Ervin Santana was dominant, establishing the fastball, changing eye levels, and keeping hitters off balance for 6 innings of phenomenal baseball. The Angels' offense put up a crooked number in the 3rd inning behind a pair of two-run homers from Bobby Abreu and Mike Napoli, and that's your Coors Light Cold, Hard, Blaaaaaast. Ervin tried to do a little too much, letting the A's cut the lead to 4-3 in the 4th inning, but the offense came back and responded with a run in the 5th. With two strikes, Torii Hunter shortened up his swing and looked for a pitch to drive, coming through in the clutch with an RBI knock.
After the offense picked him up, Ervin looked a lot more comfortable on the mound, attacking the zone and throwing up some zeros to come away with the W. The bullpen was confident, keeping a quick tempo and refusing to let the A's back in the game with those two out walks that always come back to haunt you. Meanwhile, the Angels' added some insurance with two more runs in the 7th inning. Fernando Rodney brought his dominant, phenomenal, unbelievable stuff out of the pen in the 9th, but he was a little too fine with his pitches and let his fielders fall asleep on him. Fernando was still able to bear down and got the all-important third out. Outstanding!
Game Threads Roll Call: mathisrocks5, DAD OF VLAD, ladybug, BP Scanner, mattwelch, Rev Halofan, The Limey, UK Halo, Suboptimal, angelsfan7, Gokyle45, HalosBiggestFan, Halos2011champs, maze88, OC Awhole1, Clutch, sheisalovelyladyandmyapologiestoher, clover_black, MH252525, ~MMP~, gyoung08, ChargerBill, Dono Romantico, One won lost won, red floyd, norcaliangelsfan, ryanfea, angelslogic, The_Question, Stirrups, stuck in Romania, NA1NSXR, opiejeanne, robi s, kbrown2225, The Blake Griffin Era, matthiasstephan, Quinlan's Goofy Swing
Total Users: 38 • Total Posts: 838 • Total Threads: 2
1 recs | 54 comments
This is awesome
Just change the 3 to a 4, and you’ve got a top-5 post-game write-up!
mattwelch - September 5, 2010
Fixed
Mark Gubciza is in denial about Fernando Rodney giving up a run in the 9th.
Suboptimal - September 5, 2010
The reality is
they stayed within themselves, and didn’t try to do too much. No question about it.
Rally Manatee - September 5, 2010
they just took it one at bat at a time.
they made the adjustments.
Wally's World - September 5, 2010
Will someone please tell the broadcasters
to stop talking about picking up a game on TX. It is infuriating and insulting.
Rally Manatee - September 5, 2010
Keys to the game:
“Keep guard up”
“Make Mazzaro elevate”
“It takes nine”
Even the post-game video graphics guy has to attend the Halo Franchise Cliche Training Program.
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
No love for Maffis Subop?
Lil Jeffy got on base 3 times!!! Big Mike must’ve been so proud awww :)
AlohaHalofan - September 5, 2010 via mobile
Just heating up.
He is gonna pick this team up, put them on his back, and carry them all the way to 3rd place.
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
Because you asked
He’s now an option in the poll.
Suboptimal - September 5, 2010
Haha... That was a classic!
Showtime! - September 5, 2010
I just don't know if I should laugh or cry at Gubi's commentary...
…if an original thought entered his brain, it would immediately be trampled to death by the march of cliches on the synaptic road that links his thought process to his tongue.
sothball - September 5, 2010
We may be nearing that point in the season
when the Angels players all get hot enough to bring their individual seasons stats up to normal, now we have past all reasonable hope for us fans.
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
What's most frustrating...
…the Rangers have falter the last few weeks. They have now lost 7 of 10.
If this team had staged any ability to rally – the 2006 team also had a slow start but rallied in the last 2 months – they could be near the top of this pathetically weak division. Instead, they are set to finish 3rd.
All performances considered, this is the worst Angel team in a decade.
sothball - September 5, 2010
They are who we thought they were.
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
Oh. I thought they were the ones we've been waiting for.
sothball - September 5, 2010
Dennis Green said it best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_N1OjGhIFc
sheisalovelyladyandmyapologiestoher - September 5, 2010
Hence my quote
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
They were what the Sabermetricians thought they were.
I was deluded.
rspencer - September 5, 2010
When we win, I don't care.
When we lose, I don’t care.
Just tell me 2011 won’t be this bad. Please.
bc56274 - September 5, 2010
It won't be
mattwelch - September 5, 2010
2011 won't be this bad.
~MMP~ - September 5, 2010
I see your faith in the FO is strong..
clover_black - September 5, 2010
I have faith in them
In 06 they reacted, by signing GMJ but they i think they are going to learn from that and not sign a guy who had one good year. In 03 they signed an MVP and a Cy Young winner. It wont surprise me if we expanded our payroll, albeit i would rather we dont
Halos2011champs - September 5, 2010 via mobile
The money isn't there now
unless Arte increases the budget.
Our many good baseball minds here have crunched the numbers, and the consensus is that we have the budget for one (1) midprice FA, and we certainly have more than one (1) hole to fill.
Thus, while I think it’s unquestionable that the team will be better next year, as MMP says, it would take some real magic to have a postseason-worthy 2011 team.
rspencer - September 5, 2010
It's going to be a few years before the Angels contend.
Dono Romantico - September 6, 2010
Baldersdah
Four-team division, super-solid rotation going into next year, bullpen on the upswing with young arms, good outfield D instead of lousy, and Kendry coming back. I would bet a thousand dollars that the Angels make the playoffs at least one of the next two years.
mattwelch - September 6, 2010
Agreed
It all starts with pitching, and the Angels have Weaver, Haren and Santana around for the next couple of years, plus another year of Pineiro.
jjackflash - September 6, 2010
Didn't I see this exact post in the offseason last winter?
red floyd - September 6, 2010
It won't be
exactly this bad.
Stirrups - September 5, 2010
I am liking Waldo. Will he be our first really good reliever to come up since Arredondo?
I sure hope so.
Wally's World - September 5, 2010
Might want to pick your precedents more carefully
Seeing as how Arredondo went down with Tommy John surgery…
Suboptimal - September 5, 2010
Tommy John surgery?
Is that what they call getting stabbed in the arm at Dominican Republic nightclub?
Quad Fin Rider - September 5, 2010
No
That’s the Mack the Knife surgery.
rspencer - September 5, 2010
since arredondo, though i have a feeling that we will see him again.
he was so good that year.
Wally's World - September 5, 2010
Yea he was. But like Manny Ramirez...
…he gave up on this team and decided not practice for a post season run…
maze88 - September 5, 2010 via mobile
rehabbing with Cincy
I don’t think the Reds expect him to pitch this year, though.
jjackflash - September 5, 2010
Protected.........ah wait..........
we won?
norcaliangelsfan - September 5, 2010
OMG PLAYOFF’S HERE WE COME!
Ehh…. maybe not.
BrentSchmidt - September 5, 2010
What the heck?
Mathis is a Premium Player (PP) and deserves more than 7 votes.
stuck in Romania - September 5, 2010
It all makes sense now.
It was so strange last year when I would watch the games on MLB.com. I only had regular, and I always wondered why they blacked out Mathis’s at bats. Now I know~! I needed to upgrade to premium!.
Wally's World - September 5, 2010
Premium
like the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.
rspencer - September 5, 2010
I didn't get to see the game, or listen to it on the radio
but this write up more than made up for it! Lovely, really lovely!
agent_99 - September 5, 2010
Subop
Another home run. Thanks.
angelslogic - September 5, 2010
Rev. Who?
nice write up Sub.
angelskid2210 - September 5, 2010
Burrrrrrrrrn!!
Is it still kool to say that? Or replacing “c” with a “k”?
HalosBiggestFan - September 5, 2010 via mobile
What's wrong with increasing payroll?
Besides beer prices going up?
And I’m not even old enough to drink yet (although my mustache would disagree—>it’s the Mexican in me I think) so its not a big deal, is it?
HalosBiggestFan - September 5, 2010 via mobile
POTG = Bobby
Your choices were all good, as indicated by the closeness of the poll.
Now, last chance. Cleveland and Seattle at home. This is it.
vladtheimpaler - September 5, 2010
Brilliant writeup
It suggests that the team could save the cost of a color guy by just assigning a recording of each of Gubi’s clichés to a different key on Victor’s laptop so he can fire the appropriate one at the appropriate time. It’d be Jim Healy-esque.
Seriously, Suboptimal, you’ve really become a solid writer here.
rspencer - September 5, 2010
Is it Dean Chance?
UK Halo - September 6, 2010
yes
question was which Angels pitcher never played for Kansas City
Rev Halofan - September 6, 2010
mistake from yesterday fixed
linked to the wrong game.
scottnak - September 6, 2010
Now all the Angels have to do is get Santana masks for the other starters to wear
For some reason they manage to find their hitting groove with him on the mound. By all rights, Weaver should have as many – if not more – wins than Santana if he were given any kind of offensive support at all and, therefore, a legit shot at the Cy Young. But regardless of his pitching, no way the voters are going to give the award to someone with a .500 won-loss record, regardless of how that record doesn’t reflect his true pitching this season.
Now time to go out and enjoy this Labor Day. Fire up the BBQ and enjoy the day everyone.
RedHatHalo - September 6, 2010
lol @ somebodys screen name "The Blake Griffen Era"
clover_black - September 6, 2010
Well that sure worked out good
I guess I picked a good year to move back east…..
HaloMachismo - September 6, 2010
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