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Joe Saunders Deals, Angels Take Squeaker in Chicago

Final Score on the South Side of Chicago ... Angels 3, White Sox 2 ... Lefty Joe Saunders appears to have put a dead-arm April in the rear view mirror just in time for Angels closer Brian Fuentes to replace him as the source of stress in the hearts of Halo fans. Fuentes gave up a solo HR to Paul Konerko to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning but held on to record his 5th save in support of Saunders getting his 3rd victory of the season.

Hokie Joe struck out 4, walked two and threw 106 pitches in 7 and two-thirds innings.

Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer in the 4th and the Angels got an insurance run on a fielding error in the 8th and that was all they would need, but boy would they need it, as Fuentes used up the insurance on the first batter of the 9th inning.

Hunter has hit a HR in each of the past three games. While he drove in Bobby Abreu today, both Torii and Bobby were caught stealing in the game, so hey, nobody is perfect.

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Poll
Panther of the Game
Torii Hunter
95 votes
Joe Saunders
282 votes

377 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  67 comments

Comments

Tough One For Me...

Give it to Joe for a great pitching performance.
But if you base it on the expectations for Joe (based on his last start),
Then Torii is POTG for sure.

i drop hokie joe on my fantasy team

and two great starts in a few

ps teething sucks

At least your not breastfeeding while he's teething
break out the jack daniels
Our kitten is teething too

Not nearly as bad, but still I can feel your pain.

joe is POTG

torii made me happy, fuentes makes my head hurt. every time he throws a pitch, all i can see is that paper airplanes picture in my mind.

flagged for impostering.
Not sure how he's meant to grip the ball with that manky claw/hand thing...

Might explain some of his ongoing difficulties

I would say both
Good game pitched by Saunders, good hits by Torii. Im 50-50.

POTG: The Fans

for putting up with this team through thick and thin

I know it's PoTG

meaning just this game, but it’s hard to overlook HRs in 3 straight games. I vote Torii, with Joe coming in a close second. Two good choices.

Come on Os, you can do it.

i'm watching it

thanks to MLB Extra Innings

angels defeat sosh.

congrats.

No joke.

Even Terry Smith could see what needed to be done. Just before Rodney got the last out of the 8th, Terry said “With Konerko leading off the 9th, I think it would make sense to leave Rodney on the mound” or something to that effect.

All about Joe folks...

We only had 3 hits…Joe was nails!

The White Sox should blame their loss on that horrible girl that sang the National Anthem

at the beginning of the game.

Injury updates:

LINKIE

Maicer Izturis, recovering from right shoulder inflammation, isn’t expected to be ready for Interleague Play this weekend in St. Louis, even though he’s eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday.

“We’re hoping next week, sometime, he’ll be playing with us,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “There’s some progression there. He’s not there yet.”
Jeff Mathis, hoping to be back in the lineup early next month in his recovery from a left wrist fracture, is on target, according to manager Mike Scioscia. “Jeff is making good strides,” Scioscia said. “He fielded bunts today. He’s coming along, but he still has a way to go.”
thanks for the update
Unfortunately the stRangers just won...walkoff style...
Just saw that.

It is the Orioles though. Gotta love those bastards.

Ya, that's some lefty specialist they have there
Here's a bummer from yesterday...for everyone clamoring for Kohn

LAA AA Kohn, Michael 0.2 3 4 4 1 2 2.45 L (2-2)

Good ole fashioned ass-kicking

Ya, in all fairness to him though, that was his first bad outing really
Totally agree...just thought people should know what was up with their "savior"

I like him too btw…

AA

with the way people want him up here it must seem like he is in AAA

Anyone heading to the game tomorrow in Chicago?

I have a 36 hour stop over there on the way back to London from New Orleans for my one Halos game this year…

I was actually supposed to go for this food service conference but it fell through.

Have a blast out there!

Cheers, will do my utmost...

…any recommendations on what to do with 36 hours in Chicago gratefully received.

Funnily enough, that was what I was doing in Nawlins – conference (just for thoracic medicine rather than tucker)

I've never been but my brother said downtown was pretty awesome.

I think it’s called the miracle mile or something. That’s more of a thing to do at night though. As for day activities, i’m sure google or your hotel concierge can help you figure that out.

Giordano’s for a stuffed crust pizza! It is a Chicago must.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio

is worthy if you are a design fan. Andy’s is the best jazz club (music/drink-wise, food is just fair). Other than that… uh, New York or L.A. it ain’t.

And O’Hare is a time-sucking black hole of despair.

Sears Tower, Field Museum
A quick note

Various projection systems place the Angels playoff odds between 9% and 15% (or 7% if you include PECOTA). This is up from about 6% a few weeks ago. If the Angels do make up the deficit, it would be about the 60th most improbable comeback in major-league history. Their best comeback was actually last year, which ranked as #151 (their worst playoff odds were 14.5%). Their second-best was the year before that, #249 all-time (from a 42.4% chance at their worst).

I’m honestly not very optimistic. Get this. In interleague play, the Rangers get to play the two worst teams in baseball a total of 9 times: 6 against the horrendous Astros and 3 against the terrible Pirates. The Angels don’t play any of those teams, instead they get 9 against the Dodgers and the Rockies. Depending on how things shake out, that could end up being the equivalent of a 3 or 4 game handicap for the Rangers, who already have a 4.5 game head start. To overcome that, you’d pretty much have to hope for a miracle.

'Kay. Thanks.

Wait, don’t forget your sythe.

those projections are like RBI

He had a lot of RBI because he was on a team with a lot of guys on base – Angels have a low % because their strength of schedule has been off the charts while Texas has feasted on shit teams.

How many games against the Rays, Yankees, Twins, Tigers and RoidSox do the Arlington Cokeheads still got? Their fiscal stimulus situation will tie their hands from getting anyone at the trade deadline, meanwhile Andre Ethier is out and the Cards just swooned first place over to the Reds.

Actually

The Coolstandings projections do take strength of schedule into account. Not coincidentally, that’s the most optimistic projection about the Angels chances: 15%. With how poorly the Angels have played out of the gate, I can hardly blame the systems for being down on the Angels. Maybe the Angels will sweep their interleague schedule and render it all irrelevant, but I would certainly prefer the Rangers’ interleague schedule. Colorado, LA, and St. Louis are all at least competent baseball teams. Houston and Pittsburgh are two of the worst teams I’ve seen in the last five years.

look at this way

are they taking into account weakness of schedule?

I’m honestly not very optimistic

Pessimism abounds.

DAD OF VLAD!!!!!!!

2000 hits in one inning!!!!! Wow.

teething

is a bitch

What's happening o fearless leader with a cane?!

Thanks again for setting up that HH gathering. Red Bandit and I had a blast.

Btw, did you happen to check out what this lame Ranger troll had to say about you today in Scotnak’s game wrap-up? Jerk-off turned out to be more of an ass than we thought originally and a homophobe as well. It just gets worse and worse, and then he drops the bomb near the end of his relentless stream of bullshit.

the troll has been castrated.
this is what happens when you work 40 hours in 3 days

and get 5 hours of sleep each night
SHIT
SHIT
SHIT
i did not lose any points

Soth, "No player is too old to execute my aggressive base running techniques."
Wish me luck guys!

I have my Ortho 4 final practical tomorrow. Its basically a cumulative practical over everything I’ve learned in PT school the last 2 years. Crazy shit, eh?

Oh, and what about Hokie Joe? The kid is finally starting to pitch like we’re used to seeing him pitch! Go Angels!

Good Luck, brother!

Nail that sucker!

congrats

nail it!!!!

It's a trap!

good luck b0rd3rline

Break a leg!
And then practice the therapy on yourself.
hey b0rd3rline!

How are your Suns doin’ bro?
Maybe they can take one in Phoenix…

POTG

Alexei Ramirez in the 9th

bwahahahaha

Fuentes should send him flowers

ok ill say it...

The Col. is back… cool Joe is panther. i know the game was almost “fuentes-ed” but we got the W. good to see Torii heating up as well…. just think what will happen when Matsui discovers he comes to plate with a bat in his hand

POTG = Joe Saunders

Now I can start getting stoked with Saunders. Two great games in a row shows consistancey. Hopefully he’s back to all-star calibar. Keep it up Joe.

Starting pitching been great lately (minus Weaver's last start)

And some of our hitters definitely starting to find their groove.

Fuentes needs to start taking steroids.

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