“It’s a milestone,” Angels manger Mike Scioscia jokingly told the media. “We’re proud of it.”
Unfortunately for the Angels, penning in their 100th different lineup of the year may be the only thing they have to be proud of this year. The team is currently having one of their worst offensive seasons in recent memory and with only 38 games left, their playoff hopes look bleak as they trail the Texas Rangers in the AL West by seven games.
Although, something must of worked right during Saturday’s game––the Halos put up 16 runs in a rare decisive victory over the Minnesota Twins. The lineup card featured a few interesting twists with Bobby Abreu and Howie Kendrick hitting 1-2 and Erick Aybar taking up the sixth spot behind Hideki Matsui. The Angels sleeping offense finally woke up, led by rookie Peter Bourjos who hit his first major league home run and produced four RBIs. Read more... (268 words, 2 images, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)
Pulling off a trade that caught everybody off guard, Angles General Manager Tony Reagins announced to the rest of the baseball world that he is not about to let his team concede the AL West to the Texas Rangers. Working in typical Angels covert fashion, Monday’s acquisition of ace Dan Haren was a huge shock to everyone, especially the New York Yankees, who many considered to be the front-runners in the Dan Haren sweepstakes. But once again proving that he is not one of those GMs that relies on that tired excuse of “looking forward to rebuilding next season,” Reagins dealt left-hander Joe Saunders and a couple of minor league arms in an attempt to match Texas’ recent pickup of ace Cliff Lee. Forget 2011––the Angels still want a shot at 2010. Read more... (308 words, 2 images, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)
2010 was supposed to be the season that Angles third baseman Brandon Wood finally turned that proverbial corner. Unfortunately for Wood, he didn’t even make it to the turn. Batting just a buck-sixty-eight, with three home runs and twelve RBIs through 173 at-bats, the former first-round pick back in the 2003 has officially fallen from his phenom status. Read more... (292 words, 2 images, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)
This is typically the point in the season when teams who don’t qualify for the postseason will look back and wonder what could have been had they only won those few games against their divisional rival. Last night’s game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Texas Rangers could very well have been an indicator of just how close the race in the AL West is going to be, and how one these may look back and think “what if”? Read more... (328 words, 2 images, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
As the old saying goes: “If at first you don’t succeed, just give up.” Or, how about: “When the going gets tough, quit.” And my personal favorite: “If you fall, just stay down.” It would be hard not be in a negative mood if you were a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Crew have dropped 9 out of their last 11 and are currently battling a demoralizing six-game losing streak. It doesn’t help to mention that if the Dodgers lose again tonight, they will have dropped all six games to the Angels in this season’s Freeway Series. Read more... (365 words, 2 images, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)
“There’s no place like home; there’s no place like home.” True, but if Dorothy was having the same luck as the Angels, she would stay as far away from Kansas as humanly possible. But in baseball, you have no choice: 81 games at home and 81 on the road. But maybe the Halos could take the advice from their right-handed starter Ervin Santana: “I guess we have to keep playing with the grey uniforms.”
When you look at the numbers you can understand the sincerity in Santana’s joke. Since returning from one of the longest and most successful trips in franchise history, the Angles have been outscored 19-3 and outhit 24-11 in their first two games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to their return home, the Angles went 11-3, including a four-game series sweep over the Mariners and an impressive three-game series sweep over their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Read more... (395 words, 2 images, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)
Part of what makes the Freeway Series so intriguing is the historical and rather uncanny cross-pollination between the Angels and Dodgers. In order to see the deep ties between the two Southern California clubs, one needs to look no further than the managers themselves. Most people know that Angels’ skipper Mike Scioscia spent his playing time in the majors as a member of the Blue Crew, but what most forget is that Dodgers manager Joe Torre was actually an Angels broadcaster from 1985-1990. When Scioscia joined the Angles back in 2000, he also brought along fellow Dodger players Ron Roenicke, Mickey Hatcher and Alfredo Griffin to fill out his coaching staff. While Scioscia always downplays his hype of the Freeway Series, Roenicke admits that there’s something special about the Dodger organization — especially in it’s playing in the Chavez Ravine. Read more... (324 words, 2 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)
Although the Angels suffered a rough 10-1 rout during tonight’s game against the Oakland Athletics, it’s still somewhat hard to fathom how the Angels have been able to produce offensively without their most consistent player. When the Halos lost first-baseman Kendry Morales a little more than a week ago because of a broken left ankle that he suffered as a result of jumping onto home plate after hitting a walk-off grand slam, the club was 24-27 and averaging only 4.4 runs per game. Read more... (328 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
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Despite Loss, Angles Offense Finally Showing Signs of Life
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For a team that has been plagued thus far by inconsistent play and unfulfilled potential, the Angles’ bullpen has hit a new low. Five relievers came to the mound on Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals and none of them could protect Jered Weaver’s four run lead.
The Angles blew a four-run lead for the fourth time this season, as the proverbial “we have the talent but…” and “today just wasn’t our day” excuses continue to pile up.
Sunday’s meltdown didn’t really get underway until the eighth inning, when set-up man Fernando Rodney walked Albert Pujols on four pitches. With the Angels still leading 5-3, he battled to get the second out of the inning on a tough 12-pitch at-bat against Matt Holliday, but then walked Colby Rasmus, which lead to a double steal. David Freese singled to right to tie the score. Read more... (328 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
