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Angels Open Half With Win, Scioscia Doesn't Like Rentals.  Halolinks.

Rested, but not ready: M’s clobbered by Angels - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington
Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu drove in three runs apiece, Joel Piñeiro won his seventh straight decision, and the Los Angeles Angels returned from hosting the All-Star game with an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Los Angeles pounded out 16 hits against the Mariners, with every starter except All-Star cleanup hitter Torii Hunter getting at least one.Seattle has lost eight of 10 to its AL West rivals this season.eattle Aybar and Jeff Mathis had three hits apiece as the Angels methodically pounded Seattle starter Doug Fister (3-5), who gave up 12 hits and six runs while pitching into the sixth inning of his fourth consecutive loss. Piñeiro (10-6) had no such problems while giving up six hits over seven innings. After a slow start to his first season with the Angels, the right-hander had won six consecutive starts before getting a no-decision last Friday in Oakland despite leaving with a 5-3 lead after seven innings. Piñeiro has started each of the Angels’ last three victories while becoming their first 10-game winner this season, beating All-Star ace Jered Weaver.

Good way to start the second half, hopefully this continues for awhile.  It's also good to see Pineiro doing so well.  Many thought that once he left St. Louis and Dave Duncan he'd revert to his prior ineffective self, but he's continued to provide the Angels with consistent quality starts.  One of the best free agent signings in baseball.  Highlights (some plates and a couple Frandsen defensive plays):  Kendrick plates Mathis with a double - Howard Kendrick plates Jeff Mathis with a double to right field, Abreu plates Aybar with a two-bagger - Bobby Abreu plates Erick Aybar with a double to left field, putting the Angels on top, Frandsen throws home to nab Ichiro - Kevin Frandsen fields the ball and throws home to retire Ichiro Suzuki in the fifth inning, Frandsen snags Ichiro's liner to end inning - Kevin Frandsen snags Ichiro Suzuki's liner to end the top of the seventh inning.

Mariners-Angels Preview -  FOX Sports on MSN
Los Angeles (48-44) gave Weaver his normal five days' rest entering a matchup with Seattle (35-54). The right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.30 ERA in seven home starts against the Mariners. But Weaver has been struggling, posting a 6.57 ERA en route to losing his last two outings. In his last start, Weaver surrendered five runs in six innings of a 5-2 loss to Oakland. Weaver did strike out seven, giving him the major league lead in that category with 137. Felix Hernandez's 131 strikeouts put him third on that list. Despite an excellent first half, Hernandez (7-5, 2.88) failed to make his second straight All-Star game. Hernandez has been particularly sharp in recent weeks, going 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA in his last six starts. He has tossed nine innings four times over his last five outings. Hernandez is 4-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 18 starts versus Los Angeles.


MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

Star-divide

LA Writer: Why Rangers are better than Angels - Dallas Morning News
The Texas Rangers have a more potent offense, a superior defense and a far better bullpen than the Los Angeles Angels, while the team's rotations are an even match. But as much as the between-the-lines factors favor Texas this season, it's what's going on between the ears of the Rangers that will probably end the Angels' reign of American League West titles at three in a row. ...They have the look and feel of a winner, a swagger, and they got better with last week's acquisition of ace left-hander Cliff Lee from Seattle. ...This has the feel of 2006, when the Angels struggled to sustain a productive offense, played erratic defense and failed to make the playoffs. Prediction: The Angels won't reach the playoffs for only the second time since 2004.

LA Times reporter Mike DiGiovanna doesn't like the Angels chances.

Buying or selling? American League teams gear up for second half - USATODAY.com
Buy, sell or wait: Wait. The rest of July will give Los Angeles a better idea of what it needs and it could be one more bat to fill the void left by Kendry Morales' broken leg. But Scioscia said he doesn't like the idea of getting a player for a half season. It could be better to work with what they already have.

The last two lines from this tidbit are frustrating if true.  In the right deal, why wouldn't Scioscia want a player for just a half season if that player can help his team?  And how could it be better to work with what they already have when what they already have isn't working?

Who Do the Players Find Overrated? - FanGraphs Baseball
#3: Gary Matthews Jr., 5% This one is spot on. Matthews basically parlayed one decent year and one fantastic catch into a $50 million contract and whined when he couldn’t get playing time with the Angels. Why would he be considered overrated, after the Mets finally dumped him last month? Possibly because he managed to make the opening day lineup for the Mets in center field, despite the fact that he’s just plain not good: GMJ has posted a total of -1.1 WAR since 2007.

Really?  Wow, I don't think we would have figured that one out on our own.

Anonymous Doofus' Antics Make Me Sympathize With Gary Carter - Walkoff Walk
This anonymous goon raises a stink and eventually gets tossed from the event for being a total horse's ass. Imagine that, using your kid, who probably has no idea who Gary Carter even is, as a pawn to get some merch signed so you can flip it on eBay. Pathetic. Even worse: this guy's dumb YouTube video made me sympathize with Gary freakin Carter.

I wasn't going to include this link mainly because I didn't want to give this asswipe any more hits on his youtube account, but then realized it's probably better to point out how moronic this guy is.  It's also on Deadspin: We Seriously Underestimated How Mad At Gary Carter This Autograph Hound Is

Angels Win Probability - Thursday, July 15, 2010 - FanGraphs Baseball

20100715_mariners_angels_0_77_lbig__medium

July 16 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on July 16.
1921 - At age 63, Arthur Irwin, pioneer player, manager, and executive who began in the National League in 1880, jumps to his death from a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.  Interesting story about one of the first players to use fielding gloves...

Arthur Irwin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In July 1921, he was a passenger on the vessel Calvin Austin as it steamed from New York City to Boston when he mysteriously disappeared. Irwin, 63, was presumed drowned. Within days of his apparent suicide, it was discovered that Irwin had led a "double life" for 30 years, with a wife and child in Boston and a common-law wife and three offspring in New York. He was apparently successful in keeping these arrangements secret; they only came to light after his death. According to one report, Irwin had learned that he had an incurable disease just before his ill-fated steamer trip. Said his legal wife, in Boston, upon hearing of Irwin's double life: "I feel confident and happy in the belief that, although he had this other woman in New York, he was on his way to me when he died … He turned to me as the woman he loved at the last. He wanted to die in my arms."  Another possibility was he realized he was heading to Boston.


Happy b-day:
1873 - Dad Clark, infielder (d. 1956)  If this guy had kids, what'd they call him?
1897 - Hi Bell, pitcher (d. 1949)  Hello.
1953 - Sheldon Mallory, outfielder  A Sheldon can do your income taxes, if you need a root canal, Sheldon's your man... but humpin' and pumpin' is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. 'Do it to me Sheldon, you're an animal Sheldon, ride me big Shel-don.' Doesn't work.(my apologizes to all the Sheldons out there)

Ten-game-winner Pineiro:

Seattle Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki, RF 4 0 1 3 0 0 0 .325
Chone Figgins, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .232
Franklin Gutierrez, CF 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .259
Jose Lopez, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .240
Milton Bradley, DH 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .206
Justin Smoak, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 .202
Michael Saunders, LF 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .218
Rob Johnson, C 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 .208
   a- Casey Kotchman, PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .218
Jack Wilson, SS 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .250
Totals 34 3 7 3 2 6    
a-walked for Johnson in the 9th
Batting
2B - Ichiro Suzuki (18, Pineiro), Franklin Gutierrez (12, Jepsen), Jose Lopez (18, Pineiro)
RBI - Ichiro Suzuki 3 (27)
Team LOB - 6
Fielding
Outfield Assists - Ichiro Suzuki 1
DP - Fister-Figgins-Smoak
Los Angeles Angels
Erick Aybar, SS 5 2 3 3 0 0 2 .288
Howard Kendrick, 2B 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 .275
Bobby Abreu, RF 4 0 2 3 1 2 1 .260
Torii Hunter, CF 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 .293
Hideki Matsui, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .252
Juan Rivera, LF 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .244
Paul McAnulty, 1B 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .136
    Mike Napoli, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
Kevin Frandsen, 3B 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 .287
Jeff Mathis, C 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 .258
Totals 38 8 16 8 2 3    
Batting
2B - Howard Kendrick 2 (23, Fister, Sweeney), Bobby Abreu (21, Fister), Jeff Mathis (4, Fister)
RBI - Erick Aybar 3 (19), Howard Kendrick (53), Bobby Abreu 3 (50), Jeff Mathis (9)
2-OUT RBI - Erick Aybar (5), Bobby Abreu 2 (17), Jeff Mathis (3)
Team LOB - 8
Fielding
E - Paul McAnulty (1, Missed catch of throw)
 
Seattle Mariners
Doug Fister (L,3-5) 5.2 12 6 6 1 2 0 3.50
Brian Sweeney 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 3.46
Jamey Wright 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.40
Garrett Olson 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.40
Pitches-Strikes - Doug Fister 91-64, Brian Sweeney 22-14, Jamey Wright 9-3, Garrett Olson 9-7
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Doug Fister 8-5, Brian Sweeney 2-1, Garrett Olson 1-1
Batters Faced - Doug Fister 28, Brian Sweeney 6, Jamey Wright 3, Garrett Olson 3
Los Angeles Angels
Joel Pineiro (W,10-6) 7 6 3 3 1 4 0 3.95
Kevin Jepsen 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.35
Francisco Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 4.09
Pitches-Strikes - Joel Pineiro 104-69, Kevin Jepsen 17-13, Francisco Rodriguez 18-8
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Joel Pineiro 9-8, Kevin Jepsen 1-1
Batters Faced - Joel Pineiro 28, Kevin Jepsen 4, Francisco Rodriguez 4
 
Game Information
Attendance - 41959
Game Time - 2:42
Temperature - 81
Umpires - Home - Tim Tschida, First Base - Tim Timmons, Second Base - Bob Davidson, Third Base - Alfonso Marquez
Poll
Best Angel signing in 2010?
Hideki Matsui
15 votes
Kevin Frandsen
62 votes
Joel Pineiro
399 votes
Fernando Rodney
14 votes

490 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  80 comments

Comments

Kevin Frandsen is my Homeboy

where’s Victor Rojas on the free agent poll?

The Olympian, my old home-town paper. Cool!
Funny poll.

Three joke answers and one real one.

Wait, Rodney isn't a joke answer too?
Never mind, I misread your comment
Rodney has done more good than bad this season.
"More good than bad"

That’s a pretty low bar. I’m going to ask my boss for a raise today using that metric. I’ll let you know if I get fired.

Yep, I got fired.

Thanks a lot, 44Fan.

What’s for dinner tonight? My family and I will be at your house around 7pm and then it’s off to live on the streets by our wits.

Aren't you a smart guy snowhor.
I don't think Frandsen should be considered a joke answer.

While nowhere near as good as the Pineiro signing, he’s not a joke.

No he is not a joke, but he is kind of funny.
Funny

…looking

The poll asks for the best signing, not to just identify a useful signing.

No disrespect to Franderson, but come on.

I voted for Pineiro. I was just arguing that Franderson wasn't a joke answer.
To answer your question about Soth not wanting a rental.

He knows one player won’t make a difference. This team is bad and will only get better if some people (you f’ers know who you are) return to form.

Why weaken an already weak farm for someone who can’t single handedly turn us into a good team? Out only other option would be to take on a salary dump, but considering these types of players are typically more of a dump than impact guys, that wouldn’t help either.

It would just be a charade for the fans.

^This^

I wholeheartedly agree. When we rented Teix (I think our only major rental under Sosh who would be a free agent immediately) we were in a totally different situation. 1) We probably would have still won the division. We just rented him for the playoffs really. 2) We hoped to lure him into resigning with us.

This year, no single player will help us even GET to the playoffs. We really are better off just hoping the guys we have make dramatic turnarounds.

Also, we gave up prospects who wouldn’t have done much for us anyway. The system isn’t so deep right now that it can afford to lose a few guys. Especially after the ill-advised Kazmir trade.

Also, we really did need to move one of our slow-footed 1B-men.

It hurt everyone that Kotch was traded, but the acquition of superstar Teixeira made it paletable for everyone. (Management knew that Morales could play OF in a pinch, while Kotch is forever relegated to 1B or DH).

Yea have a good farm great prospects
Remember when we won in '04 & '05, then lost in '06, then won three straight division titles?

That happened because we had a decent-to-good farm system and made smart (for the most part) signings each off-season. We have the right combination of good ownership, decent farm talent and available cash over the next couple of winters to ensure we stay among the better teams in the AL for the next several years. I’d rather not tamper with future title chances too much for an unlikely shot at winning it all this year.

Besides, our loss in ‘06 just meant I got to watch the Magglio walk-off that eliminated the A’s, resulting in an eruptive celebration in my dorm hallway during which my drunken neighbor set fire to an A’s cap.

I felt like going into this year it was going to be a rebuild/transition

and I think blowing some of our better prospects would go against their strategy in the offseason.

Stay the course…this team can fight and stay in it for attendance sake through September. Let’s make sure we’ll be in a position to recapture this division for the next 5 years by keeping conger, trout, richards, reckling, skaggs, etc.

I also hope Rivera comes on in the second half so we can maybe deal him in the offseason. Our outfield needs a serious reboot (and Carl Crawford)

I would love to grab Crawford

Dump Rivera for peanuts. Sign Adam Dunn to DH. I know that’s not realistic because those guys won’t come cheap. But check out this lineup:

Crawford
Abreu
Hunter
Dunn
Morales
Kendrick
Napoli
Wood/Izturis/Frandsen/Empty Glove
Aybar

The pitching staff will still be garbage outside of Weaver, Santana, and Pineiro, but hey, that’s what random minor leaguers are for, right?

I'd like to see Abreu be DH

Rivera to be traded, Bourjos called up to play one of the corner outfield spots and Crawford signed to play the other corner outfield position. Just as quick as that we would have a talented, speedy and defensive minded outfield.

I'm not a huge fan of Crawford...

but I do admit he might be worth paying just because our OF is under-performing so badly right now. We defin should try to jettison Rivera either way.

2011

LF: Crawford
CF: Bourjos
RF: Hunter
DH: Abreu

2012

LF: Crawford
CF: Bourjos
RF: Trout
DH: Hunter

Torii won't move from CF

Scioscia is too loyal, and Torii is too proud

Which is sad

Torii’s defense has definitely taken a hit the past couple years. I love the way he plays, but he’s lost a bit of speed and a bit of reaction time. He’s not even making those spectacular at-the-wall plays this year.

Crawford would be a HUGE upgrade over Rivera in the OF, both offensively and defensively. He’s not a prototypical leadoff guy, but he’d be better than Aybar. Or Scioscia could still bat Aybar first and bat Crawford second, moving Howie down in the lineup a bit.

How is Bourjos doing in AAA? I know his defense is considered above average, but will his bat play at all in the bigs?

Bourjos

.287/.341./.439 OPS .779

335 AB’s, 96 hits, 8 HR, 64K’s, 23 SB’s with 3 CS

Not bad

Could use a bit more patience. The speed is nice, and there’s at least a bit of power. I still wonder if he’ll be wasted if we continue to play Torii’s ego in centerfield.

That'd be a funny Onion article

“Tori Hunter Signs his Ego to a 4 Year Extension”

Completely agree.

I would think Soth could diplomatically get Torii to move to LF. Soth is players’ manager due to his demeanor and loyalty. And there’s nothing unique about this situation, former star CFs eventually move to a corner. Doesn’t Mike Cameron now play RF?

Also, I’ll admit I’ve been turned off a bit by Torii this year. There’s no way to quantify it, but Torii’s play this year has seemed a bit lackadaisical to me.

Add the fact that he’s going to the press campaigning for a big bat, naming Fielder and Dunn. I don’t know, I just find that a bit distasteful.

Mike Cameron is still playing CF
Why did I think he changed positions? Did he ever move out of CF or am I just confused?

Boston talked about moving him to left and putting Ellsbury in center when Cameron came off the DL, but apparently they decided against that.

Torii has been

the team’s most consistent bat, so I can’t share in your distaste for his play this season. his defense has declined, but he’s 35 years old, he can’t be a GG CF forever.

and he’s campaigning for a bat because he wants this team to get better. he doesn’t seem like the type of person to roll over and recomend to the front office that they start trading away pieces for young talent to build for the future. he wants to win now, he’s getting older and his chances for a WS ring are getting slimmer. also because he’s been seeing who they’ve been putting out there (Macfatty and Aldridge) and he knows its a joke.

I don’t blame him at all for wanting the team to get better.

do you think the other players don’t want the team to bring in a new #5 starter, a relaible bullpen, and a good left fielder? I’m assuming yes, because they all want to win.

I don't blame him for wanting it either.

It’s just that I see going to the press as borderline bitching, something a disgruntled player would do. If he was gruntled, wouldn’t he make his case for a trade in private to the organization?

And if it’s so bad here and he feels the chance to win a world championship in his career dwindling away, he should ask to be released from his contract to become a free agent in the off-season. Let him see if anyone out there would give him a multi-year deal at $18m per.

I should clarify that my second paragraph here is more just going off our discussion rather than how I really feel about Torii.

I do see it as only as borderline bitching and am only moderately annoyed. I suppose if he steps up the complaining, I’ll progress to feeling like the second paragraph above.

2 things come to mind

1. he’s a vocal guy and sometimes says a little too much. I’m sure there are some Dominicans who agree with me.

2. Kobe Bryant comes to mind. when he was bitching about wanting a trade because he didn’t want to be aprt of a re-building process, he was right. he wasn’t right to bitch to the public, but a player only has so many productive years in their prime. so adding that mindset to the fact that Torii is vocal, sometimes to a flaw, I can see him being a little too open about it. now, he wasn’t requesting a trade, but he is requesting that the team try to win now, and for that I agree with him. he doesn’t want to consider the season lost and wait til next year.

don’t get me wrong, I agree with many of your points. I’m just saying that I can see where he’s coming from as an aging athlete.

Very good points.

How about someone just tells him to stop doing it publicly or we’ll threaten to bring in more imposters?

it helps that they don't speak english

the imposters, that is

What about our all-star, gold-glove centerfielder?

Are you benching or trading Torii?

Torii won't be going anywhere
I misread

I thought you were forgetting about Torii.

I got a better one

McAnulty
Aldridge
Rivera
Willits
Aybar
Wood
Mathis
Figgins’ roommate
McAnulty’s cousin

Is Figgins’ roommate playing second or DHing? Because his bat plays well at 2B, but he might not cut it at DH.

what about GMJ??
He was supposed to play

but he wouldn’t answer his phone

I hear McAnulty's cousin owns a McDonalds franchise.
Can't believe you left Q out. Clean up spot!
Hey if we get Prince for 1st this year and next year if he doesnt want to DH we can trade him

next deadline and get some prospects back. what do you guys think

Obviously I'm partial to Pineiro...

the fact he’s outperforming Lackey makes it all that much sweeter.

Our team is the equivalent of holding Q10 offsuit

 there is also a K on the board and the Rangers just shoved all their chips in the middle. We’re a long shot to a straight but do you really want to go all in and lose to Kings?

Did someone say Q?
Mike DiGiovanna wrote the following on July 13, 2007

“See you in September: The Mariners, with the better lineup, comparable bullpen and improving rotation, edge out the Angels on the final weekend to win the division title; the Angels settle for the wild-card spot.”

(Quoted directly out of the LA Times July 13, 2007 article, ‘Angels say it can only get better.’)
Source

Well he did get one part right, their bullpen is comparable to ours.
Ok who voted for

Outsui??

The angels farm system can't afford to give up any top prospects right now. They need to be rebuilding it.

If that means loosing the division this year, so be it. Right now, Matsui, Abreu and Rivera are seriously under preforming. Rivera has always been a second half type player so I hope he will contribute more the second half. I guess we just cross our fingers and hope Matsui and Abreu have a better second half. Perhaps the bull pen will also turn it around in the second half like they did last year.

I believe the Angels should try to get what minor league talent they can for Mathis or Wilson/Buddie— to make room for Conger. They will need Napoli to play first the rest of the year. They should also see if they can get anything for Willits and or Rivera. Izturis might also bring some talent when he returns from the DL. They could have Hank Blalock for the league min without giving up anything to fill in at the corner infield spots and he can also fill in in the corner outfield spots as well—his OPS when the Ray released him is better than Mathis’ Willits’, Izturis’ and much better than McFattys’, albeit we only have a small sample size, and not much worse than Rivera’s. Another thought is that with the Lee for Smoak trade, Kotchman may be available but I don’t know what it would take to get him. If we could do that without giving up top prospects, I would be all for it. Could Napoli play third???

It would be nice if they could get an relief pitcher that was close to being ready that knew how to find the strike zone but I think they need to be trying to figure out how to fix Shields and Rodney. It is obvious that Shields’ problem is mechanical. His two seamer still moves about a foot. He just needs to regain command.

At any rate, I would have to give up on the Angels for a while if they gave up Conger or Trout at this point.

More frustrating than Sosh's comments about not renting a player

is that “Mike Scioscia said he’s keeping Kazmir in the rotation.” AAARRRGGG! Why? Didn’t Sosh see the same last 2 starts that I saw? Kaz is incapable of throwing anymore than 2 good innings. That sounds like…hmm…a bullpen pitcher?

I think the point is...

Who the heck are you going to replace him with? O’Sullivan? Bell? Is Reckling ready? None of those guys are legitimate big league pitchers (at least not at the moment). No, Kazmir isn’t right now either, but at least he’s done it in the past. There’s evidence to suggest he can put it together and at least win some games down the stretch. There’s no evidence to suggest that those other guys can. And in the case of Reckling, if he’s not ready you risk hindering or destroying his development.

"There’s no evidence to suggest that those other guys can."

Sean O’Sullivan started ten games for us last year, and the Angels won eight of them. He held the opponent to four or fewer runs in eight of them.

Matt Palmer is rehabbing and should be back soon. He was 11-2 with a 3.93 ERA for us last year. Is he great? No. But he usually is aggressive, wants to win, and is successful when he keeps the ball low in the zone and maintains control.

Phrases like “legitimate big league pitchers” are pretty vague criteria to go on. Based on actual outcomes, I’ll take a mediocre O’Sullivan or Palmer over a completely broken Kazmir at this point.

What’s the actual “evidence” that Kazmir can put it together? (And let’s not point to something previous to his injuries.) After his last start, he publicly stated in the post-game interviews that he had no confidence in himself. Of 17 starts this year, only five of them have been quality starts. I don’t want a loser with a losing streak and a losing mentality on the mound.

Give me a mediocre pitcher who is hungry any day over that.

I think a move to the bullpen would really do him some good...

 he could open up on his pitches. He doesn’t have to worry about nibbling or fatigue. He just does his inning.

Our bullpen sucks so bad I can’t see how Kazmir can make it any worse. It’s worth a shot.

Sean O’Sullivan’s win totals (or the Angels’ record in his starts) are irrelevant. What is relevant is his poor ERA, his poor FIP, and his poor K/BB ratio, among other things. And it’s not like he’s showed much in the minors either; his ERA above low A is about 5.00.

Matt Palmer’s record is also irrelevant. His 3.93 ERA last year was nice, but he was terrible this year (albeit somewhat unlucky) in 23 innings, and his low ERA last year was mainly a product of his relief duty where he had a 2.74 ERA vs a 4.66 ERA as a starter. When Palmer comes back, he might be a possible replacement for Kazmir, but he wouldn’t really be an upgrade in any significant way.

The evidence that Kazmir can put it together came during his stint with the Angels last year (which was after his injury) when he put up a 1.76 ERA (including a 2.93 FIP). Do I think he could repeat those numbers for the rest of this season? No, probably not. But unless there’s another injury, I like his chances to be a league average starter for the next three months much more than for Palmer or O’Sullivan.

Things like “losing mentality” and “pitcher who is hungry” are pretty vague criteria as well. I’d argue Kazmir’s pretty hungry to do better, even though he’s lost his confidence. But the statistical evidence suggests Kazmir, even post injury, has a better chance to perform decently down the stretch than anyone else in the organization.

Palmer was hurt this year

so THOSE are the #‘s that are irrelevant. There is no reason to believe he cannot return to the same form he showed last year, which was much better than Kaz is right now. I just don’t think we have the time to wait for Kaz to figure things out. Whoever it is, we’ve got to find someone to give us a chance to win.

if the replacements

had same or worse results then what Kaz is showing, a demotion to the minors may be what Kaz needs. hit his pride (although that 13 run game should’ve already done that), embarrass him by making him play in SLC while his team is chillin in SoCal. after a few weeks in the minors I’d bet good money that he would come back and put up better results than what he’s been doing. if he is done then AAA hitters will expose that without a doubt, but if he’s got anything left then perhaps putting up numbers against some AAA guys will help restore his confidence.

and Turks comment below makes good points too. O’Sully wasn’t near as bad as Kaz has been when given a chance. bring on SOS!! at this point I don’t have very much confidence in Bell.

Kazmir Can't Be Sent Down

Except while on the DL for an injury rehab assignment.

oh

i didn’t realize that. can’t we fake an injury and send him down for a rehab assignment, like we did with Wood?

How come we could send Howie down?

Was that because he was still under team control?

Ye of little of faith!!!!

4.5 games, that’s it. Face facts people, Texas has a great offense, so? When was the last time Texas didn’t have a great offense? How’s that worked out for them? They’ve got an ace and a whole collection of 5th starters/swingmen for a rotation. While it’s stronger, it’s not that much stronger in years past. They have strong bullpen, is that really the difference maker? Texas fades every freakin’ year, and every freakin’ year the stupid media pretends like it’s an absolute shocker.

Our rotation is still stronger, our bullpen can only get better and our offense has mountain tops and valleys, like every other year. Soon enough everyone will be talking about how the offense finally figured it out.

Has no one else figured out why McAnulty and Aldridge are up and playing? The Angels are currently trying to figure out if they have what it takes or if they need to make a move. Scioscia may not like it, but if the Angels land Adam LaRoche or someone similar that is a big bat in the 2nd half, for a fringe prospect or two, they should do it.

Rivera, Abreu and Matsui will all heat up in the 2nd half and I predict the Angels and Rangers will be dead even headed into September.

I sincerely hope this comment turns out to be more true than your Brandon Wood Transformation post.

Wood did transform
he transformed into a butterfly, but bugs die fast, and so did Wood.

He's still transforming....

Or at least he was. When he gets on a roll like that (as short lived as it was) he needs playing time. He’s not a starter anymore and frankly, Wood is worthless off the bench.

we are still f*cked by GMJ trade.

Angels need some clout—how about Dye?-I dont like rentals either-There are a few out there that can be had-We cant wait too long- I would get Dye and another big hitter now!-Do not trade Napoli either-I would play him every day also—1b or catcher or DH ahead of Matsui also-I always thought he was underated- we need to move now-just be careful-Also I like the Angels brain trust much more than the Dodgers-except the biggest mistake was loosing Vladdy and also Figgy both—Wood should be traded-he might do well with another team-I think Figgy is trying to hard -He would be doing much better as an Angel-And Vlady? Well enough said ok!

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