Panther of the Game: Nominate someone.
Was Lackey shutting out the Dodgers a big deal seeing as they are incompetent when it comes to stringing together hits? Napoli had the only Angel RBI in 3 games. New Daddy Juan Rivera scored the lone Angel run of the series.
We saved some face with this one.
PANTHER OF THE GAME: John Lackey
0 recs | 50 comments
It's Lackey
and it’s not even close.
He may have held an offense even more putrid than our own to 3 hits, but this is still the majors, and this is still a team that held us scoreless for 19 straight innings and 26 of 27 total innings. Lackey stepped in, took on the job, walked 2, allowed 3 hits, and struck out 9. He did his job, and masterfully well.
Coming a day after one of the most crushing defeats in Angels history against a heated (/hated) cross-town rival for fan supremacy, Lackey shuts them down and takes away the sting of a no-hitter we somehow lost.
Fangraphs agrees with this assessment by a LARGE margin.
I don’t know what else I can say… Lackey for an All-star spot? 68.2 IP in 9 starts with a 1.44 ERA, 54Ks, .89 WHIP?
It’s Lackey. It just is.
shiftyeyedgoat - June 29, 2008
Lackey big american stud from Texas state.
He pitch like Ace.
I am study every match of this team.
44FAN - June 29, 2008
I think I smell a new signature
I am study every match of this team.
shiftyeyedgoat - June 29, 2008
All your Lackey Are Belong To US
melvintoast - June 30, 2008
POTG is Halos Heaven for telling Scioscia to play NAPS and RIVERA
I’ll give it to RIVERA because he showed scioscia that he can hit and he is STILL going to be sitting on the bench TOMORROW. Poor Rivera what does he have to do for playing time?
acuda27 - June 29, 2008
Rivera is on "6th Outfielder" status
Its sad but true, Reggie Willits and his .167 average is still above Rivera on the depth chart. Matthews will continue to get a lot of PT because of his CF skills. Also, at this point, he’s pretty untraceable with that large salary.
Napoli will never be a high average guy, but at least can draw some walks and hit a few homers.
oasisman - June 29, 2008
hey, he can hit .235 for all i care
his D is above average, he knows how to get on base, and he has 35 HR potential.
i’ll take it
howiestheman - June 29, 2008
Gotta get off the interstate first!
I86 ain’t gonna cut it…
K3YEROUT - June 29, 2008
Without Lackey on the mound...
...that game is lost.
We scored one run, which with anyone else on the mound is not enough.
Lackey for Panther.
The Limey - June 29, 2008
For this reason
Lackey is Panther
You score 1 run and win – the pitcher deserves all credit in the world
gorams77 - June 29, 2008
hey naps deserves some credit too.......atleast HE was able to get that run home.......
unlike other members of this team this weekend
norcaliangelsfan - June 29, 2008
We're now a half-game from having the best record in the AL
Better than the Red Sox. We just finished a 6-3 road trip. Color me non-suicidal.
mattwelch - June 29, 2008
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-mattwelch
Rev Halofan - June 29, 2008
we scored 1 run in 3 games against the freaking Dodgers
color me partially suicidal
howiestheman - June 29, 2008
Hell, I've got zippers on my wrists
But what am I going to do?
God I needed today’s victory. I was so depressed. First Deutschland loses to Spain (I’m a Bayern Munich fan) then the potential of getting swept by the blue bastion of thug townies? Couldn’t have handled it. Thank you Thunder Mountain and Frankie Skykiss.
I think the former gets the kitty.
Zoe Necrosis - June 29, 2008
half a game from the best record
and not an All Star berth in sight
HaloDutch - June 29, 2008
Half a game from the best record in baseball is the player's fault.
Not having an All Star berth in sight is our fault.
Stirrups - June 29, 2008
Fans don't vote for pitchers
The case for Casey, Figgy & Vlad are much more tenuous than Saunders, Frankie & Santana.
mattwelch - June 29, 2008
Why are we talking about pitchers? I ain't. I know better than that.
Stirrups - June 29, 2008
What I mean to say is, our most deserving players are pitchers
mattwelch - June 29, 2008
i agree....santana, saunders, and big lack.........er lace.....whichever
norcaliangelsfan - June 29, 2008
...and dare I mention the ML leader in saves with 32?
K3YEROUT - June 29, 2008
oh d'oh yes.......i forgot......sorry frankie
norcaliangelsfan - June 29, 2008
Nice cameo today Matt!
:)
K3YEROUT - June 29, 2008
POTG Lackey
BOTG if any would be Sosh or Hatcher.
mjhsieh - June 29, 2008
Lackey for Panther, easlily.
Naps for honorable mention… took the walk in the ninth last night, came back today and got the RBI single. plus, his “all important” CERA just went down more. :P
howiestheman - June 29, 2008
*easily
im not sure what “easlily” is
howiestheman - June 29, 2008
maybe Damion Easilly
Rev Halofan - June 29, 2008
yeah something like that
howiestheman - June 29, 2008
Lackey as panther
tanana40 - June 29, 2008
Lackey as panther
Johnny Rivers as runner-up
red floyd - June 29, 2008
Lacking Offense
Since no one else stepped up I think it goes to Lackey. K-Rod def gave us a scare (like always). I think Lackey could have got that last out. He is having an amazing year despite coming in late from injury.
VladdyG - June 29, 2008
Napoli did step up to bat in our only run which won the game.
44FAN - June 29, 2008
So my question is...
will Side Salad and Johnny Rivers start tomorrow, or will they slide back into oblivion?
halofan91 - June 29, 2008
Petition
To rename this place Lackey’s Heaven.
[1] ReggieBullits
ReggieBullits - June 29, 2008
Lackey!
IP – 8.2
H – 3
R – 0
ER -0
BB – 2
SO – 9
HR – 0
ERA – 1.44 = Panther
Funke5ive - June 29, 2008
Mickey Hatcher
for all the blistering hitters we have.
higdog - June 29, 2008
Lackey
vladtheimpaler - June 29, 2008
Oh Good God man
Lackey what a pitching performance
highlandhalo - June 29, 2008
scottnak - June 29, 2008
man i wonder what would have happened if someone put dodgers?
or even better yet…..and angel win but a dodger winning pitcher lol….....
norcaliangelsfan - June 30, 2008
Lackey
for panther of the game. No brainer.
Downing Rules - June 30, 2008
I was there
finally got to see one game of this series and it was in person. John Lackey is a franchise pitcher and was definitely the Panther for this game. he was dominant just as i thought he’d be and we got the victory.
i was pleasantly surprised with the fan behavior overall…maybe it was all the red i saw in the stadium.
Juan Rivera does need to play more. not because of the 2 hits yesterday but because if he gets more AB’s, he can be “that bat” we’re missing. i like GA, crap, i like GMJ and anyone who wears the halo uni but it’s all about winning and putting the best out there.
thank God the halos won yesterday….that was by far the mnost bizarre weekend i’ve had in a while.
SCHalo - June 30, 2008
Said it before
Lackey = 2008 Cy Young, in spite of his late start.
Chris Knapp's Sac - June 30, 2008
It's possible, but highly unlikely
According to B-Ref’s stats leaderboard, he’s not currently qualified for the league ERA lead because he hasn’t got “[o]ne inning pitched per team game that season rounded to the nearest integer.” Lackey’s on pace to pitch 19 games with 145 IP for the season, which would mean he would never be eligible to lead any rate stat. I just don’t see the voters giving the Cy Young to a guy who showed up for 2/3rds of a season.
In fact, there’s significant historical basis for this. The only pitcher to win the Cy Young with as few as 23 starts was David Cone in 1994. Next on the list is Greg Maddux in the same year with 25 starts, and Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, also with 25 starts.
scareduck - June 30, 2008
Among *starters*
I should also add that there have been relievers who got the Cy Young (Eckersley, Gagne), but they’re pretty rare, and at least in Gagne’s case, were operating in a fairly weak field.
scareduck - June 30, 2008
Still a chance to drop into a 4-man rotation.
Injuries and melt-downs will do that to a team. He could pick up the 3 more starts that way. Anybody finishing the year with 20 wins or better gets votes regardless of where they spent the first several weeks of the season.
Stirrups - June 30, 2008
Of course, by then Joe might be at 25 wins himself.
Lackey wouldn’t even end up as the best pitcher on the team.
Stirrups - June 30, 2008
"On Pace?"
The way I figure it, Lackey has about 15 starts left this year. He’s averaging over 7 IP/start this year. Round that down to an even seven, and he’ll pitch another 105 innings. Add that to his 68 2/3 thus far, and I get 173 2/3 IP. That’s more than one inning pitched per team game, rounded to the nearest integer (i.e., 174 > 162).
A better question would be, in a non-strike year, has any starting pitcher ever won the Cy Young with 175 or fewer IP?
And if he really maintains a miniscule ERA, say 2.5 or lower, could he really be denied?
jjackflash - June 30, 2008
Ah, my bad
Added his games started wrong. Nevertheless, only David Cone in 1994 has won a Cy Young with less than 190 IP; the average Cy Young winner as a starter has pitched 247.2 IP.
scareduck - June 30, 2008
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