Wednesday, June 28, 2006 |
Two More Wretched Games
Cy Younger To Cy Young: Twins 6, Dodgers 3
Bobby Cox, back in the heyday of the 90's Braves rotations that started Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz, got the question which one would start the first game of the postseason, to which he replied (from memory), "whichever one won the Cy Young last year". It isn't that way yet for the Twins, whose awful start and flaky offense has almost certainly doomed them to second-tier status, but so far as the Dodgers are concerned, it doesn't matter. Olmedo Saenz drove in the only runs of the game, a bases-loaded double off starter Johan Santana.Santana got the win anyway, thanks to plentiful run support off Odalis "Stick A Fork In Me, Grady" Perez. Perez, who hoped to make a good impression, failed to do so, at least with the Dodgers, although I'm quite certain Batgirl was pleased with what she saw. Regardless, Odalis has seen his last start, and he becomes the world's most expensive long reliever. The game was essentially over from the first inning; unable to get the third out, OP gave up a grand slam instead.
But it's hard to fault this team for getting swept; they just ran into a buzzsaw anchored by a pair of the AL's best starters. The good news for the Dodgers: the upcoming series with an even worse Angels club.
It's Time To Play For 2007: Rockies 6, Angels 2
The only player doing anything consistently right is Mike Napoli, and as a rookie, his ability to keep going that way is suspect. Vlad finally came out of his slump, but whether he's out of it for more than one game is still an open question. Orlando Cabrera used his magical anti-Kryptonite shield to get on base for the 56th straight time. Juan Rivera managed to drive in a run. But the rest of these chokers kept alive the suckage that has been the 2006 Angels.That was incredibly capped by Scot Shields' idiotic handwave on a squibber past the mound. Instead of catching the ball — which he could actually have done — he instead deflected it into the hole between third and short, thus ensuring a run would score.
So, screw it. It's time to play for 2007. I keep saying this, and my blood pressure would be better off, if the Angels front office would pay attention to just how badly this team is playing, not just one or two games here and there, but three or four times a week. It's almost as if the old 2002 squad is going through a death spasm, and nobody wants to hear about it.
Fine. Maybe you can ignore the seven warning signs of cancer, Bill Stoneman, but the rest of us have to watch this team night after night. Jettison Weaver the Elder and Kennedy, call up Howie and Jered, and let's start getting Howie the 200 or so at bats he'll need to be a productive major leaguer. I could live with this kind of pain if I knew it meant the team was progressing toward something. They're not, save for a fourth-place finish in the AL West. It's time.
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