Halos got swept by the Rangers. What a bummer, total bummer. Clearly, the Rangers were the better team. The Angels came into this series on a bit of roll and one could argue that they finally had turned the corner.
After the sweep by the Rangers the Halos have to answer some very hard questions: Does Mike Scioscia trust his bullpen anymore? He clearly left Jered Weaver in too long. This team without Vlad has very little, if any, power in its lineup. I don't know if there is a remedy for this. One can make the claim it's time to bring up Wood and give him a lot of playing time but what do we do with the glut of middle infielders?
In the past we were able to get by with small ball and keep the game close and trust our bullpen, but Scioscia clearly does not trust the pen anymore and has abandoned his own philosophy, in regards to this. The starters have not been the problem. The problem; the Angels Achilles heal, their offense and now compounded by their bullpen. What can we do to fix this? I don't know. Be patient, be pissed off, bring up someone up from the minors, make a rash trade...? I don't know. We got beat by the Rangers this weekend who both played small ball and hit for power and to pour salt in our wounds, they showed every glaring weakness this Angels roster has.
0 recs | 29 comments
BOTG:
Mike, for not trusting his bullpen and keeping Weaver in too long ;)
vladtheimpaler - May 17, 2009
BOTG :
Angels Bats for not giving Jered Weaver the proper run support.
deejayelleseven - May 17, 2009
44FAN - May 17, 2009
Wow
Figgi4life - May 17, 2009
is that real???
HALO_86 - May 17, 2009
Insult to injury.
44FAN - May 17, 2009
LOL
My fantasy football team is “The Los Angeles Possums of Irvine” (originally just ‘The Irvine Possums’, but after Arte…)
Someone sent me that to use as my icon during one particularly bad season.
raskul - May 17, 2009
cool story hansel
TheAngelsAngels - May 17, 2009
Epic Fail
Way to go, fellas. Oh well, at least the M’s aren’t the only ones who can make Texas “pitching” look good.
Rachmaninoff - May 17, 2009
SHUT OUT in texas...
quite a feat
BigBangRobbDawgg - May 17, 2009
I think the Lackey BOTG should be carried over from last eve.
44FAN - May 17, 2009
Epic fail is an understatement
Swept.
Well, maybe it’s a wake up call. This team in theory should be better than this. In theory. But I’m beginning to think that, as Seitz has posited, this just isn’t going to be a very good team, and this begins the downward slide.
scareduck - May 17, 2009
Are you Serious?
Epic fail! I am as bummed out as anyone over this sweep but to say that this team isn’t any good and the season as over is ridiculous. The Rangers outplayed us and nothing more. A couple of breaks her and there and this would have been a different series. Lackey getting tossed didn’t do us any favors yesterday. We had a long game on Thursday that I think wiped out the team going on the road trip. Why don’t we just give the Rangers the title know. Unbelievable. The Mariners sarted out hot and are back to there old selves. The Rangers will cool off and come back to the pack. This division will be closer then normal. This is what we all expected. Lets not start throwing in the towel and predicting our downward slide when we are starting to get everyone back.
AMB07 - May 17, 2009
+1
vladtheimpaler - May 17, 2009
Mike Scioscia might need to bust out a closed door meeting or two.
This team is lacking in fire.
Mandatory for LACKEY, ABREU, KENDRICK, Scot Shields and his crew, and Aybar.
Not Mandatory for Hunter, Morales, Weaver, Saunders, PALMER, Oliver, and Mike Napoli or Mathis.
It is boggling my mind that the offense is so stagnant and frankly un-powerful, Vlad has been on the DL for weeks, and we have top prospects just sitting in the Minors with promising power. I know that this is by no means a new argument but my God, can we not find Brandon Wood any at-bats? Jesus. Texas has almost 40 more home runs than us? I know they play where they play, but we are in dead last. I am most amazed that between Scioscia, Reagins and Arte, no one sees it our way.
I liked when Rex said something like- Oh man! If you want to give a championship trophy out in May, then oh yah, absolutely give it the Rangers. No doubt. But when they hand out the real trophy in September, it may be a different story.
TheAngelsAngels - May 17, 2009
Scioscia's theme music for the meeting...
linkie
OK…back to work!
sothball - May 17, 2009
Amazing? Really?
I have been banging on the drum that the Angels need plate discipline and power. Right now they have very little of either. The Angels are currently 10th in runs scored (175), 7th in OBP (.344), and a pathetic 11th in slugging average. For all the yowping this team does about clutch hitting (the Angels are fifth in that mark with a .281 average), it doesn’t seem to have made a big difference.
scareduck - May 17, 2009
The clutch isn't the problem with this vehicle
It’s the choke.
rspencer - May 17, 2009
guess Im glad I missed this train wreck
norcaliangelsfan - May 17, 2009
The Halos lost their MoJo
Those red “halo-like” uni’s have zapped the Halos mojo.
Seriously, the Rangers are currently the better team. They look hungrier and they knew by beating the Halos they would solidify themselves as a serious contender at this point in the season. After all, the Angels are the measuring stick of the AL West. The Angels have owned the Rangers for years and they looked sick and tired of that. The timing was right for the Rangers for this series.
I was hoping to see a little more fire in the Angels belly after they watched the Rangers celebrate each victory like a college football team celebrating a national title. But that never happened.
For me, if I were the Angels I would not panic, but I would definitely be out to send a message to the Rangers from this point on.
Once the Halos get Lackey, Santana, Escobar, & Vlad back for a solid couple of months(along with the rest of the starting lineup staying healthy), if they aren’t leading the division by 5 games than they are going to be in for a tough second half. Of course it’s expected of our starting pitching to get the Halos to the post season, however, will the usual suspects of the Angels offense be able to actually produce when they are sapposed to? I say NO.
Dono Romantico - May 17, 2009
Results Up
scottnak - May 17, 2009
Well...
Pitching was good enough to win 2 of the 3 games (Sat & Sun).
Offense was good enough to win 1 of the 3 games (Fri).
Just didn’t put it together in the right order, or get the right breaks at the right times. So goes the game of baseball.
There’s still a long way to go. At this time, the Rangers look like legitimate contenders. Let’s see how they look in August (injuries, heat, etc.).
sothball - May 17, 2009
This thing is a marathon, not a sprint.
firebird81 - May 17, 2009
What doesn't kill you...makes you stronger.
Let Texas bask in the glow (deservedly so) for now. Wait until September though and see what happens when seats in the lifeboat start becoming scarce.
3rd Echelon - May 17, 2009
I love the Angels
I love Soth, but man this is just getting ridiculous. And it stinks that this is gonna be the whole year. Slap hitters and singles. Besides Hunter Napoli and Morales there is not one person that would scare me as a pitcher. I hate to rag, but man it is just getting old.
angelskid2210 - May 17, 2009
Vladimir Guerrero
vladtheimpaler - May 18, 2009
will lead the league in GIDP again
KingF15h - May 18, 2009
Exactly
Vlad will help but that’s only if he is the vlad of old. Should be more like B Woody and S Rod. Instead we have Figgins and Aybar. Shakin in my boots LOL
angelskid2210 - May 18, 2009
Vlad will be out to prove something this year. Just wait….big daddy ain’t done yet.
firebird81 - May 18, 2009
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