Sunday, August 05, 2007 |
Second Guessing, Second Thoughts: Angels 4, Athletics 3
Despite an early one-run lead captured by a suddenly-potent Garret Anderson, the A's came right back in the second with a run of their own. No matter how many players they've jettisoned, no matter how much they miss Milton Bradley's bat, the fact that the A's are the worst offensive team in the majors burned like a coal in the back of my mind; what's Lackey, the team's alleged ace, doing choking up leads in close games against a team this ineffective with the lumber?
Lackey, of course, was giving up hits left and right, and a couple walks to boot. It's part of a (small-sample-size) second-half pattern that's seen his WHIP rise by almost a half point (1.54 from a much better 1.15 pre-ASB) and his ERA jump to 3.81. Yet, somehow, he weaseled his way out of jams, including two bases-loaded situations, though my apoplexia found new highs when he allowed a two-run jack to .238-hitting Dan Johnson. Dan Johnson! Seriously, he's the guy you have to get out. It wasn't one of his better moments, but luckily for him, the Angels' offense came through in the seventh, with Casey Kotchman sending the game-winning run home. Kotch went 3-for-4 with the only non-GA RBI in the game, which makes me happy that I spent so much space defending him yesterday.
With Boston crushing Seattle 9-2, the Angels get to a 3.5 game lead over the M's. We'll see how long that lasts, as Seattle plays Baltimore next, while the Angels get to contend with the Boston boys. The next three days will see Jered Weaver versus Curt Schilling (I own both in my fantasy league, so this should be interesting), Tim Wakefield versus Joe Saunders, and John Lester versus Dustin Moseley. All that lead but a half game could be gone by Thursday.
Labels: angels, athletics, recaps
But I suppose I'm not surprised. The unlikeliness of a particular outcome has never stopped you from complaining about it before.
Also, you should revise your post. Oakland may be the worst offensive team in the league per runs scored, but they are #24 in the Majors. They average 4.27 runs per game, and Escobar, Lackey and Saunders all held them under that mark. Diamonds for coal, and all that.
Also, why cite Dan Johnson's batting average when the guy has 11 HRs, an OBP almost 120 pts higher than his BA, and more walks than strikeouts? The point being: Johnson isn't a slouch. He's a guy that knows the strikezone, can hit strike throwers, and has enough power to put it over the fence.
Do you really have to ask?
Just think a little bit. I mean, you implicitly criticize me for bringing up an unlikely outcome without even a hint of irony! If you assume the Red Sox have a 55% chance of winning each game against the Angels, and likewise assume that the Mariners have the same odds against the Orioles, there's like a 3% chance of both series being sweeps in the Mariners' favor. Yet I'm the one discussing an unlikely outcome.
Christ, you're upset about Lackey's second half, when he's apparently devolved from great to merely good. What a tragedy.
Is that substantive enough for you? Do you want me to go on?
Maybe your apoplexy over Johnson's home run is the problem. It's a baseball game. More often than not, there will be another one tomorrow. And in a 162 game season, Dan Johnson is going to hit some home runs.
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.