Final Score in Anaheim: Mariners 8, Angels 3... After Friday night's debacle, long-range Angels hopes may be for the Mariners to move up in the AL West to the point where they cannot trade pitcher Cliff Lee for prospects and get all of the potential on display Friday actualized and done with in one season, Lee splits for big money free agent dollars elsewhere and Seattle is bereft of prospects in the near term.
Is there any other scenario that tops that one? The one where we are sprinkled with magic fairy dust and have a miracle World Series title while the 93-Win Mariners go home before October... that one's been done.
Staked to an unexpected 2-Run lead in the bottom of the 1st inning, Scott Kazmir coughed up 3 runs in the 3rd to give the Mariners the lead... should I bother any further here? A 2 run lead against Cliff Lee is the most valuable thing that a pitcher can have against the Seattle Mariners. After allegedly finding it in St. Louis, Kaz regressed to sub-Matt Palmer levels.
Loser Limerick
There once a pitcher named Kaz
Last week he made Pujols a spazz
But against damn Seattle
He just didn't battle
Don't mistake Gutierrez for Yaz
Oh and one more thing ... With zero pressure... Scot Shields was terrible. Just think if we did not have the luxury of stinking and might actually need him.
0 recs | 72 comments
Shields is the most absolute worthless piece of shit on this team.
PhiSlamma - May 28, 2010
a little harsh.
norcaliangelsfan - May 28, 2010
Brandon Wood is worse
ryanfea - May 28, 2010
Relax.
Scot Shields was huge for the Angels for more than half a decade. He isn’t struggling right now due to lack of effort or focus, the guy just physically doesn’t have it anymore.
Lay off the guy. The game was over by the time he went in anyway. It sucks that he can’t help the team and it sucks that his career is probably over.
Robviously - May 28, 2010
I'm with you
Our last connection player-wise to 2002 deserves more respect
and he’s a great guy too (very cool when he signed Red Bandit’s baseball a feww years back)
Raaddad - May 28, 2010
Scot Shields
is the personification of everything that is wrong with this team. We really dodged a bullet last year when he injured himself. crosses fingers
blochead - May 28, 2010
How did we dodge a bullet last year when he was injured?
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
He wasn't able to ruin our season
blochead - May 28, 2010
Because our bullpen was so terrific without him, right?
The guy was pitching like crap, likely at least partially because of his injury, but to say it’s a good thing he was injured bad enough that he needed season ending surgery is pretty awful, not to mention it sounds like you’re rooting for him to get injured again.
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
it looks like we should’ve picked up Will Ohman in the offseason, but his repulsive season with the Doyers prevented the Angels from doing so.
SenorChuckles - May 28, 2010
But in a way, it would've been fun if he sucked
“Hey, who’s coming in to pitch?”
“Will.”
“Will…. oh man”
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
yeah it would.
SenorChuckles - May 28, 2010
Shields
So what’s up with him do you think?
Is his arm shot, is he off the roids, or what?
Halo Hurricane - May 28, 2010
Velocity
I don’t know what it was tonight, but the last time I saw him, he was basically throwing 90, sometimes 91. In his prime, Shields regularly sat at 93-94, and could reach 97 when he needed to. It could be that he’s just worn out, either from use or the vicissitudes of age. Maybe the knee still doesn’t feel right and he’s having a hard time landing on it, which could account for a loss in velocity as well.
jjackflash - May 28, 2010
I know the velocity decrease certainly can’t help, but Shields has always been a guy who lived off of command and movement. If he can throw the two-seamer with movement and spot it on the inside corner to lefties, two or three MPH slower isn’t going to kill him. The difference is that he can’t leave those pitches up and out over the plate, and he’s doing that all too often.
I wouldn’t shocked to learn that either the knee’s still bothering him, or his mechanics are hosed from trying to compensate for it for so long. There’s a chance that he’s done as an effective pitcher, but I don’t think it’s hopeless. He knows how to pitch.
Gorbachav5 - May 29, 2010
Agree
with everything you say. Heck, Jamie Moyer gets away with barely throwing over 80. But as with real estate, location is everything.
jjackflash - May 29, 2010
So who's going to replace him?
At least with Shields, we know that he could pitch at some point. That’s more than we can say for half the other guys in the bullpen. Bulger? Cassevah? The Other K-Rod? Hell, even Jepsen has an ERA over 6!
Yeah, maybe Shields is done. I wouldn’t be surprised, Scioscia pitched the hell out of him for 7 years straight, although to Scot’s credit, he held up pretty damn well. But there’s no one else to take his place. If he’s not hurt, you give him the ball twice a week in blowouts or out of reach losses and you hope he regains his control. His stuff seems decent, he just can’t figure out where it’s going.
Not only that, but as other people mentioned he’s a genuinely great guy who’s been a rock on this team for the best stretch in franchise history. Lament the fact that he’s not pitching well, but calling him a piece of shit is a bit over-the-top. He deserves better than that from Angel fans.
Gorbachav5 - May 29, 2010
on that last point
you & i agree
Rev Halofan - May 29, 2010
It's really sad to see Shields career coming to a close like this
Like the Rev, I agree with you on this last point.
stolenbases - May 29, 2010
With Palmer, Stokes and Wood all gone...
i agree. time to give shields-y the Justin Speier boot….
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - May 29, 2010
I'm a big shields fan, but he's so done
Downing Rules - May 29, 2010
My dog is inthe house.
He is relaxed and laying on the carpet. Ms Halofan walks in and says “Is he watching teevee with you?” to which I say, “He loves sniffing shit, I guess he likes watching it too…”
Rev Halofan - May 28, 2010
Two-out hits, walks, lameness
This is reminding me of those hapless days of the ’90s.
yeswecan - May 28, 2010
a broken clock is more useful than Shields
He has been nothing but absolutely terrible.
Kaz is not much better, unfortunately.
infant - May 28, 2010 via mobile
We gave up 8 runs to a AA offence?
this sucks
I blame Napoli
And this guy says it the best way possible.
Move it to 1:00
DAD OF VLAD - May 28, 2010
Angels arent your offensive juggernaut
OPS
Mariners .312 (26th)
Angels .311 (27th)
SLG
Mariners .351 (29th)
Angels .391 (20th)
AVG.
Mariners .239 (27th)
Angels .249 (20th)
Disgusting
Angel Aviator - May 29, 2010
So we have Weaver/Hernandez tomorrow and Saunders/Snell on Sunday
I say we have a decent shot at winning the series.
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
I certainly like those matchups more than Weaver/Snell and Saunders/Hernandez, which is what it was before
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
But ya, this was a pretty ugly game from Kaz
Allowing 6 runs to the Mariners is just not alright
~MMP~ - May 28, 2010
Maybe Kaz
should go to the bullpen. He could be the 2nd lefty and long reliever in the bp. Today was Kaz fail. He just couldn’t pitch against a team that’s the worst in almost every offensive category. If it was the Yanks or Rays, then maybe 6 runs isn’t so bad, but when the Ms get 6 ERs on you, it’s time to admit you don’t have your stuff today.
phoenix15 - May 28, 2010
Yea, and we trade for Oswalt
Raaddad - May 28, 2010
Oswalt for Quinlan.
but to be fair, they might have to give us some minor league prospects too.
phoenix15 - May 28, 2010
C'mon--seriously
They probably will want Budde and Wood as well as Q
That would certainly sweeten the deal
Raaddad - May 28, 2010
then its perfect
Quinlan, Wood, and Budde for Oswalt. But they might need to cough up some cash though to even it out.
phoenix15 - May 28, 2010
Ya, we have to fork out to much to cover his contract
Maybe it’s not worth it
I mean, Q can play like so many different positions it’s not funny
He’s like a tubbier, whiter Figgy
Raaddad - May 28, 2010
Jeez be fair now
No chance the Astros take that deal. Now maybe if we throw in Brian Stokes…
ryanfea - May 29, 2010
But Oswalt can't hit.
He’s a career .159 hitter, Brandon Wood territory. Sure, he’d help the pitching staff a bit but the Angels aren’t going to win unless they score more runs too.
We’ve got our work cut out here. We need more people on base, more speed on the bases, more production from the middle of the order, more consistent starting pitching, and somebody (anybody) who can shut the other team down in the bullpen. Oh yeah, better defense too.
Only problem with Oswalt is that while he helps the pitching, he costs a lot of money that could be used to solve other problems, and costs prospects who might be able to eventually solve those problems on the cheap.
RallyMonkey5 - May 29, 2010
Yesterday
was against the Ms. They may have a AA level offense, but their pitching is no joke. They abandoned offense for pitching/defense. 2 run gift from Lee should’ve been enough if Kaz had pitched well.
phoenix15 - May 29, 2010
I'd be great if he somehow blossomed into a superb BP arm. I miss Oliver.
He’d have to accept it and adapt to it, but we need one more arm in the rotation to do that: Haren or Oswalt. Adding an SP would be a hard task to complete. It’s too early and I’m unwilling to talk possible trades; it’s a hopeful lie to a dying promise.
SenorChuckles - May 28, 2010
Oliver was a lost cause
I don’t remember where, but IIRC he did mention he was planning to retire if he wasn’t going to a Texas team. Maybe the BP is the next step of Kazmir’s life. He only goes like 5 innings anyway. If he’s not trying to overdo it through 5 innings, then just let him pitch all he’s got through 1 or 2.
phoenix15 - May 29, 2010
If that was the case
The Reagins screwed up big time by not offering arbitration. The possibilities were:
1) Oliver accepts. Angels get a reliable bullpen arm for 3-4 million
2) Oliver signs with Texas. We get a draft pick.
3) Texas refuses to part with pick, Oliver retires. He’s not there to beat us when we play against a division opponent.
I don’t know about you but all of those are better options than having Oliver pitch a scoreless 7th and 8th inning against us in a game where Texas wins 4-3.
RallyMonkey5 - May 29, 2010
If only K-Rod didn’t act like such a bitch during contract negotiations.
SenorChuckles - May 29, 2010
His salary was 3.7 million last year
The previous year he made 2 million. He was probably looking at 5-6 million from arbitration
Seik1177 - May 29, 2010
Check out his numbers for Texas
He’s been worth it. Meanwhile, we’re paying that level of contract to Rodney, Shields, and Speier. Give me Oliver any day of the week.
RallyMonkey5 - May 29, 2010
One good thing came out of this deal
awesome limerick, Rev
(Time to try another limerick post?)
Raaddad - May 28, 2010
I hope Jered is on his A game tomorrow
I’ll be there live cheering for a Halo victory
ryanfea - May 29, 2010
I'm getting more appreciation for Bill Stoneman with each passing day.
bc56274 - May 29, 2010
+1
Teixeira Who? - May 29, 2010
why?
Did you forget that both GMJ and Justin Speier are on the payroll because of that jackass. Or are you pissed that we didn’t re-sign Figgins, who is batting under .200?
BryanHarvey'sMoustache - May 29, 2010
i think its that championship ring
that tony reagins will never manage to achieve in the GM role.
clover_black - May 29, 2010
I do thank him for not going after M-Cab, but that’s about it.
SenorChuckles - May 29, 2010
Kevin Frandsen
Will carry us into the postseason.
Neekohlai - May 29, 2010
Long live the Franny era.
44FAN - May 29, 2010
so for another week
until B-WOOD comes back and kills to finish the season .300/20hr/100rbi
DAD OF VLAD - May 29, 2010
Maybe Frandsen
Will threaten Howie’s job.
When he hit .300 with good defense, Howie was a good player even with little power and no walks. Hitting .258 with no power, no walks, and crappy defense is useless. If Howie doesn’t get hot and turn this around, he isn’t going to be sent to the minors again (can’t, out of options). instead he’ll find himself without a contract offer over the winter as the Angels try another direction, like Frandsen for a year or 2 and then Amarista.
RallyMonkey5 - May 29, 2010
What exactly makes people think Frandsen is anything more than a decent utility player?
~MMP~ - May 29, 2010
He should be a utility player, freeing up Izzy to take over 2b permanently...
…giving us better defense, OBP and RISP at that position, and less possibility of blowing out his shoulder trying to play 3b.
Fred Fredrix - May 29, 2010
9hits in 21AB, three for doubles all in only eight games and batting .429
When you’re hot you’re hot and who wants and likes a hot bat in their lineup? I see all Angel fan members raising their hands. Any relief from the black hole of Wood is a welcome sight and hopefully Soth has found a solution. This guy is hungry, wants to play, and looks like he is enjoying himself doing it. He was also the only one on the roster able to figure out Lee with any success in the game last night.
44FAN - May 29, 2010
I understand that, but people keep suggesting Frandsen should take over some position full time
I’m not buying that he’s good enough to do that.
~MMP~ - May 29, 2010
so call those people out by name
publish your shit list here and challenge those people to defend their stance in greater detail.
In other words… WHO T.F. are you talking about?
Rev Halofan - May 29, 2010
Well eight games is an incredibly small sample size for whether he
should or should’nt, but he definitely has been more useful than Wood and provides an option if Izturis gets injured again.
44FAN - May 29, 2010
I have, in person in 2010, seen Frandsen square up infinitely more baseballs than Brandon Wood
That’s 4 to 0 for those keeping score. Wood had many more chances with me attending 3 days of Spring Training and 11 games thus far this season. I’ve only seen Frandsen in 2 games, but he has scalded the baseball. He’s got much more confidence than Brandy Wood.
Downing Rules - May 29, 2010
To add insult to injury, Lee made off with millions of our Panther Points!
The biggest Ponzi scheme in pregame picks history!
44FAN - May 29, 2010
ITS OK
the sole reason we have kaz is to win in boston or ny… RIGHT?? RIGHT? RIGHT?
horrible game that I had to see live. And i had to sit in the same section as some d-bag in a griffey jersey who bore a striking similarity to jared washburn.
I did get the pulled pork sandwich from the Fiery Diablo (???) concession stand, and it was pretty delicious.
clover_black - May 29, 2010
It probably was Jarrod Washburn
~MMP~ - May 29, 2010
They stink top to bottom...
From the gm to the manager to the hitting to the defense to the mound, the angels are horrible…and next year won’t be much better…
Halopauly - May 29, 2010
today's lineup, a few changes:
Fubar SS
Izzy 3b
Abrew Rf
Torii Cf
KMo 1b
Outsui DH
FBC 2b
Ryan Lf
Wilson C
Fred Fredrix - May 29, 2010
FBC???
jjackflash - May 29, 2010
no howie and Frandsen at 2nd?
Raaddad - May 29, 2010
Future Batting Champion aka Howie
~MMP~ - May 29, 2010
okay now THAT is funny
Rev Halofan - May 29, 2010
we need a new leadoff hitter
Two months of suck is long enough. He can’t reach base, he can’t hit w/ risp, he can’t steal bases, and he appears to be the dumbest guy on the field.
Kendrick looks like an All Star compared to Aybar this year.
With Wood out of the lineup, Aybar is without a doubt the weakest hitter in the lineup, followed up by Rivera and Matsui. It’s no surprise that Napoli still bats 7th or 8th most nights, despite having the highest ops on the team, a feat that took him about 2 hot weeks to achieve.
Quinlan's Goofy Swing - May 29, 2010
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