Dodgers pull plug on sweep for Angels - LA Daily News
The Angels picked up where the Dodgers left off Wednesday, running themselves into two outs on the basepaths in the first inning and getting caught in a rundown to snuff out a sixth-inning rally (Video: Dodgers nab Willits in a rundown at home). The Angels at least got a run home on Bobby Abreu's single that scored Howie Kendrick from third in the opening inning. Abreu was then thrown out trying to steal second - a base he never even reached before being tagged out. With two outs, Torii Hunter doubled off center fielder Matt Kemp's glove, then he too was thrown out by catcher Russell Martin trying to steal third. "We didn't play well in a lot of areas," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We made some outs on the bases, but we didn't pitch well, we didn't play the kind of defense we need to play. We were looking up the wrong end for almost the whole night."
Didn't Torii Hunter get thrown out trying to steal third a couple nights ago? Sorry, that was a rhetorical question since I already knew that, yes, Hunter had been caught stealing third against the Brewers last week. I understand it's Angels baseball to be aggressive, but there's a difference in being aggressive and being stupid. Especially when being aggressively stupid happened just a week ago. Oh well, here's a highlight for ya: Napoli launches a solo blast to left-center - Mike Napoli cuts the Angels' deficit to 5-2 with a long ball to left-center field in the fourth.
Rockies-Angels Preview - 6/25/10 - FOX Sports on MSN
Jered Weaver (7-3, 3.04 ERA) will try to continue his solid work in interleague play after he gave up two hits and struck out 11 over seven innings of a 12-0 win over the Cubs on Saturday for his third win in four starts overall. With the victory, the right-hander improved to 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three interleague starts this year. This is Weaver's first start at home since May 29, when he gave up one unearned run and three hits in seven innings of a 5-1, 10-inning victory over the Mariners. He is 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts at Angels Stadium.The Rockies, meanwhile, will hand the ball to Jeff Francis (2-2, 3.43), who has pitched effectively in his last two starts, leading Colorado to victories in each. The left-hander made his only start against the Angels on June 28, 2006, allowing two runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-2 win. He is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two interleague starts this year. The Angels won two of three at home against the Rockies last year.
This time last season the Angels were 38-32 and tied for first in the A.L. West. This season, the Halos are 41-34, 4.5 games behind the Rangers. Just sayin'.
Angels FYI: Mike Napoli trying to make all the adjustments - latimes.com
Napoli, who has always had decent plate discipline for a power hitter, entered Thursday's game with a .249 average, 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in, but he ranked second in the American League with 73 strikeouts in 209 at-bats. That would put Napoli, who strikes out once every three at-bats, on pace for a whopping 160 strikeouts.
The Erick Aybar saga took another turn, this time for the better. "I'm ready; I'm not in any pain," said Aybar, the speedy leadoff batter who is hitting .272 with 41 runs and 11 stolen bases. "The shot helped. Maybe I'll play [Friday]."
To me, striking out isn't a big deal as long as a hitter is able to maintain a decent OBA and SLG, but what's disturbing about Napoli is he has only drawn 17 walks so far this season, continuing a downward trend:
| Year | BB/PA |
| 2006 | .16 |
| 2007 | .13 |
| 2008 | .12 |
| 2009 | .09 |
| 2010 | .07 |
Scioscia Halo effect aids Angels, not Dodgers - Yahoo! Sports
...three Angels draft choices – high schoolers Ryan Bolden, Taylor Lindsey and Chevy Clarke – visited Angel Stadium with their parents. They took batting practice in the hours before the Angels would host the Dodgers. Scioscia stood behind the batting cage and shook their hands. Beforehand, Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told them, “This is going to be your manager in the big leagues. He’ll be here when you’re here, and he’s the best in the game. Say hi to him now. This is not going to be the last time you think about him – or him about you. And, with some help, he’s going to be the guy who makes the decision to bring you here.” There is no other organization in baseball that could honestly make the same claim to a high school senior.
The Juice: Rangers 'family' celebrates its 11th straight win - Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports
Happy Rangers poured from the dugout and surrounded Andrus near home plate as the Rangers won their 14th game in ther last 15 tries and officially came back from an first-inning 4-0 deficit. And perhaps because they were playing Pittsburgh, Guerrero later borrowed a theme from Pops and the '79 Pirates to describe the current chemistry of the first-place Rangers. "It's a family that wins together." Gimme a quarter for the jukebox, 'cause it's time to cue the Sledge. Must it already be coming to an end?: The entirety of the Rangers' 11-game winning streak has come against the National League and they sport a 12-3 record in interleague play, which is only bested by the White Sox's 13-2 mark. They'll finish the cross-league dabbling this weekend when they welcome the Astros, whom Texas swept last weekend, to town.
This could be the worst news of all, the Rangers are becoming a "family". Yes, I'm one of those "chemistry" guys who thinks a team who lives well with each other, plays better. Although winning creates good chemistry, this could carry over for the Ranger for the rest of the season making the Rangers even ore dangerous.
2010 Bowman Stephen Strasburg Red Autograph 1/1 AUTO - eBay (item 200485213281 end time Jun-28-10 18:00:48 PDT)
Current bid: US $999,900.00
Something fishy going on in ebayland.
June 25 - BR Bullpen
1971 - Actor Kurt Russell makes his pro baseball debut for Bend (Northwest League), getting a single, double, and two stolen bases. Russell's baseball career will be ended by injury two years later. I thought this was a cool story. Kurt Russell was in the Angels minor league system, and was actually pretty decent (okay, small sample size). Some of Russell's teammates included Tom Trebelhorn, Chuck Hockenberry (sorry, he owns a bar a few miles from me), Bruce Bochte, Dave Chalk, Ron Jackson, and Frank Tanana.
1986 - Kirk McCaskill one-hits the Rangers 7 - 1, vaulting California past Texas into first place in the American League West. The Rangers' only hit is Steve Buechele's 3rd-inning home run.
Yuck:
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| Game Information |
| Attendance - 44043 |
| Game Time - 3:52 |
| Temperature - 72 |
| Umpires - Home - Tim Welke, First Base - Jim Reynolds, Second Base - Bill Welke, Third Base - Mike DiMuro |
0 recs | 48 comments
I sincerely hope we're not having conversations about our bullpen
and idiotic base running a month from now.
I have still have strong hope for the playoffs but an inconsistent pitching staff and streaky hitting will not bode well for us in the big picture.
go halos.
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
Napoli is doing fine, though the walk rate dropping is a little concerning.
I don’t really see any good options, that are likely to be available, to replace him, either.
~MMP~ - June 25, 2010
He is coming off a hot streak
So it makes sense he has been erring on the side of swinging rather than taking. I also agree he has been doing fine. He had some good digs last night against some B Wizzle throws into the dirt from SS.
NA1NSXR - June 25, 2010
ANGELS
The Angels need some offense-Sorry Wood just isnt doing it-There are a couple of SS that are out there that could help-Scossia is doing great considering what he has to work with-Vladdy is showing that the Angels made a mistake and Figgy is being missed also—Wood and Matsui for Vladdy and Figgy? That is the real change here and the Angels lose-They have done much better in the past but they blew it on this one—Read my past blogs and you will see-I wanted to keep them both-Vladdy could have been signed for 3 years at $15 million and Figgy for $20-Vladdy will avg 20 hrs 80 rbi and about a 290 BA-Figgy can play at least 4 positions and avg 300BA with 35 SB and 95 runs for 4 years-Two bad deals for the Halos-Now we need to replace them both
spc7 - June 25, 2010
Figgy is being missed? He's batting .321 with a .334 OBP.
~MMP~ - June 25, 2010
batting .231*
~MMP~ - June 25, 2010
sorry, but the angels need pitching…
SenorChuckles - June 25, 2010
Why in the hell would we want a slumping figgy right now?
and i’m not reading your blog posts.
This whole comment sucks—hindsight is 20-20—would of could of—should of.
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
you wouldn't be saying that if Vlad wasn't playing in Texas
that park is MASSIVELY inflating his numbers.
Home: .376/.415/.644/1.059 with 10 HRs and a ridiculous .356 BABIP
Away: .259/.317/.411/.728 with 5 HRs and a .242 BABIP
Vlad’s only batting well because he plays in a bandbox.
howiestheman - June 25, 2010
Vlad's away numbers are identical to Matsui's numbers
interesting
willamos2 - June 25, 2010
Coult it be that Matsui's numbers were inflated last year...
… from playing in New Yankee stadium.
thetooth - June 25, 2010
His splits were better on the road than in MFY stadium.
This was discussed to death when we signed him.
red floyd - June 25, 2010
I can't believe people still think this...
Downing Rules - June 25, 2010
I’m going to tell Reagins to start reading your blog before making any moves from now on. knowing the answers were out there and he didn’t utilize them will hurt, but I think he’ll swallow his pride and realize that you should be on the payroll immediately.
2pintsofbooze - June 25, 2010
dude seattle WAY overpaid
apparently, we could’ve signed Figgins for $20.
suckers….
howiestheman - June 25, 2010
Wow, if I knew Figgins would sign for $20, I would've given Arte the money myself.
~MMP~ - June 25, 2010
i can't help but wonder if figgy would be having a better season if he was still an angel.
river-z - June 25, 2010
yeah, I think he would have continued to produce with the Angels. Seattle’s just a bad place for Figgy.
SenorChuckles - June 25, 2010
And when does Texas ever play anyone good?
This whole big deal about a 11 game win streak is coming against the Marlins (3), Houston (6) and Pittsburgh (3). Texas must have one of the weakest SOS’s at this point.
HaloFanInDC - June 25, 2010
They are 27th in baseball in SOS
Our mighty Angels are 5th.
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
their rotation won’t last the season, give it a month before it all comes crashing down.
SenorChuckles - June 25, 2010
Vladdy
I’ve read several interviews with him, and he admits he worked harder last offseason than in the past, partly because he was able to now that his knee is better, and partly because he wanted to get a contract.
So if we had signed him for 2 years at the end of the season, it’s possible he would NOT have gotten into great shape and felt the need to play like a young man again. We might have had 2 years of the same (and older) Vladdy.
raskul - June 25, 2010
exactly
sometimes all a player needs is to feel a bit of scorn to motivate them. staying in the same place would likely mean the same results. but being cast aside and having your pride dinged can do wonders to rekindle the passion to work harder to prove your doubters wrong.
it just sucks that he’s doing it for the Rangers.
2pintsofbooze - June 25, 2010
Yeah, why not for the Nationals or Pirates?
Downing Rules - June 25, 2010
see Shaq...
K3YEROUT - June 25, 2010
A couple of references to Vlad's offseason work, losing 30 pounds:
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/comments/back-in-blue-ranger-vlad-faces-his-former-team-336841.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jon_heyman/06/09/winter.bargains/index.html
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35648295/ns/sports-baseball/
raskul - June 25, 2010
Vlad
I remember his agent posturing during negotiations that Vlad considered himself still to be a “complete” player and as such expected to be a starting RF, not a full-time DH. Whether this was still a factor in negotiations with the Angels or not, the team went and obtained itself a full-time DH in Matsui, and Guerrero signed with the Rangers to become…a full-time DH. Vlad has started in the OF for the Rangers on average once every week, the same rate as Matsui with the Angels.
One wonders what sort of season a 30-pounds lighter Vlad would be having in Anaheim, but then one wonders what sort of 2009 season a 30-pounds lighter Vlad might have had. That weight off his knees and ankles would have done him a world of good, especially on a team which came basically three plays away from playing in the World Series last year.
I think the world of Vlad and am pleased for his success in 2010, insofar as it doesn’t negatively impact the Angels’ own season. But if he had been more amenable to being a full-time DH with occasional starts, I wonder if he’d be in Anaheim this season.
George Kaplan - June 25, 2010
I wonder if he would have been lost 30 lbs...
…if he had remained an Angel. Rejection can be a significant motivator.
sothball - June 25, 2010
"We made some outs on the bases..."
Come on, Mike. Admit it. Calling for those stolen base attempts was stupid. If you didn’t call for them, then allowing players to steal whenever the hell they want is stupid.
I mean, two outs in the first inning and Torii Hunter, who’s been caught seven out of thirteen times already, is trying to steal third? Does Torii realize how much being on third instead of second with two outs improves his chances to score? It’s less than 5%. Meanwhile his chance of getting caught and ending the inning is probably over 50%. You don’t need a math degree to figure that one out.
Now, the whole game didn’t rest on that one play, but blunders like that add up over a 162 game schedule. The Angels have been buffoons on the bases all year, only Kansas City has been worse at running themselves into outs. But I’m afraid that aggressiveness is so entrenched in the organization’s mindset that Scioscia won’t make an adjustment. This team just isn’t very good on the bases.
Suboptimal - June 25, 2010
Torii stealing 3rd is an auto-out
Mike will keep calling for it though.
clover_black - June 25, 2010
I've bitched about this alot in the past, even making a fanpost.
I can’t imagine a team being more over-aggressive/irresponsible in how they run the bases. Pressuring one’s opponent is one thing. Giving them free outs game after game is a tick closer to offensive suicide.
sothball - June 25, 2010
Why BB/PA?
I’d like to know how to draw .07 of a walk.
Flip those stats, makes more sense to talk about how many PAs it takes to draw a full BB
blast21dave - June 25, 2010
7 BBs per 100 PAs
WiHaloFan - June 25, 2010
Ah, explains why only 2 decimal places then
Thought it was a truncated number like 1 BBs per 14 PAs
blast21dave - June 25, 2010
The real question is
How many RL’s would it take GP to MR in his PQ’s?
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
blast21dave reply fail
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
What Logan White might be telling the Dodger Prospects. . .
I can imagine what the Dodgers Scout Logan White says to the Dodgers prospects:
“This is Joe Torre, Hall of Fame manager. He’s in the last year of his contract right now, and our owner still isn’t sure he wants to extend him, what with him going through a messy divorce and all. He probably won’t be your manager. Actually, our owner may not even end up being our owner in a few years, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. Heh, heh. Anyway, there’s that pending divorce settlement you you know and then everything could go up in smoke. Oh, here’s Don Mattingly, who might end up being your future manager, or he might not. You know we’re honestly not really sure who will be running the team if and when you come up the big club. So, maybe the best advice I can give you is to focus on your game, and don’t worry about what happens here.”
righteous halo - June 25, 2010
Schedule & pitching
A quick comparison of the Rangers vs Angels August and September schedules shows that the Rangers schedule is way harder. So if we can keep within distance we have a chance. Plus, that schedule is gonna be much tougher on their pitching.
The problem isn’t Napoli at first base. The problem is Wood at short.
If we make any move it’s got to be for pitching. For a big-time starter or lights-out closer.
river-z - June 25, 2010
i don't think the schedule will be that much more difficult for the Rangers than the Angels
Eliminating common opponents, the Rangers play the following teams
BOS 1, BAL 2, MIN 4, TOR 1, NYY 3, DET 2, OAK 3, HOU 3 (8 gms against horrible teams, 7 against good teams, 4 against great teams)
the Angels play the following teams
CLE 3, TB 3, KC 3, SEA 1, CHA 4, COL 3 (7 gms against horrible teams, 7 against good teams, 3 against great teams)
It doesn’t seem like it’s all that different to me. Angels desperately need to make up ground when they play Texas because the Rangers future schedule is just as tough as the Angels.
willamos2 - June 25, 2010
Did you run out of saddles to sniff?
RexTookMyStash - June 25, 2010
The Rangers also have to play 3 more games than the Angels do (fewer off days) and they also have to play 2 more road games than home games. They’re a lot worse away from the Arlington bandbox.
Meanwhile the Angels will play 5 more home games than road games, but they seem to be equally successful at both anyways.
Suboptimal - June 25, 2010
?
the only team I’d worry a lot about from the Angels list is Tampa Bay
But Boston, Minnesota, New York, Detroit, and Toronto are pretty tough.
river-z - June 25, 2010
Ewe are wrong, sheep rustler
But the most important point is that the toughest part of the Angels schedule has past, while the toughest part of the Rangers’ is still ahead.
Now get outta town by sunset. Giddy-up!
LAASurfin - June 25, 2010
Abreu caught stealing
Abreu was then thrown out trying to steal second – a base he never even reached before being tagged out.
If a player is thrown out trying to steal second, he is generally thrown out before he reaches the base – (generally)
SocalAngelFaninOC - June 25, 2010
Someone like Doug Eddings would probably disagree with you.
snowhor - June 25, 2010 via mobile
Neyer had a link to this interesting blogpost about Soth's over-performing pythag run.
http://www.wezen-ball.com/2010-articles/june/overperforming-managers.html
snowhor - June 25, 2010 via mobile
Yep. Very interesting. Thanks for the linkage.
And considering the names on that list.
Here’s hoping we can get beyond the “you could put a banana in the dugout as manager and get the same results” posts we sometimes get around here.
LAASurfin - June 25, 2010
Should they continue to play Napoli at 1B?
No, he belongs at Catcher.
That is the position that he creates the most run differential.
Barca - June 25, 2010
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