6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Great piece:

me: Before I go to some players outperforming or underperforming projections, though, this is quoting you… you were asked which Angel could collapse, which would break out: “If I have to pick one maybe Howie Kendrick. I’m worried about the injuries and inability to lay off the slider outside stalling his development. With his lack of patience, he has to hit .300 to be an asset, .270 would be a disaster. … Weaver will take the step forward to become an ace, like Lackey, Santana, and Saunders have before him. My projections see him as the equal to Lackey and Santana.”
You’re a witch!!!
Sean Smith: That looks pretty good. But I take no pleasure in Kendrick’s struggles.

Labels: angels, predictions, sabermetrics

Iran is the only Middle Eastern country with an independent baseball league, claims a writer to Andrew Sullivan's blog, but I believe Israel has or had one at one point. Women play softball, but with the hejab.

Labels: wow

Via David Pinto, Maury Brown reckons that the Dodgers are interleague play's biggest beneficiaries:

The National League/American League match-ups drew an average of 33,351, down 6.66 percent from the 2008 record average of 35,573. Average attendance for the season was also down from 2007’s Interleague average attendance mark of 34,905, or down 4.66 percent. 2009 will mark the first time in three consecutive seasons that record attendance was not reached for Interleague Play.

The 2009 Interleague average is 16.1 percent higher than this season’s current intraleague average of 28,727 per game.

Since its inception in 1997, Interleague Play has drawn 12.0 percent more fans than intraleague games; Interleague Play has averaged 33,260 fans per game, compared to the intraleague average of 29,706 fans per game during the same span.

...

Overall nine clubs saw average attendance for Interleague increase (Marlins, Twins, Royals, Dodgers, Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Red Sox, and Mariners), with the Marlins, Twins, Royals, and Dodgers seeing an increase in the double-digits.

The big winner this year is not the Marlins, or Royals, but rather the Dodgers who see an an average increase of over 10 percent while seeing the top six highest attended games during Interleague.

The Diamondbacks saw the worst attendance declines during interleague play, but that probably has more to do with their awful play than anything intrinsic to interleague scheduling.

Labels: dodgers

From today's UTK:

There's a big difference between the Arizona Rookie League and the American League. Still, 45 pitches for Santana in a complex game is something, and it's enough for the Angels to plan for him to come off of the DL. Reports have his velocity "touching 92," which isn't where he normally is. (Why hasn't someone replaced Josh Kalk's oft-missed pitcher cards with their own resource?) Santana will slot in to the Angels' rotation this weekend with a pitch limit and an elbow that hasn't held up after a sprain. I don't have high hopes for him being consistent or even available through the rest of the season.

This is extremely discouraging. His lack of velocity was already the most noticeable issue he had. If the Angels let Dr. Santana declare himself ready for the Show, they have only themselves to blame when he gets lit up.

Labels: angels, injuries

Labels: minors

A surprisingly taut pitchers' duel, both sides scoring a pair in the fifth, the Rockies' on Ryan Spilborghs' two-run jack. The Dodgers' runs came a bit more strangely: with men on first and second, Ubaldo Jimenez misread Randy Wolf and thought he called time. Home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman disagreed, and charged Jimenez with a balk, pushing Russell Martin and Matt Kemp to third and second, respectively, so when Wolf singled to right, both scored, assuring the pitcher of at least a no-decision.

That's all he got, too, as the game went to extras following a dazzling performance in the ninth by Jonathan Broxton, who mowed down Colorado's 4-5-6 batters on strikeouts. Joel Peralta, the former Angel, came out to pitch the bottom of the 11th, and continued until he gave up a leadoff single to Casey Blake — his first hit of the game — and Andre Ethier crushed one into the seats to end what was becoming an improbably long game (4:10, one of the longest Dodger games I've seen this year). Thank you, Andre.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Labels: dodgers, recaps, rockies

Vicente Padilla got off to a dreadful start this year; after his second start he had an ERA of 10.00 He rebounded some, but following a disastrous seven-run June 3 outing in the Bronx, Texas requested outright release waivers on him.

That wasn't the only thing that went wrong for the Rangers. Their usually craptastic pitching, which had looked so good earlier, has returned to earth with a 4.61 ERA, second-worst in the league. Have my fears of a DER-led Rangers pitching revival been misplaced? Given the depths the Rangers' pitching has fallen since I wrote that back in mid-May, it seems like it. The usual story, it appears, is playing out, despite the fact that Texas continues to have the second-best DER in the league. Since May 17, the Rangers are 17-21, with appreciably more runs allowed than scored; their offense, as the Rev noted prior to the series, is uncharacteristically quiet, a fact not helped by Josh Hamilton's appearance on the DL. If ever there were a time to catch this team, it's right now.

Last night's game was largely a snorer through the first five, with newbie Sean O'Sullivan giving up a couple runs in the third on back-to-back solo shots to David Murphy and Marlon Byrd. The Angels got one back in the fourth on a two-out rally that culminated with a Kendry Morales double, scoring Vlad Guerrero from second. The Angels blew a chance for a two-out rally in the next frame when Torii Hunter struck out swinging with Chone Figgins at second and Bobby Abreu at first. But the Angels crushed Padilla in the sixth, with Rivera and Morales going yard, and after Jason Jennings replaced the Rangers' starter, Maicer Izturis scored on Figgins' sac fly, further injuring Padilla's ERA (it now stands at 4.75).

The Angels' bullpen managed to survive without further damage, though Justin Speier had to work around Erick Aybar's error on a routine grounder by Nelson Cruz. Brian Fuentes set down the 7-8-9 batters in order to end things, and boy, this year it feels especially good to get a win in Texas.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Labels: angels, rangers, recaps

From the press release:

FULLERTON, Calif. (6/29/2009) Orange County Flyer’s Manager Phil Nevin and the Golden Baseball League Champion Flyers organization are planning a huge fundraiser for former Titan Baseball Player Jon Wilhite on Monday, July 6 at Goodwin Field on the campus of Cal State Fullerton.

Wilhite, 24, is the lone survivor of the fatal April 9 car crash that claimed the lives of Angel Pitcher Nick Adenhart, Courtney Stewart, and Henry Pearson.

The Flyers have a big night planned beginning with FREE admission for everyone attending the game against the first place Northern Division Calgary Vipers. It will be Calgary’s first visit back to Goodwin Field since the Flyers beat them 10-9 last September in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the GBL Crown.

Nevin, a former number one Major League Baseball draft pick after having a standout career at Cal State Fullerton, is a close friend and strong supporter of Wilhite and his foundation.

“It’s about the Titan family, plain and simple,” Nevin said. “These tragic things happen every day, but when they happen in your family you stop, take a look and do everything you can to help family.”

The Special Night will include a silent auction with great sports and Hollywood memorabilia from many of Nevin’s Major Legaue friends along with other local professional sports teams and Hollywood stars.

Besides the silent auction, every inning there will be raffle drawings for all fans in attendance for lots of great prizes donated by OC Flyers partners, supporters and friends of the Wilhite Foundation. There will also be special buckets around the park to make additional donations.

“Here is our chance to join together and help a brother in need,”said Flyer Chief Operating Officer Dan MacLeith. “Each of us would want the same if we were in his place. Even in these trying times, there is generosity in the heart of man that surpasses all else. We have a chance to be a blessing to another and should not pass it up.”

Before the game, the Flyers will be honoring Jon and his family with the throwing out of the first pitch. There will also be a moment of silence for Jon’s three close friends who were tragically taken from us in the crash in Fullerton.

Other invited guests for the night at this time are the Fullerton Fire Department’s First Responders who helped get Jon out of the car and to the hospital. More special guests will be announced as they are confirmed.

The entire night is designed to raise funds for Jon’s costly rehabilitation. He is currently undergoing a lengthy and extensive program at a local rehabilitation center in Orange. Other donations can be made for Jon Wilhite at any Wells Fargo Bank location to account # 3980643658 or mailed to the “Benefit Fund for Jon Wilhite,” 4733 Torrance Blvd. #562, Torrance, CA 90503.

Labels: nick adenhart

News

Mike Scioscia says that Matt Palmer's last couple of bad outings means that Sean O'Sullivan might take his place in the next turn.

Scores

Labels: minors

To my mind, the last time I saw a team botch so many chances it was the Cubs' godawful NLCS Game 2 last year, in which every single infielder clanked a ball. That one was more distributed, though, while this one mostly happened in the fifth, with three errors helping to blow the game open for the Angels:

• Jeff Mathis led off the inning, reaching first on a Mark Reynolds error on what should have been a routine 5-3 groundout. Update: I had forgotten it at the time I wrote this initially — unfortunately, I've fallen out of the habit of taking in-game notes — but the ball actually hit Reynolds on the chest. This wasn't a mere bobble, as Jim McLennan of AZ Snakepit wrote, but a full-scale failure to keep his eye on the ball. This was a ball thrown directly to him, even if it isn't straight at his glove hand; there was plenty of room for this play to be made, and it wasn't.
• With Matt Palmer on second (following his first major league hit!), Maicer Izturis wailed a line drive to right — which bounced off the top of Justin Upton's glove. Izzy not only reached but ended up at third, scoring Palmer.
• Bobby Abreu reached on Felipe Lopez's outstanding Bill Buckner imitation, letting a routine grounder go right between the wickets.

Part of the Angels' first big strike included a Gary Matthews, Jr. steal of home. I don't care how many times it happens, it's the most exciting play in baseball.

The Angels, sporting types, let the Snakes storm back in the sixth with a series of pitches left up or in the zone or both, mostly on the arm of Kevin Jepsen; why the hell Mike Scioscia let him stay in long enough to embarrass himself in that way remains a mystery, but the Angels still managed to get it done, somehow.

Part of that was Jeff Mathis' solo shot in the eighth, and Izturis' two-run jack in the ninth; that put the game far enough away that even the Snakes really had no hope, and Brian Fuentes didn't let them score in the ninth. Scioscia has to be a little circumspect these days.

And the Angels finish interleague play 14-4, and (temporarily?) in first place in the AL West (the Rangers/Padres game is currently 1-0 San Diego).

Update 6/29: I should mention that the Snakes made a fourth error in the fourth that allowed Gary Matthews, Jr. to reach third, and then steal home in the next (Erick Aybar's) at-bat; they could have been charged with two more in the fifth had the Angels decided to advance. Gah.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Labels: angels, diamondbacks, recaps

Yes, it's the Jesus Phone; nobody else has anything remotely as good. The much ballyhooed Blackberry Storm proved to be a significant disappointment. The problem, of course, is AT&T; their legendarily bad customer service had me wishing for anybody else after years of being with them as a customer. Now, of course, it's AT&T Mobility, which consists mostly of Cingular's network, AT&T having pissed away their customer base. So I'm left contemplating reasons how I could possibly justify moving back to the company that still gives me pause for dealing with them, five years later (or so):

1. Verizon's attitude is hardly better. Verizon recently said they favor exclusivity deals of the sort that AT&T signed with Apple; the necessary consequence is that Verizon could care less whether I have a superior product on their superior network. Huh? How's that helping your customers?
2. There appears to be no hope on the horizon, either. Not that I've been scanning the new releases for smart phones much, but the difference between the pre-release hype and the actual product as delivered with the Storm has left me wondering if anybody in this space will ever get it right. This isn't helped by the Palm Pre, the new Sprint-only Palm phone, that has a few useful features (multitasking, something the current-gen iPhone doesn't support) but is generally clunkier physically (the slide-out QWERTY keyboard? Ugh).

   And then there's the Sprint network; a friend of mine at work couldn't even consistently get data access from our Ladera Heights office, which, while not vital, tells you how iffy their network is. (Not that AT&T is necessarily better; a friend of ours couldn't get service of any kind from her own home in an older part of Long Beach.)

3. Kissing XM Radio goodbye. With the iPhone, there's absolutely no need for XM radio; I can get MLB Gameday Audio from the phone, and it works seamlessly. We drove to our friend's barbecue yesterday while listening (mostly) to the Cubs/White Sox game, and never missed a moment. Of course, this was on the southern end of the 605 on a Saturday, going through no major interchanges, so it's not much of a test; AT&T's big problem always was dropping calls at freeway interchanges in rush hour, or even long after (I always had trouble at the 710/405 and 110/405). Add to that the fact that I have hundreds of alternative classical stations to choose from doing online streaming (I love KUSC, but 99% of opera and 20th century composers I can live without), and it's a much more difficult choice to stay with Verizon. Crossing XM off my annual purchases alone will save me $200/year or so. Plus, with Gameday Audio, I can choose which feed to listen to.

The main reasons — so far, and I haven't gotten out of my bathrobe yet today, so this might change before the day's over — that I haven't switched are

1. Data support, i.e. tethering. Supposedly this will be coming out for the iPhone later this year. I currently have a Verizon data card for my laptop, and while I love it when I (infrequently) need it, the AT&T version would be just as handy.
2. Network quality. So far, AT&T has been pretty good for Helen; their service has made marked improvements since I was a customer, last in 2004.
3. Customer service. I don't need it often, but Verizon does treat me with a respect the old AT&T didn't. But the new boss seems very much like a different game now.

Still biting my tongue on this one. Time to go for a run and clear out my head.

Labels: tech

Napoli's Homer Wins It Late: Angels 2, Diamondbacks 1

A surprisingly strong start for John Lackey — though maybe not when you consider the opponent — he struck out nine over seven innings, a hopeful sign for the future. Mike Napoli's ninth inning homer was the difference, and Brian Fuentes put the game away.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Dodgers Bow To King Felix: Mariners 5, Dodgers 1

Was Eric Milton worth activating for this? Hard to say; he did strike out seven, but he gave up an equal number of hits, including four runs, one of them on a two-run homer to Ken Griffey, Jr. I missed both this game and the Angels game as I was at a barbecue at a friend's house, though I did manage to hear the deciding third inning on the road; this one especially was a good one to miss. Joe Torre apparently agrees, as he's setting the team up for a four-man rotation thanks to upcoming days off.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Adrian Beltre To Have Shoulder Surgery

Per the Tacoma News-Tribune, Adrian Beltre will have bone spurs on his non-throwing (left) shoulder removed, a process that will keep him off the field 4-8 weeks.

"I've never been 100 per cent since surgery last year to fix this," Beltre said. "They said there was a small chance the spur would grow back. My luck, I was one of those whose spur came back - and it's bigger than last year. It hurts more."

He played in last night's game against the Dodgers.

Labels: angels, diamondbacks, dodgers, injuries, mariners, recaps

Labels: minors

He's been released on bail. Belisario claims he was told at the time he was okay.

Labels: dodgers, stupid ideas

Already?

Bradley was, in some sense, signed to be "Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs", given the desire for LH-hitting production and the dollars he signed for. All of this could have and should have been known to him last December. I have no doubt that Bradley wants very badly to succeed and perform well. The "passion", however, that he supposedly brings to this team isn't the kind of "passion" we need. Instead, it's a daily soap opera of one kind or another. If Bradley wanted to "show up, do [his] job and go home, and really not have a whole lot of hoopla about it", he should have signed with Pittsburgh, Kansas City or Florida, places where baseball is an afterthought.

The second point, brought out in Wittenmyer's article, is more disturbing and more direct:

Piniella ordered Bradley to the clubhouse and followed him -- with Carlos Zambrano joining him -- through the tunnel from the dugout.

According to sources, Piniella then shouted at Bradley, "You're not a player! You're a piece of sh--!"

Bradley then said, "I have too much respect for you to respond to that," a source said.

Presuming the above exchange is true -- and I have no doubt that it is -- there are a couple of things I'd like to say. First, a manager really shouldn't say that about one of his players. Bradley's reaction, when he surely could have exploded and made the situation far worse, does give me some respect for him.

But keep this in mind: two years ago after the Barrett/Pierzynski incident, it's clear to me that Lou likely went to Jim Hendry and said, "Get him off my team." And two weeks later, Hendry obliged him.

There are no good answers this time. Bradley is hitting .237/.355/.379 this year with the Cubs in 56 games, narrowly avoided hitting the DL with another leg injury (and a groin injury before that), and was ejected in his first at-bat at Wrigley Field. He has had a generally disappointing season with a club that expected him to be the left-handed power bat the team was missing last year. With ownership of the Cubs in constant flux, it's hard to know whether the team has any options to trade him — the number of clubs unwilling to work with him is pretty large — especially now that he's expensive. It's sad, but he's brought a lot of this on himself.

Labels: cubs, ex-dodgers, trades

News

• This week's Prospect Hot Sheet features Scott Elbert at #8:

  Team: Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast)/Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
  Age: 23
  Why He's Here: 2-0, 2.45, 11 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 17 SO
  The Scoop: Because he was pitching in Double-A back in 2006, it feels like Elbert has been around forever. But as he made his first Triple-A appearance of his career this week, it's worth noting that Elbert still is only 23. And after losing nearly a full season to shoulder issues, he's back doing what he does best—carving up hitters. His first start in Albuquerque was supposed to be Manny Ramirez's final rehab start. Ramirez was scratched because of rainy weather, but Elbert attempted to entertain the sellout crowd with a six-inning, rain-shortened one-hitter. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth.

• Jon points out Jason Schmidt appears to be making progress in AAA, throwing a 7.2-inning shutout game.
• In other rehab news, Will Ohman has been shut down indefinitely with a case of shoulder tendinitis.
• Jose Arredondo has an ulnar collateral ligament sprain, and he, too, has hit the DL.
• Similarly, Dustin Moseley has acquired a hip injury that will delay his return from the DL.

  Moseley, sidelined since April 18 because of tightness in his forearm and inflammation of a nerve in his neck, underwent an MRI test that showed inflammation in his left hip.

  He received a cortisone injection and expects to return to a bullpen mound in Arizona, where he has been undergoing treatment for the last month, on Monday.

  "It's really frustrating, especially when your arm is feeling better and other issues flare up," said Moseley, who joined the Angels in Chase Field for the weekend series.

  "But by the end of July, I should be ready to go, maybe earlier if they want me to pitch out of the bullpen."

• Ervin Santana will pitch in an Arizona League game Sunday at the A's Phoenix Municipal complex.
• The Bees have activated Rudy Seanez from the DL.
• The Angels are close to signing OF Mike Trout.
• Update: Jon reports that Cory Wade has been sent to AAA Albuquerque to make room for the returning Eric Milton, and also to work on his command.

Scores

Labels: minors

It was a day for blowouts as Cleveland clobbered Cincinnati 9-2, Tampa Bay flattened Florida 7-3, Texas totaled San Diego 12-2, not to mention the Angels' 12-3 annihilation of Arizona. So, the Dodgers were just going with the trend; keying the whole mad affair was Andre Ethier and his three-homer night, a first for him and the first since Hee-Seop Choi did it back in 2005 on June 12 against the Twins. (Ah, remember those days?) Ethier drove in six of the Dodgers' eight runs. Whoosh.

It was a bad night for former Dirtbags Saturday starter (and Jered Weaver teammate) Jason Vargas, but all things considered he's not having a terrible year (3.79 ERA even after this game). He's still having trouble delivering quality starts, though, because he's only had three quality starts in nine attempts.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Labels: dodgers, ex-dirtbags, mariners, recaps

The Angels rode an eight-run second inning to an easy victory, capped by Torii Hunter's two-run jack. When you chase the starter — in this case, the sadly-named Billy Buckner — after only one and two thirds, you know it's gonna be a good day.

Jered Weaver posted a quality start, but seemed to have trouble doing it; he gave up a couple homers, but walked four too. Darren Oliver and Jason Bulger contributed three scoreless innings of work (Bulger the eighth and ninth innings). It makes you almost think the Angels don't have any bullpen problems.

Against the NL West.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Labels: angels, diamondbacks, recaps

It's stuff like this that explains why people die in pain. Doctors are afraid to write legitimate prescriptions for pain medication for fear they'll be labled "Dr. Feelgood" types; what is the prescription pad for, anyway? Why bother with the rapidly-eroding idea that there's such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality? Now that a federal database of all medical records got slipped in to the stimulus package, it's probably moot anyway, because the government has shown how little it actually cares about privacy. They won't need warrants once they already have every piece of medical data about you imaginable.

People whine about Manny being a cheater. There are few more disgusting and anti-social individuals on this earth than the prying, arrogant asses in the DEA.

Labels: dodgers, drugs, stupid ideas

I'm not buying the premise of a story in today's Times wondering whether Angel Stadium is unsafe because of recent violence there.

Labels: angel stadium

News

Trevor Reckling has been named to the Futures Game, representing the Angels.

Scores

Labels: minors