you need, and if you can justify it and show how it's going to make a difference, he'll do it and there's nothing better than to be playing for an owner like that.

Seitz: The Angels history prior to 2002 is not necessarily something that a lot of new owners would embrace. But Arte seems to go out of his way to reach back to that era and reach out to former players. As a former player yourself, have you noticed those efforts.

Tim Salmon: Arte is about building a legacy and connections with the past and making the organization more than just what it is today. It's about bringing in the story behind it and what's brought on success from the past. And I see that. You see guys like Grich and Finley and Don Baylor and Rod Carew. You see these guys around the ballpark more. Why? Arte's out there asking them to come back, and that was something that was never presented to those guys in that way. Arte makes you feel wanted. But the one thing you need to know about Arte is that he's a very loyal guy, and his all of the crew that he brought along to help reorganize the Angels are all his frat buddies. So he's very loyal and very family oriented, and it shows. He's just brought that to the Angels. We have so many Dodger influences with Scioscia and some of the coaches, but I think the combination of the two, they're creating that with this organization. You're part of a family and legacy that isn't just about the time you were here playing. It's about more than that. He's done a great job of bringing all that back and doing the alumni stuff and as a young player, to come up and see these guys and think "I'm part of something bigger than just me." There's a sense of responsibility to the family so to speak.

Seitz: One thing that's taken place under Mike Scioscia is that the Angels have been focused on putting the ball in play, taking the extra base and aggressive base running, but you were always a very patient hitter drawing 90 walks per season, you always hit for a lot of power. When they came in, did you notice a change in philosophy? Did they try to change the way that you approached the game at all?

Tim Salmon: They did, there was a philosophy change. It took a couple years to kinda buy into it and see it in action. Whatever you want to call it. Everybody wants to call it the national league style, but more than that, Scioscia didn't call it that, and it may resemble that in some ways, but it comes down to playing the game right and understanding why the game is played that way and understanding the bigger picture. Scioscia was so much of a big picture guy. He always talked about the big picture, but at the same time, he could narrow it down the nuts and bolts of one pitch at a time, one at bat a time, and his whole philosophy, whether it's hitting and running, or moving runners, we're talking about being aggressive and not being station to station and not relying on a certain part of the lineup to win games, but really having nine guys who know how to play the game and all of the different variances to help you be successful, and there's not a greater example of that than 2002. We'd been beating our heads against the wall. In 2000 we had four guys hit over 30 home runs. We had all the power and offense you thought you needed, but for some reason, we couldn't get past Oakland who had the great pitching. Why is that? You gotta find a way to beat that good pitching and maybe sacrifice a bit of a home run swing to do what's right, whether it's taking pitches and working counts or moving the runner over and hitting and running and taking it upon ourselves that there isn't anyone on the team bigger than the team, to do whatever the situation calls for, and that was something that guys like Ersty and Eckstein and those guys set the table early on and said "anything that it takes to do the job". You would find yourself in the course of the year with a runner and second and no outs, and yeah I'm the clean up hitter, but the situation calls for this guy to get to third base. OK, cut the swing down and get him over. Give the RBI to the next guy. And I think what it comes down to is you end up learning how to play unselfishly. As much as we want to say it's a team game, at the end of the day, guys are always interested in what they hit, how many hits did they get, how many RBIs. Everybody's looking at their personal stats, and I think Scioscia really cultivates a mindset that as a team we're greater as a whole than we are as individuals, and that's why we won in 2002. We were able to scrap together two or three runs off the Zitos and the Mulders and the Hudsons where we couldn't do that in years earlier.

Seitz: On 2002, most people remember the two home runs you hit against the Yankees in game three, and the two home runs you hit against the Giants in game 2, the big one that ended up winning the game, but one thing that gets lost in the hoopla of game six, with the Spiezio home run and the Erstad home run and the Glaus double was the single that you hit to follow up the Erstad home run. A lot of time TV guys will say that you don't want to hit a home run because it kills the rally, but you restarted the rally right after that home run, and as a fan watching that game who had taken myself through the process where I was ready to deal with the defeat, that was the moment that I really believed that you guys were going to come back and tie the game. You had a guy on base with no one out. Was there a time for you guys in the dugout where you thought "Now we're definitely going to win this game and take it to game 7". Was there a moment where you all felt that?

Tim Salmon:Well when Spiezio hit the home run before that, to break that lead that they had and really spark the crowd, that was the re-energizing that we needed at the time because it was looking kinda like this wasn't going to happen, but I think Spiezio is the one that sparked us and got us going. But the one thing about that year is that my knee was bothering me and they started pinch running for me late in games, and they'd put Alex Ochoa on defense, and Figgy came in to run for me and I believe the next hit...all the sudden you have a base stealer on the bases who can take away the concentration from the pitcher which ends up helping the next hitter and the next hitter and the next hitter, so you're right, I think sometimes ya know, I've never really heard anyone mention anything about the base hit that I had, but in essence, you are right because it allowed us to put in our speedy guy which I think that had a big impact on the way that rally got going that inning, and giving Troy the opportunity to drive in the runs.

Seitz: Because you figure you get within a run, but you're looking at a pretty good bullpen, and you still need to score a run, but all of the sudden you get that leadoff runner on base and it's a whole different ball game, and I think you're right, that next hit was the bloop double by Garret Anderson where Figgins went first to third and I don't know if it had any effect on the way that Barry Bonds approached that ball down the line, but he did struggle with it, and once you had guys on second and third and nobody out you had to figure at the very least you guys were going to tie it.

Tim Salmon: The thing about that team that was awesome, and you hear it, every championship team says the same thing, it's all 25 guys. Every guy on that team played a role. every guy on that team had their day in the limelight during that whole playoff run. You can go up and down that lineup and each guy talk about what they did and that's what's so special, and we looked at the other dugout and they had Barry Bonds over there. They had the same stuff going on but all you ever heard about was Barry. It was Barry's World Series. And we had the mindset of "hey, nobody's bigger than the team", and they might have had that on the other side, but it definitely wasn't portrayed in the media.

Seitz: Tell me about this test drive event that's coming up.

Tim Salmon: Yeah, the Test Drive is Saturday (May 9th) at the ballpark at 12:30. It's an opportunity for everybody to come out and get on one of these Spyder Roadsters and the great thing about it is that you just need your regular driver's license. It's really made for the novice to get an opportunity to get on the street and get the feel of the wind blowing through your hair with all the safety and security of what you might have in a car or a quad, stability wise. It's a great bike and it's going to be a neat event, for everybody to come out. I'm going to be there available for pictures and autographs, but more importantly it's all about a chance to show off this one of a kind product.

Seitz: I know you’ve gotta run to another interview, but thanks for the time, Tim. As a lifelong fan it’s always nice to meet one of you guys, even over the phone.

Tim Salmon: Yeah, you take care and go Angels.

A Little Background on the Salmon Interview (coming soon)

Some members of the Angels blogosphere were given the opportunity to interview Tim Salmon for 15 minutes or this week to help promote an event that he'll be attending on Saturday at the Big A. He'll be on hand to meet fans and pose for pictures while promoting the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. It's billed as

One of the coolest and most eye-catching vehicles to hit the open road. The Spyder is a unique three-wheeled vehicle that has been making heads turn since its launch, and will continue to do so this month in Los Angeles as all Angel fans can test ride the Spyder roadster free of charge at Angel Stadium on May 9th from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Now I'm not really a motorcycle guy, but this thing does look pretty cool, and giving it a spin around the Big A parking lot sounds like fun. Apparently you don't need a motocycle license to drive one on the street. Unfortunately, I'll be 2000 miles away, but if you're in the area, you might want to check it out and take a few minutes to meet an Angels legend. It's supposed to be sunny and 79, so unlike those of us in Chicago, you can't use the weather as an excuse.