Up next for Angels: Wednesday vs. Seattle -- latimes.com
Ian Snell vs. Jered Weaver
Aybar has clutch hit to save Fuentes - OCRegister.com
Manager Mike Scioscia decided to stick to the bullpen's roles and summoned left-handed closer Brian Fuentes. Mike Sweeney hit a tying home run to center and Scioscia yanked Fuentes in favor of Jason Bulger as boos rained down from a segment of the 37,725 fans. That was a far cry from the way the previous Angels lefty was treated.
Aybar's RBI single leads Angels past Mariners - USATODAY.com
More than 90 feet after the game ended, Erick Aybar was still sprinting around second base with his arms flapping. Running away from some celebrating teammates and toward another pack, he looked like a striker who had just scored a World Cup-winning goal. His Los Angeles Angels have been putting soccer-style numbers on the scoreboard all too often lately, yet they're still finding ways to stay on top of the AL West.
Mariners-Angels Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
The AL West-leading Angels try to improve to 6-0 all-time at home with Weaver on the mound against the Mariners when the division rivals continue a three-game set Wednesday night.
Team Reports - CBSSports.com
Going into Tuesday's game, the Angels led the majors with a .301 batting average with runners in scoring position -- that was a full 16 points higher than anyone else in baseball and 38 points higher than the major league average. But that statistic has been on a steady decline recently with the team struggling in the clutch. The Angels were hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position Tuesday before Erick Aybar's game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning.
Team Reports II - CBSSports.com
RHP Kevin Jepsen might have emerged as the answer to the Angels' setup problems. After a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday, Jepsen had a 1.50 ERA (five earned runs in 30 innings) with 12 holds in 12 chances since July 1.
It's All-Opinions Day - Angels Unplugged - Los Angeles Times
The situation with shaky Brian Fuentes isn't that he has been overworked. It might be that he hasn't had enough work lately . . . Either way, this is definitely now a major problem for Scioscia . . .
Alot of good stuff at angelsbaseball.com today...
Baseball Video Highlights & Clips - 09.08.09: Angels take 10 to fly past the Mariners - angelsbaseball.com
Daily Recap: Mike Sweeney homered to lead-off the ninth to tie the game at 2 before Erick Aybar won it in the tenth for the Angels
Baseball Video Highlights & Clips - SEA@LAA: Halos walk off in the 10th on Aybar's single - angelsbaseball.com
Erick Aybar chops a single up the middle and Bobby Abreu scores to give the Angels the extra-inning walk-off win over the Mariners
The All-Time 9 - angelsbaseball.com: Fan Forum
The All-Time 9 What's your dream lineup of Angels? It's time for you to decide. Vote for the best single-season hitting performances by position in Angels history.
Figgins dressed to the nines - angelsbaseball.com: News
The numbers have aligned themselves nicely for Figgins all season long, giving him his first All-Star Game nod. Free of injuries for the first time since 2006, he has busted out with a career year, improving across the board in almost every category offensively while putting himself in contention for a Rawlings Gold Glove with his spectacular play at third base.
Weaver among Angels' MVPs - angelsbaseball.com: News
The Angels have had more than their share of Most Valuable Player candidates bubble to the surface this season, from Torii Hunter to Chone Figgins to Bobby Abreu to Kendry Morales. Jered Weaver probably won't appear on any official American League MVP ballots, but a case can be made that he's been as valuable as any of his teammates.
It's time to jump on the Rangers' bandwagon - FOX Sports on MSN
If you're a fan of meaningful September baseball, if you're a fan of teams returning to the playoffs after a decade drought, if you're a fan of pretty much anyone other than the Angels and Red Sox, then I predict you will be a fan of the Texas Rangers. For the next few weeks, at least.
Insider Subscribers Postseason Tickets - angelsbaseball.com: Tickets
angelsbaseball.com Insider Subscribers are given priority, subject to availability, to order Postseason tickets, after Season Seat Holders and after Mini-Plan buyers but before the general public, for select 2009 Postseason Angels games played at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
If you're planning on going to any of this season's play-off games, you might want to check that out.
September 9 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 9.
1965 - The Angels waive Lou Clinton and both the Indians and the Athletics claim him. Since the rule on waivers is that the team lowest in the standings gets first dibs, Clinton joins the Athletics. He arrives in mid-game and appears as a pinch-hitter, striking out, as California beats the A's, 7 - 2. He and the Athletics then learned after the game that Clinton has been awarded to the Indians because the Athletics' claim was filed after the 24-hour claiming period had expired. Charlie Finley knew this before Clinton reported to the Athletics, but manager Haywood Sullivan, fed up with Finley's second-guessing, didn't answer the telephone during the game, and therefore didn't find out.
1970 - California's Alex Johnson becomes the 3rd player in history to put one into the CF bleachers at Comiskey Park when he connects in the 6th against Chicago's Billy Wynne in a 2 - 1 loss in eight innings.
1989 - California's Devon White steals four bases including 2B, 3B, and home in the same inning in the Angels 8 - 5 win over Boston. The Angels score three in the 8th to break a tie.
0 recs | 13 comments
Fuentes is officially on my last nerve
HaloDutch - September 9, 2009
amen. Fuentes is killing meeeee
robi s - September 9, 2009
After the game
Scioscia admitted after the game that he knew it’d be a tough ninth for Fuentes with all the right-handed hitters Seattle would send up there. So why didn’t he do something about it? At this point, Fuentes really isn’t any better than Jepsen, Bulger, or even Oliver. Why doesn’t he just play match ups for the late innings the rest of the way? I think Fuentes is a solid pitcher, but shut down closer he is not. From what I know he is a complete professional and team player. I don’t see him becoming a distraction if he doesn’t get every single save chance.
dmhead - September 9, 2009
Is Fuentes pitching for Clev. this morning?
Quinlan's Goofy Swing - September 9, 2009
It's absurd. Cleveland just pissed away the 3-game series.
They might as well not have shown up and just given the sweep to the Rangers.
Fan Since 1981 - September 9, 2009
Ranking the relief pitchers with FIP and tRA
Very quick summary of FIP and tRA for those unfamiliar.
FIP: Fielding Independent Pitching, a measure of all those things for which a pitcher is specifically responsible (i.e. K, BB, HBP, HR). FIP helps you understand how well a pitcher pitched, regardless of how well his fielders fielded.
tRA: tRA involves assigning run and out values to all events under a pitcher’s control and coming up with an expected number of runs allowed and outs generated in a defense and park neutral environment. tRA is on a R/9 scale and does not involve any regression of the rates.
Using FIP and tRA, how do the Angels late-inning guys compare? (stats from www.fangraphs.com)
FIP/tRA
Jepsen: 2.82 / 2.84
Oliver: 3.66 / 3.69
Bulger: 4.17 / 4.05
Arredondo: 3.96 / 4.51
Fuentes: 4.50 / 4.78
Of the five pitchers listed, Fuentes has the worst FIP and tRA.
Fan Since 1981 - September 9, 2009
In addition, in the second-half Fuentes has already ...
given up twice as many homeruns (4) that he did in the first-half (2)and has already more walks than he did in the first half.
Mind you, this is also in 14 LESS games and 15 LESS innings than the first-half. Not stats I want to be seeing going into the second-half.
However, I feel like changing roles right now wouldn’t be a good idea. Perhaps, Soth should start playing the LaRussa – Dennis Eckerseley game by bringing in Fuentes in the 9th to only face the last batter or last two batters…lefties or something.
I think at this point, it would be downright ignorant, to not at least be slightly worried about our closing situation. Lets hope he finds his groove back…
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - September 9, 2009
Find his groove?
He has found it, the only problem is he grooves it right down the middle at 86MPH..bad Groove
P237 - September 9, 2009
it could be worse, we could have brad lidge...
SenorChuckles - September 9, 2009
The halos need to start winning big a couple games, that way we ca play some of our salt lake relievers, and maybe find another K-rod (or at least someone on a hot streak) going into the post season.
robi s - September 9, 2009
I don't htink MLB rules will allow it
MLB overlooked the rules when K-rod slipped in during the 2002 post season. I think players have to already be on the roster by a certain date in September to be on the playoff roster unless there is an injury.
Trott - September 9, 2009
K Rod was an injury replacement
hauldog - September 9, 2009
he still should be the closer
but we all know it wasnt just a bad day he chokes it up every week or so let jepsen close one
mikvitu - September 9, 2009
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