Would ya believe 68-40?
Tonight was Game #108. With 54 left we have now completed 2/3 of the 2008 season.
This was just the best damn July, with only 6 losses, so the boost to analyzing the team as a whole improves relative to if we had simply duplicated June's good but not great results. Nobody seems to want to fire Mickey Hatcher at the moment...
The Angels are 28 games over 500, they have the best record in Major League Baseball, they have their biggest lead in franchise history. Other than an amazing season by Frankie Rodriguez, the Angels have no player that is carrying them on his shoulders in a particular department - the depth we raved about in Spring Training has been the story.
GMJ tanking? Juan Rivera appears with the power stroke.
Vlad subpar? Torii is nearing 20 HR.
Escobar shelved? Saunders and Santana make the All-Star Team.
Speier sucking? Arredondo appears on the horizon, ready for the 7th inning role.
Figgins and Howie hurt early? Aybar and Izturis help us tread water.
Napoli on the DL? Mathis rakes.
O'Day shaky tonight? there is always Bulger and Moseley to walk the league-average line.
ANY ONE OF THE ABOVE SITUATIONS COULD HAVE SUNK ANOTHER TEAM.
WE NOT ONLY SURVIVED THESE CHALLENGES, WE HAVE THRIVED DESPITE THEM... and made new discoveries of who can and will contribute when called upon.
Time to move into 3rd gear? Tony Reagins pulls the trigger for La Freire Teix.
If this team stays healthy, it will remain the best team in 2008.
End of Analysis. Enjoy the rest of this special season.
2 recs | 29 comments
PANTHER!!!!!!!!!
WELL SAID REV, THIS TEAM IS SPECIAL AND WE SHOULD ALL ENJOY EVERY SINGLE GAME.
acuda27 - August 1, 2008
This season has just flown by for me.
Soth’s plan of maintaining depth in every position possible, giving back up players playing time, and every day players rest has worked out well in spite of us complaining about some of the line-ups he has put up.
Looking at this list, we have been fortunate that the replacement players stepped up to produce while other key players have been down or not producing. This is the only case where being called “lucky” by other fans and know-it-all amateur analysts actually holds up.
My only worry down the stretch is the starting pitching rotation staying healthy and continuing to produce quality starts nearly every time out. Otherwise I don’t see anything in our way of having an incredibly successful season.
44FAN - August 1, 2008
Who needs quality starts? (sarcasm)
Completely “tongue-in-cheek” when I say:
Heck, this team is dropping 6-run innings on good pitchers. They mowed through Boston’s rotation … who cares about quality starts? Earlier in the year, yesterday’s 6-runs surrendered would have cost us the game. These days, the Halo offense doubled up the Yankees. Amazing.
Downing Rules - August 1, 2008
I like how Lackey said he thought he might be going through a dead arm period,
then he almost throws a no-hitter against one of the most feared lineups in baseball.
Rally Manatee - August 1, 2008
54 to go.
Hopefully we go at least 34-20.
That shouldn’t be too hard right? :D
GO ANGELS!!
Zu Long - August 1, 2008
106 is my call.
hauldog - August 1, 2008
I just want to clinch this sucker as early as possible as to utimately get everyone as healthy as possible
w/o causing someone to lose their strokes/zones
norcaliangelsfan - August 1, 2008
Even the dreaded Q has contributed to this team
tanana40 - August 1, 2008
Here's my whiny comment
/>Leave Q alone!!!!
[ /VOICE ]
red floyd - August 1, 2008
darn
ate part of teh post.
That was supposed to be a ” VOICE type=”whiny-youtube-teen” tag at the top
red floyd - August 1, 2008
incredible
it’s not like we haven’t gone 19-6 in a month before… i know we have. but this time just seemed a lot more special.
this team is amazing right now… we have speed, power (finally!) and incredible pitching/defense.
i can’t wait for the rest of the season.
howiestheman - August 1, 2008
agree
it’s hard to imagine that we won so many 3-2 games before this month. this team has been very consistent all year which is why i don’t even think about “1995” as we head to this last 1/3 of the season. what’s been our longest losing skid? 2, 3 games? this is a VERY special squad for sure. we have all the elements in place with good depth.
SCHalo - August 1, 2008
To Rev's point, the best is yet to come!
That is definitely exciting as a fan.
My favorite part about the Teixera trade and I think the biggest beneficiary will be the impact to the pen. Hopefully if this offense keeps clicking, it will mean less save chances for Frankie due to more blowouts. His arm, along with Shields and Arrendondo will be fresher come postseason time. It was definitely concerning to see Frankie pitching so many innings so early in the season. This is the kind of break he/we needs, blow out wins are the best way to rest the pen. Combine Sept callups, an explosive offense, and the end of the season schedule of 2.5 weeks of games against teams out of the postseason and we are well positioned to have a rested pen going into October.
Probably a little late now but less saves could mean Frankie signs for less money as well. Although, if he were to continue to pitch a lot of innings and struggle in Sept/Oct, that would probably drive the price down even more. Either way, a better offense makes a star closer a little less valuable. Something to think about, Frankie for $15M or Teixera for $20M. If we go C.C. for $20M instead of Teixera, we’re gonna need a stud closer to save those close games.
LosAngel - August 1, 2008
I think Frankie has not pitched any more than 3 outs in any outing...
He even had one appearance last only one pitch (a save).
Downing Rules - August 1, 2008
Throwing in the pen is not the same as throwing on the mound, any pitcher will tell you that.
They need time pitching to stay in form as well as reasonable amount of rest.
44FAN - August 1, 2008
Ya know...
Back at the end of June, on another site, I referred to the Angels season as “disappointing”, even with the best/2ndbest in AL, simply because I knew they could do so much better.
This is why I referred to it as such. I no longer consider them disappointing. They’re performing up to potential.
red floyd - August 1, 2008
The nice thing is
they are performing UP TO potential, not OVER, like Tampa Bay. This really is how good these guys should be.
Rally Manatee - August 1, 2008
This team has been nothing short of amazing
So far, the injuries have worked out; Torii had an uncharacteristically hot April (.305/.354/.524 and carried the team when so many other bad things were happening offensively; Ervin and Hokie Joe carried the pitching load when John Lackey wasn’t able to answer the bell to start the season. The whole damn year has been like that, with one guy or another picking up the slack when something doesn’t work. Jon Garland has been adequate, which is what we expected; hell, getting a win off the Sawx at Fenway has to be reason to pop the corks by itself. (Incidentally, remember this early season post about Garland’s amazingly low strikeout totals? He’s actually on pace now to finish the season with around 100, which is way higher than most people who voted thought, yours truly included.)
There’s still things that could go wrong, of course. GA and Vlad have already gone on extended slumps, and Joe Saunders has shown that he tends to get appreciably worse in the second half. Ervin Santana still seems to have trouble with day games and sometimes on the road (though not nearly to the extent he used to). The Rangers are looking scary with their offense; adequate pitching is all they need to keep them in games. But the A’s sent up the white flag with the Rich Harden and Joe Blanton trades, and the M’s tanked so spectacularly that it prompted a full-scale front office housecleaning. Barring a — wait for it — 1995-style collapse, the Angels should cruise to the postseason, and this time, they’ve got that “one big bat” they’ve needed in years past.
scareduck - August 1, 2008
Mea culpa...
...on the K’s post. He’s done well since then, exactly as advertised – A 4ish ERA and on target for 200+ innings.
The Limey - August 1, 2008
I got lucky there, didn't I? Look out Steve Phillips, I can take your job!
Downing Rules - August 1, 2008
Great tight post Rev
And extra props for the Get Smart reference in the first line: “Wouldya believe …”
Anything that references Get Smart either intentionally or unintentionally gets my love
highlandhalo - August 1, 2008
And all the while Sosh continues to build more and more depth into the organization.
We have guys stuck down in AAA who have been already been a part of all this.
Stirrups - August 1, 2008
6 losses ... how many wins in July?
I have a feeling this season is only going to get more exciting.
lightupthehalo - August 1, 2008
we may need another middle relief guy just in case. maybe call up Adenhart in September for a bullpen role, like Joba
vlad IS my man - August 1, 2008
Jason Bulger already has a seat reserved.
Paid it forward due to his sub-1 ERA over 30+ innings in AAA, plus good K/9 numbers.
Zu Long - August 1, 2008
agreed
his 1.03 WHIP and 0 HRs allowed agree with you too
howiestheman - August 1, 2008
matthews jr
the interesting thing about the Texeira trade is you would think the Angels would have tried to unload gary matthews and his large salary if it was possible…this makes me think his trade value now is less than zero. The Angels should be getting him in there more just so they can unload him later. Not that he seems like a bad guy, but you just cant pay a guy that much to be a backup.
godzilla29 - August 1, 2008
He can get more play time (maybe) AFTER we win the division.
Not before.
Zu Long - August 1, 2008
No-Trade Clause
Gary cannot be traded until after the 2009 season.
Rev Halofan - August 1, 2008
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