Wednesday, September 30, 2009 |
Games, Games, Games
Angels One-Hit Texas To Take The Series: Angels 5, Rangers 0
Despite what I remember, Rangers starter Derek Holland actually had a unremarkable first and second halves of this season; it's just his outstanding April that caught my attention, but he pretty much cratered the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he ends the season tied against the Angels, going 2-2 on the year.
Matt Palmer and four relievers — Darren Oliver, Jose Arredondo, Kevin Jepsen, and Rafael Rodriguez all pitched scoreless, hitless frames, though each of the latter three walked one apiece. It's post-clinch time, as evidenced by Vlad's early exit from the game. Terry Evans and Chris Pettit got more playing time, and Evans even got a hit and an RBI, too.
Four more games and it's the postseason.
Dodgers Wait Another Day To Clinch: Padres 5, Dodgers 0
The last five Dodgers struck out, just like yesterday, and another day, another shut-out. Jon Garland got knocked out in the fourth, and as Charley Steiner put it, it's something of a nightmare scenario, though those are pretty limited for the Dodgers, who've already clinched a playoff berth. That's four straight unclinches, for those of you keeping score at home.Rockies Creep Up On Sleepy Dodgers: Rockies 10, Brewers 6
The Rocks beat the snot out of Jeff Suppan, continuing their late hot play. It's well to remember that they have to win out and the Dodgers have to lose out for their situations to reverse. One Colorado loss tomorrow is all it takes. Get some sleep, boys.Phillies Clinch NL East: Phillies 10, Astros 3
Not quite as exciting as the 2007 Phillies and their tie-untie-tie-untie sequence in the very last days of the season, finally beating the Nats while the Marlins crushed the Mets 8-1 in New York, with predictable catcalls. Thanks to a 6-1 Cardinals loss to Cincinnati, the Phils also passed St. Louis for the second-best record in the league, meaning they'll likely draw the Rockies and not the Dodgers in the first round.Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, padres, phillies, rangers, recaps, suck
Indians Fire Manager Eric Wedge, But Not Until Next Monday
Our projections forecast the Indians to win the AL Central, albeit with a meager 86 wins and a 38 percent chance of making the postseason—the lowest of any division favorite. Despite injuries to Sizemore and Hafner and the departures of Mark DeRosa, Ryan Garko, and Martinez via mid-season trades, the offense has essentially lived up to expectations; projected to rank fourth in the AL in scoring, they actually rank fifth, with an EqA which is fourth in the AL. It's the pitching that has been a brutal disappointment: projected to rank seventh in the league in runs allowed, they're instead second-to-last, with both the rotation and bullpen ranking dead last in their respective win expectancy-based categories, SNLVAR and WXRL. The bullpen's wretched early-season showing drove the team 10 games under .500 by mid-May, a hole the Tribe never escaped. — Jay Jaffe, Baseball Prospectus...
The Indians have approached the last several seasons with an eye on contending. In three of those four years, though, they've stumbled out of the gate, dooming their chances of playing meaningful games after June. In the process, they've had to make deals, including shipping away the past two AL Cy Young winners. They've brought back some quality prospects, but it's clear that they're in no position to contend in 2010, mainly because they haven't had much success with their high draft picks in recent years. Given their penchant for underachieving on skipper Eric Wedge's watch, they're almost certainly better off with a new manager, too. — Jay Jaffe, Baseball Prospectus
Labels: firings, indians, managers
Delays, Delays: Padres 3, Dodgers 1
Labels: dodgers, padres, recaps
B+ Team Angels Clinch Rematch With Red Sox: Angels 5, Rangers 2
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps
Monday, September 28, 2009 |
This One's For You, Nick: Angels 11, Rangers 0
Eleven wins, boys. Let's get cracking.
Touching: the team ran out to the Nick Adenhart photo in center field to touch it as a man.
By handing Texas a loss, it erodes Boston's magic number to one; the Sawx lost 11-5 to Toronto.
Update 9/29: BTF: "Angels Trail Rangers By Only Nine Games in 5th Order Standings!!!" Best comment on that thread, by Shredder (#18):
I didn't see the celebration last night because Extra Innings always cuts away right when the game ends, but my favorite part was Fuentes tossing his empty over the outfield wall. Probably won't be the only thing that leaves his hand and goes over the wall in the next couple weeks.The Angels are still winning the division according to BPro's third-order standings, but by a much thinner margin (subtract nine from the win column).
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps, woo hoo
Games, Games, Games
Angels Magic Number Down To Two*: Angels 7, A's 4
I was massively hung over from Saturday's party, and so this one passed by pretty quick, and without my attendance. That's too bad, because it's the final weekend homestand of the year, and I've been just terrible about going to midweek games.Joe Saunders was excellent through six, and lost it in the top of the seventh, when he faced six batters while failing to make an out. I was reading Steve Waverly's analysis at MVN.com of the five biggest things wrong with the Angels, and of course one of those is the bullpen. Bad as the Angels' bullpen has been, is it really smart to let Saunders hang himself and leave the bases loaded for one of those poor schmucks to come in and give up the game? Because by the time Scioscia woke up from his long winter's nap to haul Darren Oliver from his warmups beyond the left field fence, the tying run was at the plate. I understand the need to rest your relievers, but at some point — and it's a damn sight shorter than six batters — there's gotta be a hook. Fortunately, Oliver got Eric Patterson to pop out on a bad bunt, and extracted a GIDP from Rajai Davis, of all people.
A very frustrating game despite the win, consoled somewhat by a rousing late-innings comeback by the Rays to win 7-6 over the Rangers in Arlington, thus knocking the Angels' magic number to two. They could clinch tonight, but the way they've been playing lately, I wouldn't be surprised if they lost two of the next three just to keep us dangling.
Shirley, You Must Be Choking: Pirates 6, Dodgers 5
Jonathan Broxton's choking up a three-run lead and a loss in the bottom of the ninth? Look away, look away.Lather, Rinse, Repeat: Pirates 11, Dodgers 1
I am reminded of Helen's 2004 trip to Chicago, in which the Cubs started September 27 in the lead for the Wild Card with a four-game homestand to play against the lowly 72-83 Reds. They then proceeded to lose three of the next four, and go 2-5 to finish the season, losing their Wild Card bid to the Astros, who finished their remaining games 6-0. I don't think the Dodgers are in any real danger of losing the division — and they already have a postseason berth locked up no matter what — but this kind of sloppy play reminds you of exactly those kinds of pratfalls that happen when everybody gets tired. The Pirates are young, have good pitching in places (Zach Duke is one such), and are plenty loose. The Dodgers seem to be running on fumes, as witness the Mark Loretta error that opened a huge door; ultimately, Hiroki Kuroda gave up four unearned runs (regular season sauce for the gander?). Once they clinch, it'll help tremendously if they can start resting some regulars.Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, pirates, recaps
Sunday, September 27, 2009 |
Dodgers Trim Magic Number To Two, Pound Pittsburgh: Dodgers 8, Pirates 4
Paul Maholm pitched a very good seven innings for the Pirates, allowing the Dodgers three runs; but he was outdueled by Randy Wolf by one run. Looks like I shoulda been in PNC Park, or at least watching this game, if I had wanted a better outcome.
Labels: dodgers, pirates, recaps
Thank God I Was Too Occupied To Care: A's 15, Angels 10
And what the hell happened to Kevin Jepsen, anyway?
Labels: angels, athletics, recaps, suck
Saturday, September 26, 2009 |
Two Games Worth Of Suckage
Angels' Offensive Funk Continues As A's Post Shutout: A's 3, Angels 0
Relative to the fairly high standards he's established for himself this year, Jered Weaver was off last night. He had a lot of trouble getting strike one over the plate, failing to get a first-pitch strike for most of three straight innings (the second and third, and to the first two batters of the fourth). I give him a pass; you can't be on all the time, the A's are pretty hot down the stretch, and the Angels are weary, to put it mildly.Once again, the failure of the offense was the problem; you wonder how badly Vlad will have to hit before he gets pushed out of the cleanup spot. Kendry Morales is also slumping, it's true, but Vlad has exhibited only flashes of his old self, and he's not adjusting well to aging. Mike Scioscia has announced he'll shake up the batting order for today's game; not only that, but Weaver — not surprisingly, given how he pitched — was suffering from a stiff back.
Finally: Jeff Mathis and his two throwing errors in the seventh inning that allowed a run to score, one which was eventually ruled an earned run for his batterymate Jason Bulger. First, Mathis is amazingly bad as a catcher defensively; the only reason I can understand him being kept around is that he's cheap. I don't quite buy commenter Suboptimal's belief that he's worthless, but it's clear that he's not even necessarily that valuable as a defensive replacement, and all the talk about catcher's ERA is especially important. That odd belief — backed up by exactly nothing — was utterly demolished by Matt Welch back in August. The Angels need to be giving Bobby Wilson a good look now, and see whether he's capable of better defense, at least, behind the plate, at least until Hank Conger's ready for prime time.
With an 8-3 Texas slaughter of Tampa Bay, the Angels' magic number remains stuck at four, following their third straight loss.
Dodgers Blow Another Chance At Clinching*: Pirates 3, Dodgers 1
In an eerily similar game, the Dodgers' offense came up short while allowing a cellar-dwelling club a win that could have nibbled one off their magic number. There was something bizarre about the whole scene; apparently martial law has been declared in Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit (or something very like it), and movement in the city is restricted. Correspondingly, starter Jon Garland gave up three runs but none earned thanks to two Dodger errors.T.J. Simers hopes Manny will heat up for the postseason, but really, given his .260/.376/.474 line in the second half, is there any reason to think he will? Manny went 0-for-4 last night, one of three of the first five batters to do so; expecting a revival in time for the postseason is hoping for an awful lot.
The Rockies beat the Cards 2-1 on Yorvit Torrealba's walkoff sac fly, and so the magic number stays at four.
Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, pirates, recaps
Thursday, September 24, 2009 |
Tech: Fangraphs iPhone App
Labels: tech
Two Lousy Games
More Late-Season Stumbling By The Angels: Yankees 3, Angels 2
Scott Kazmir turned in a quality start, the Angels bats fizzled (again), and a team that has played 50 games in 52 days finally gets a day off. It's much needed.Dodgers Lose To Nats In Walk Off: Nationals 5, Dodgers 4
I'm having a hard time agreeing with the criticism of Chad Billingsley that he's not ready to return to the rotation because of this game; the walks were a concern, yes, but not much of one, and giving up one hit — a home run to Ryan Zimmerman — is hardly catastrophic, especially considering he had a no-hitter going through five. If you want to assign blame, look at the team LOB of 10.Labels: angels, dodgers, nationals, recaps, yankees
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 |
The Grown-Up Pressures Of Little League
The game ended in a tie when it hit the two-hour time limit, a standard tournament practice, but it didn’t lessen the disappointment. For the first time, KB began worrying about baseball rather than just playing it. He pitched several solid games, but as the season progressed, he started making uncharacteristic errors. In July, he began asking his father for ice after games, something he had never done before. With all the games he’d been playing for different teams, KB had racked up a lot of innings. “My arm feels funny,” KB said. The number of teenagers needing Tommy John surgery, a complex operation in which torn elbow ligaments are replaced with tendons, has increased from nearly zero a decade ago to hundreds last year. Doctors cite the additional innings kids are pitching as a primary cause. “It’s not a natural motion,” says Dr. Frank Jobe, who pioneered the surgery for major-leaguers in the seventies. “Kids’ bodies are still growing, and their mechanics are not what they should be. It’s just too much at that age.”Despite being an orthopedic surgeon himself, Karl left much of the decision-making about throwing to his son. When he tried to yank KB from one of his grade-school games, KB shouted back, “I’ve got a no-hitter. I’m staying in.” Karl didn’t fight him.
Yankees Clinch On Sub-Par Angels Pitching: Yankees 6, Angels 5
The Angels had some stirring late comebacks but unfortunately their team 12 stranded tells you all you need to know there. Torii Hunter also contributed more than arguably anyone but the pitchers to this loss, stranding five, a vote Fangraphs concurs with.
Labels: angels, recaps, yankees
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 |
Suspending Disbelief, And Milton Bradley Too
When asked if he was disappointed in his own performance, he didn't want to answer that, either.Jim Hendry's response:"I'm not talking about that," he said. What do you think I did?"
Bradley claimed to have no opinion on where he bats - "In the lineup," he said of his preferred spot - and the only time he became expansive at all was when he was asked if he had enjoyed his first season in Chicago.
"Not really," he said. "It's just not a positive environment. I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment. There's too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly. Everything is just bashing you. You got out there and you play harder than anybody on the field and never get credit for it. It's just negativity.
"And you understand why they haven't won in 100 years here, because it's negative. It's what it is."
"There have been a lot of issues that we've lived with during the year," Hendry said Sunday, "but the last few days became too much for me to tolerate, to be honest with you. I'm not going to let our great fans become an excuse, I'm not going to tolerate not answering questions from the media respectfully. Whether you feel like talking or not, it's part of our jobs. I'm not going to allow disrespect to other people in that locker room and uniformed personnel.Certainly, Bradley has had one of the worst full seasons in his career, with terrible batting and slugging averages (for him, anyway). It's a situation that almost begs for someone to bend themselves in pretzels trying to justify or absolve this punishment; Joe Sheehan tries to do the latter today;"The only real negativity here is his own production."
Really, now. This is why you've suspended one of your best players for two weeks, because it's mission-critical that your players respect the fans and treat the media well? That's nonsense, and the rush to back up Hendry and tear down Bradley is yet another example of the co-dependent relationship between baseball teams and the free media they rely upon. Players don't take two-week suspensions for being rude, and they don't take two week suspensions for the content of their quotes. Come to think of it, players don't take two-week suspensions; the last non-drug-related suspension of this length was Albert Belle's, and he threw a baseball at a fan who was heckling him from the stands.Questions about Hendry's ability — legitimate, considering Bradley's fragility was well-known prior to his signing — tend to get lost as a consequence of this suspension, but they need to be asked anyway. But for all that I like to hammer the Angels' love of RISP2 and clutch hitting stats, it's an art Bradley has forgotten this year, hitting .200 with men in scoring position and two outs, well below his .257 season average. If you want to know why the team isn't happy with his production — not to mention the fans — that would be a fine place to start....
Bradley isn't being suspended because of what he said; he's being suspended because he did so with a .240 batting average and the Cubs are buried in the standings. ... The outfielder hasn't played to expectations, but those expectations were unrealistic—last year was a peak season and involved lots of DH time. Moreover, Bradley has played more than he has in almost any season, and despite a low batting average has been a productive member of the lineup. Bradley is fifth on the Cubs in Runs Above Replacement Player, and tied for third among their regulars with a .271 EqA. His .378 OBP has been a significant asset for a team that carried three OBP sinks in the lineup for most of the season.
Labels: cubs, ex-dodgers, suspensions
Monday, September 21, 2009 |
There Is No Home Like The One You've Got, 'Cause That Home Belongs To You: Angels 5, Yankees 2
The Angels' run scoring commenced with a pair of doubles in the first, thanks to a pair of doubles by Vlad and Torii Hunter. The Angels picked up another on a two-out Eric Aybar double in the fifth, which A-Rod answered two innings later with a solo blast. Once Pettitte left the game, Kendry Morales replaced Robb Quinlan at first, and ripped one into the right field seats off Brian Bruney. Matsui's eighth-inning pinch-hit homer — apparently the first of his career — was followed by yet another Angels run, as if to put a cork in the game before the ninth even started. A good game for a smile.
Labels: angels, recaps, yankees
Astros Fire Manager Cecil Cooper
Cooper was the fourth manager fired this year, and all of them have been in the NL; the other three were Bob Melvin in Arizona, Clint Hurdle in Colorado, and Manny Acta in Washington.
Labels: astros, firings, managers
Looks Like I Owe Howie An Apology: Angels 10, Rangers 5
"They were definitely talking," Lackey said when he was reminded of the May trash-talking after Sunday's win. "We'll let them do that. We're worried about winning games. We notice that kind of stuff, for sure, but nothing needed to be said (now).Of course, that's not always true, but it was true enough yesterday as the Angels nipped yet another two away from their magic number, making it seven in a division now all but conceded by the Rangers; Texas would really have needed a home sweep to make a bid down the stretch, and they just couldn't pull one out. As expected, the Rangers' pitching has melted down late (tOPS+ well under 100 in July and September, and merely average in August), while their offense has gone slightly below average."We try to fly flags. We don't talk."
Lackey gave up five runs, four earned, the one unearned run coming from a one-out Kendry Morales fielding error; had he made the play, Ian Kinsler's sac fly would have been the inning's third out, and so goodnight. It was a tough game generally for Kendry, who collected a golden sombrero, four strikeouts; the Angels are talking about possibly sitting him in the upcoming Yankees series, at least against Andy Pettitte today.
But the big story of this game was Howie Kendrick's five RBI day, going 3-for-5 with a two-run jack and a triple, and just after I got done crankily upbraiding him for hitting into a game-ending double play in Saturday's contest. That'll learn me from writing after a loss and up a glass or two of wine.
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps
Sunday, September 20, 2009 |
Minor League Scorebook
Baird: 2-5, 1 K
Haerther: 4-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Arenas: 4.0 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Berg: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 4.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 8 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 2.25 ERA
Casey Haerther's two-out, three-run jack in the first inning put the Owlz ahead 3-0, but that lead turned out to be short-lived as the Ospreys got three of their own on an error, a hit batter, and a pair of triples in the bottom of the frame. Orem got another run in the top of the third on an RBI single by Haerther, and five more in the fifth. In all, Haerther drove in seven of the Owlz' 13 runs. One reason for that productivity is the fact that Haerther faced Missoula starter Charles Brewer at UCLA and was well-acquainted with his repertoire.
The win, of course, gives Tom Kotchman's squad the Pioneer League title. And with that, the end of Minor League Scorebook series. Hope everyone's enjoyed it.
Labels: minors
That Brad Penny Shows Up: Dodgers 12, Giants 1
The dodgers.com recap mentions that starter Jon Garland and Ronnie Belliard could both be getting postseason starts over Chad Billingsley and Orlando Hudson respectively, and given the way the latter have played lately, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Especially so, considering how lost Bills appeared to be in Friday's game. The current chatter is that his mechanics are what's screwing him up, but given his age and the fact that this is only the second time in his career he's pitched more than 150 innings, I'm inclined to cut him some slack.
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Saturday, September 19, 2009 |
What Howie Kendrick Can't Do: Rangers 3, Angels 2
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps
Minor League Scorebook
Bass: 2-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Ramirez: 5-5, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Haerther: 2-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K
Wing: 1-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Alliman: 1-4, 2 K
Locke: (W, 2-0), 9.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 1 BB, 1.13 ERA
Steven Locke pitched a complete game shutout on four hits to force a game three, as five Owlz homered in a lopsided blowout. The final game of the season for everyone in the Pioneer League starts tonight at 7:05 PM in Missoula.
Labels: minors
No Depression: Giants 8, Dodgers 4
Vicente Padilla failed to make the quality start low bar, and the Dodgers brought in a motley arrangement of relievers thereafter, including an odd choice to have Chad Billingsley take the mound. Bills fared no better than he had as a starter in late games, giving up a pair of runs on Aaron Rowand's solo homer in the eighth, and a Juan Uribe RBI single in the ninth. Charley Steiner kept talking about how lost he looked on the mound, and the box score certainly reflects that.
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Shut Out In Pitcher's Hell: Angels 2, Rangers 0
The Angels parlayed Torii Hunter's RBI single and Vlad's solo homer into a win, and even managed to survive another outing by Brian Fuentes for the save; but it's worth mentioning that he was facing the 5-6-7 batters, too. Between Kazmir and Fuentes, Jason Bulger and Kevin Jepsen pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth.
Update: This is also the 11th time they've been shut out this year, the most since the 2003 team.
Labels: angels, rangers, recaps
Friday, September 18, 2009 |
Hey, Angels Fans: Andre Ethier Is A Dodger
We remember Milton Bradley for all of his dramatic moments during the season and the playoffs, and it has been widely accepted that he lead the A's to their postseason berth, but the numbers simply don't bear that out. Bradley only played in 96 games in 2006, hitting .276 with 14 home runs (one very dramatic one on AN Day), 52 RBIs, an OPS of .818, just ahead of his replacements; Jay Payton .743 and Bobby Kielty .743. In fact, Milton Bradley only once in his whole career played over 130 games in a season, only once hit over 20 home runs, and only once has had over 70 RBIs.She goes on to note that Ethier has broken out this year and last to become an elite player. It's certainly one of the worst trades the A's have made in the hopes of staying in contention of late, reminiscent perhaps of the John Smoltz trade, as well as being perhaps Ned Colletti's best deal ever.In contrast, Andre Ethier has been an absolute stud for the Dodgers the last four years; he is also the walk-off rival of Marco Scutaro, except with the career .294/.364/.495 line instead of Marco's .266/.337.385. In the very season he was traded, Ethier played twenty more games than Milton Bradley did, batted 30 points higher, with almost as many home runs, and a 30 percent higher slugging percentage. In his rookie year!
Update: Auld lang syne: I was uncertain about the deal at the time, tending toward disliking it because of Ethier's injury history (he had back microfracture), and Kevin Goldstein labeling him "another toolsy outfielder who can hit .300 but does little else offensively". Guess that assessment came up a bit short, huh?
Labels: analysis, athletics, dodgers, trades
The Use Of Closers Amid The Fuentes Firestorm
Of course, it doesn't help if you have umpires screwing up the ball-strike calls, something Wednesday's home plate umpire Rick Reed came close to doing:
"I saw the strike zone," Reed said of the pitch to Green, referring to the telestrator box used on television replays. "That said it was a strike -- it was a pitch I thought was borderline. The catcher did a nice job of bringing it up, and that was a telling blow. If a catcher moves his glove, it's to improve the pitch.So he gives up a random make-up call in a close game situation. Call that unsatisfying."I called a [strike] earlier in the game that I thought was low, and I said, 'I'm not going to let that happen again.' I wish they were all waist-high. They'd be a lot easier to judge."
Joe Sheehan recently penned a piece on the Angels' closing situation and how Fuentes has disrupted a team that should be on "cruise control". His response is that we should go back to the 1970's usage patterns, the pre-Dennis Eckersley bullpen-by-whoever's-throwing-best approach.
Now, the most consistent objection I've heard to this idea is that the pitchers themselves won't stand for it, that they "have to know their roles." My standard counterargument is to spend a day at Retrosheet (God bless Retrosheet!) looking at boxscores from games in the 1970s up to about 1984. Look at the usage patterns for relief pitchers. There were no "roles" beyond "pitch when the manager calls upon you." I'm not advocating the more extreme examples you'll find in those years, guys coming in in the fifth and throwing four innings. The point is that this idea of "roles" isn't even 30 years old, it's been bred into the species by the industry, and it can just as easily be bred out. Pitchers won't be happy about it? Adapt or die, and for that matter, how many relievers' opinions are worth caring about? Seriously, how many closers are there who you might argue are so good and so established that rebuilding a bullpen with them would be an issue? Can you find a dozen? A half-dozen? I see Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria, Joe Nathan, and Francisco Rodriguez. Guys like Jose Valverde, Heath Bell, and Bobby Jenks are good pitchers, but they're not immovable objects.Dave Cameron earlier made the point that even if you still liked the chance for a Fuentes recovery, his historic tendency to get outs on fly balls didn't leave him with a lot of options should he suddenly stop striking out batters. Cameron suggested that the Angels might be better served with Kevin Jepsen, who gets ground balls to his infielders with some regularity (1.39 G/F ratio this year) coming out of the pen in the ninth; certainly, Jepsen's second-half rate stats are encouraging, with a 9.1 K/9 and a 5.33 K/BB ratio. The bad news, however, is that he's simply horrible against lefties, allowing a .351/.406/.423 line against. There really are no good choices here; but it seems like allowing Fuentes to continue blowing games, last night's success notwithstanding, is no longer acceptable.
Labels: angels
No Stupid Umpiring This Time: Angels 4, Red Sox 3
Fuentes, who slammed his glove against the ground after the second questionable call on Green, not only said that plate umpire Rick Reed had missed the call but that umpires might be too afraid to make the right call if it went against the Red Sox.It's clear from the subsequent war of words that this isn't going away any time soon."We're out there playing our hearts out," Fuentes said. "It's obviously emotional for both teams, and to have it taken away from you like that is discouraging.
"It's frustrating, especially here and in other places where they seem a little timid to make a call. It just seems like that's the way it is here, time and time again."
Fuentes, in his first year in the American League, said he has heard players on the Angels and other teams say that, in this oldest and coziest ballpark in the American League, the umpires too often favor the home team on a close call.
"It's either a mistake, or they're scared," he said. "It's one of the two."
Mercifully, yesterday's game had no such moments. Despite my misgivings about Wednesday's contest, David Pinto's takeaway is about right, i.e. both John Lackey, and last night's starter Ervin Santana, have enough to pitch well in the hostile confines of Fenway. The offense clicked, with Howie Kendrick ripping a solo homer in the third to give the Angels a short-lived 1-0 lead; Howie also provided the winning margin in the ninth by cashing in Terry Evans with an RBI single. In all, Howie went 3-for-4, one of his best recent performances.
But really, the most critical part of the game — and arguably one that won't show up in the Fangraphs WPA report — was the wild pitch which arguably could have been a passed ball, but bounced balls inevitably get called on the pitcher, not the catcher.
Labels: angels, recaps, red sox
Thursday, September 17, 2009 |
Angels Face Possible Discipline For Calling Out Umpires In Last Night's Game
Labels: angels
Josh Hamilton Getting Closer To Being Shut Down For The Season
Jarrod Saltalamacchia will have his thoracic outlet syndrome treated surgically on Monday. The recovery time for this is 10-12 weeks so his season is over after being reactivated on September 2.
Similarly Michael Young is hopeful he can be reactivated on Friday for the weekend series in Arlington against the Angels.
Chisox Release Colon
Labels: ex-angels, transactions, white sox
Minor League Scorebook
Brossman: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Fuller, C: 3-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Phillips, P: 1-4, 1 2B
Flores, M: (L, 0-1), 5.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 2 HR, 3.00 ERA
Fish: 1.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 10.80 ERA
In a winner-take-all game five, Rancho went home empty-handed, ending their season. The Quakes had a brief 2-0 lead after the top of the second after a couple RBI singles by Jay Brossman and Clay Fuller, but didn't score again until the seventh, when Brossman and Hector Estrella hit back-to-back homers to start the frame. Meantime, the Mavs pounced on Manuel Flores and the bullpen generally; Rancho mounted a late-innings rally in the ninth, but P.J. Phillips hit into a double play with nobody out and Andrew Romine flied out to end the game, and the Quakes' season.
Baird: 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Wing: 3-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
Bass: 2-3, 2 2B
Alliman: 0-2, 1 K
Corbin, P: 5.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 1.69 ERA
Martinez Mesa, F: 1.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 4.91 ERA
Carpenter: (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) (in relief), 1.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 9.82 ERA
Bobby Stone's two-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth off David Carpenter did in the Owlz, who led most of the way. Game two will be played Friday night at 7:05 at Ogram Park in Missoula.
Labels: minors
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 |
Fire Brian Fuentes: Red Sox 9, Angels 8
Brian Fuentes needs to no longer be the Angels' closer. Two consecutive infield singles was horrible; the BS call by the home plate umpire in Nick Green's at-bat is unconscionable, but it wouldn't have mattered if Fuentes hadn't sucked in the first place.
That is all, for the moment.
Update, morning after edition: Apparently first base umpire Jeff Kellogg's check swing call earlier in the at-bat was also bogus, as Scioscia complained bitterly to the press afterward:
"What was the count -- 3 and 4, to Green?" Angels manager Mike Scioscia asked a media crowd gathered around his desk in the visitors' clubhouse.I dunno. But I still blame Fuentes for that.
The sad thing is that it marred multiple comebacks in the face of a foe that the Angels have really had to work to beat in recent years, and all while the Sox were down two of their best hitters. The worst part is the smirking Sawx fans who can't get their heads around the fact that they were given the game. Still, Fuentes had Boston to two out with nobody on and imploded. You just can't do that.
Steve Bisheff reminds us — aside from the things I've had problems with in this game, i.e. Fuentes — that Vlad got drilled in the ribs in this one, and he'll probably be out a few games. But even I'm not sure I want Howie Kendrick in there every day, as his striking out with the bases loaded attested. But then, I look at his monthly splits and he seems to be still doing pretty well overall.
Eastern Sports Propaganda Network Box • Angels recap
Labels: angels, recaps, red sox, suck
Pickoff Moves
MLB Announces 2010 Schedules
- The Angels open at home against the Twins and will face mostly NL Central teams in interleague play in addition to the Dodgers, with road series facing the Cubs at Wrigley and the Cards. The Angels will also host the Rockies.
- The Dodgers will open on the road against Pittsburgh on Monday, April 5, facing Arizona on Tuesday, April 15 for their home opener. The Dodgers will see the Yankees and Red Sox in interleague, as well as the Angels (as always); the Dodgers will also face Detroit.
Chad Billingsley To Miss His Next Start
Good call, Jon.Dodgers Sweep Hapless Buccos: Dodgers 3, Pirates 1
Matt Kemp's two-run sixth inning jack inverted an early 1-0 lead by the Pirates, and provided the winning runs needed to sweep the Pirates. Pittsburgh starter Kevin Hart, the former Cub, pitched well for a quality start plus but took the loss anyway. Ronnie Belliard's solo homer in the eighth provided a nice-to-have but ultimately unnecessary insurance run, as Jonathan Broxton nailed down a 1-2-3 save in the ninth.Andre Ethier, Walk-Off Monster
Six walkoff hits. Mighty mighty.Labels: angels, dodgers, injuries, pirates, recaps
Milton Bradley's Got Nothing On This Board Game
Minor League Scorebook
Navarro, E: 3-4
Moore: 2-4, 1 K
Estrella: 2-4, 1 RBI
Fuller, C: 0-3, 1 RBI
Brasier: (W, 1-0), 8.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 2.08 ERA
Kohn: (S, 3), 1.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 2.25 ERA
Their backs against the wall for a second night in a row, the Quakes beat High Desert in a taut pitcher's duel. Rancho scored their two in the fourth on an RBI single by Hector Estrella, and Clay Fuller's squeeze bunt. Rancho had additional men in scoring position in the first, fifth, sixth, and eighth, but failed to cash any of those opportunities. The Mavs staged a two-out rally in the top of the ninth that scored Jeffrey Dominguez on Joseph Dunigan's RBI single, but Michael Kohn struck out Travis Scott to end the game.
The series continues in Adelanto at 7:05 tonight, with a winner-take-all game. The Quakes will send Manuel Flores to the mound to counter Donnie Hume.
Labels: minors
And On A Happier Note: Dodgers 5, Pirates 4 (13 Innings)
The Dodgers edged closer in the fifth on a Casey Blake triple and Mark Loretta's sac fly, and then tied it in the ninth when Matt Kemp drove home Andre Ethier from second on an RBI single. The game went to extras, and once more, Ethier did himself proud with a walkoff blast in the 13th. Too bad I was asleep by then. Just as well, in a sense: to hear anything of what was going on, I had to listen to the MLBAM Pirates feed, because the Dodgers feed kept stalling or going silent on Gameday Audio, both on my desktop and on my iPhone. Unforgiveable, and it's not the first time that's happened, either.
Labels: dodgers, pirates, recaps
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 |
Tea Leaves Gather For Another First-Round Exit: Red Sox 4, Angels 1
Labels: angels, recaps, red sox
Minor League Scorebook
Colmenares: 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 K
Brossman: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Fuller, C: 1-5, 1 2B, 2 K
Rosario, A: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Phillips, P: 0-3
Miller, J: 6.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 4.50 ERA
Haynes: 0.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 11.57 ERA
Nabors: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Kohn: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Rancho got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first on consecutive RBI doubles by Jeremy Moore and Jay Brossman, but lost it in the top of the second and never regained it until the bottom of the 10th. Facing elimination and a three-run deficit in the ninth, the Quakes started the frame by loading the bases with nobody out, and then Carlos Colmenares drove in a pair on an RBI single. Efren Navarro's sac fly tied the game, but the Mavs' bullpen held together to finish the frame without further damage. Navarro again came up big in the 10th, driving in the winning run on a walkoff single.
The series continues at the Epicenter at 7:05 PM, with Ryan Brasier facing off against High Desert's J.C. Ramirez.
Castillo, A: 1-2, 1 2B, 2 BB
Perez, D: 2-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Smith, W: (L, 0-1), 8.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 5 BB, 1 HR, 2.40 ERA
The Kernels' season is over, ended in the first inning on a two-run jack by Jason Taylor. Cedar Rapids' only run scored on an Alexei Ramirez groundout.
Hatch: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Russell: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Silverio: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dalton: 2-4, 2 K
Miller, A: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 4 K, 3 BB, 0.75 ERA
Aguasviva: (BS, 1), 0.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 2.25 ERA
Pratt: 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 3.38 ERA
St. Clair: (BS, 1)(L, 1-1) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 3.60 ERA
Similarly, the Loons finish their season empty-handed as Great Lakes' bullpen was unable to hold a 3-2 lead in the eighth, with Cole St. Clair giving up the tying run to Vincent Belnome, whose RBI double plated Jaff Decker, earlier hit by a pitch and standing at first. Robert Lara's leadoff, walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th decided the game.
Labels: minors
Teixeira Outdoes Morales: Yankees 5, Angels 3
The Yanks are gonna be the team to beat this year, sadly, and I've got my doubts about whether the Angels, with so many pitching holes, will be the team to do it. One small interesting item: Vlad Guerrero's second inning homer set a park mark for single-season home runs for the Yankees, and the season has three weeks or so to go.
Labels: angels, recaps, yankees
Monday, September 14, 2009 |
Minor League Scorebook
Moore: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 K
Fuller, C: 0-4, 1 K
Phillips, P: 1-3, 1 K
Kenney: (L, 0-1), 6.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 7 K, 4 BB, 4.50 ERA
Fish: 1.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 3.86 ERA
The Mavs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back, as Mauricio Robles and two relievers pitched a four-hit shutout. The series goes back to Rancho for Game 3 of the best of five series with the Quakes trailing 0-2, falling in their second consecutive shutout.
Brooks: 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K
Crawford: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Correa, M: (W, 1-0), 7.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 1.17 ERA
Taylor, A: (S, 1), 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 5.40 ERA
The Kernels knotted the series at one game each with a come-from-behind victory, upending an early 1-0 Bees lead in the fifth. The series continues tonight at 5:35 PM in Burlington.
Ramirez: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Baird: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Witherspoon, T: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Kehrer, T: 4.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 4.50 ERA
Andrew, C: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Carpenter: (S, 1), 2.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 4.50 ERA
Orem advances and Ogden goes home for the season, as Carlos Ramirez' three-RBI night led the Owlz to a victory. Game one of the championship series will start on Wednesday night.
Russell: 1-4, 1 K
Buss: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Silverio: 0-3, 1 RBI, 2 K
Lopez, E: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Blevins, B: (L, 0-1), 4.1 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 9 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 3.52 ERA
Ft. Wayne beat up on Great Lakes pitching in a game the Loons were never really in. The concluding game of the series will be played tonight.
Cavazos-Galvez, B: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Songco: 2-3, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Hernandez, B: 2-3, 1 K
Wallach, B: (L, 0-1), 3.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 3 BB, 9.00 ERA
Frias, C: 2.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 3.86 ERA
Labels: minors
Pickoff Moves
Dodgers Flame Out In Finale: Giants 7, Dodgers 2
Brad Penny beats Chad Billingsley? Really? Yup, and I agree with Jon that it's time for him to skip a start. He's not well.Dodgers Promote Hu, DeWitt
Blake DeWitt and Chin-Lung Hu were promoted on Sunday, per MLB.com.Randy Wolf To Return Tuesday
Also per MLB.com, Randy Wolf and his (hopefully healed-up) hyperextended elbow will be back in the rotation on Tuesday."The only pitch that didn't feel good in the bullpen in Arizona was a curveball, and the first one today felt great," said Wolf, who shares the league lead with 30 starts and has been the Dodgers' most effective starter over the past month. "I let it go today, and it felt great. Another indicator is how it feels tomorrow, but I expect to feel fine. I should be ready to go Tuesday."
Lackey Leads List Of Free Agent Starters This Offseason
... according to Jayson Stark:Here's the one and only guarantee we can make about this market: Lackey will be depositing more bucks in his money-market account between now and spring training than any other pitcher out there. The Angels' ace will be entering his age-31 season. He has the ninth-best ERA in baseball over the last five seasons (and second-best, behind Roy Halladay, among pitchers who have worked only in the AL). And he's heading for his sixth straight winning season. But that doesn't mean he doesn't scare some teams, after spending more than 100 days on the disabled list the last two years with forearm and triceps issues. "He's the best name on the list," one exec said. "But if Anaheim shies away from this guy or doesn't make a serious attempt to sign him, I'd have concerns. They know him better than everyone else. So that would send out some serious red flags for me."
Other Scoreboard Watching
Rangers 7, Mariners 2: Tommy Hunter pitched a complete game, while the usual suspects tore the hide off Doug Fister, who's done so well this year otherwise.Mariners 5, Rangers 0: King Felix extended his bid for a Cy Young, suppressing the Rangers' offense in that Arlington pitcher's hell. Despite two Texas errors, all Seattle's runs were earned against starter Derek Holland. Much to my shock, they managed to play both ends of the doubleheader.
As a consequence of the split and the Angels' win, the Angels are now six games up in the AL West.
Padres 7, Rockies 3: The Rocks closed out their tour of San Diego with a loss, with unexpected ace Jason Marquis taking the loss; he's 1-2 in September with a 5.50 ERA, not a good sign for a team that's hoping to go deep in the postseason. Best case is an analog to the 2007 performances they got out of Josh Fogg (at least, up to the World Series).
The Rocks end the day three games back of the Dodgers in the division, and four and a half games ahead of the Giants in the Wild Card.
Labels: angels, dodgers, giants, injuries, mariners, padres, rangers, recaps, rockies, transactions
Hunter's Blast Tips Angels Past Chicago: Angels 3, White Sox 2
Darren Oliver, Kevin Jepsen, and Brian Fuentes closed the game out without incident, though I did notice one odd tic about Mike Scioscia's bullpen utilization. Scioscia let Jepsen start the ninth, faced one batter (the right-handed Alex Rios) — and then after the White Sox pinch-hit lefty A.J. Pierzynski for Ramon Castro, Scioscia brought in Brian Fuentes. Jepsen's platoon splits against lefties — an otherworldly .355/.406/.430 — stand in stark contrast to his death-on-righties numbers of .209/.258/.244, so it was somewhat justifiable. What's scary is how pedestrian Fuentes has been against righties, .269/.364/.462 versus .234/.290/.281 against his fellow southpaws. Nursing this pitching staff through the ninth inning is almost certainly going to tax everyone's patience, especially considering Fuentes is allowing a .365 average against overall in September.
Labels: angels, recaps, white sox
Sunday, September 13, 2009 |
When Greg Walker Fell
Most of the players who ran to the spot where he had fallen did nothing; many of them were simply terrified to see this large, powerful man writhing helplessly. White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen was the first to try to help; Walker was clutching desperately at his own throat while gasping for air, and Guillen tried to pull his hands away. "He almost killed himself with his own hands," says Guillen. Walker grabbed Guillen by the arm and tossed him away like a doll. "He almost broke my wrist," Guillen says. "I've never been so scared.""A seizure is a very powerful thing to see." says Angel trainer Rick Smith, who helped steady Walker's head that day. "It's scary to watch somebody go through that, but it's also kind of moving to see all the power coming out of a guy like that." Chicago second baseman Steve Lyons says when he reached Walker "the look on his face was like something from The Exorcist." Lyons ran into the visiting clubhouse to call for an ambulance. "When I got back on the field, he still wasn't breathing."
Labels: angels, history, white sox
The Weather In Dallas Is Still Ugly
Seattle topped Texas 8-3 last night in a rain-shortened game finished after only 8.1 innings pitched by the away team. With yesterday's Angels loss, there was no change in the division standings, as the Rangers are still 5.5 games back; with a 9-1 Boston win over Tampa Bay, the Wild Card deficit grew to three games.
Minor League Scorebook
Phillips, P: 0-3, 3 K
Fuller, C: 0-3, 1 K
Shoemaker, M.: (L, 0-1), 2.1 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 3.86 ERA
Geltz: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
High Desert's Steven Hensley pitched a complete game shutout, baffling Rancho on three hits. The best-of-five series continues at 5:05 PM in Adelanto.
Chaffee: (L, 0-1), 4.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 7 K, 3 BB, 5.79 ERA
Scholl: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
The Kernels took an early 2-0 lead in the first, taking advantage of a wild pitch and a passed ball. Ryan Chaffee ran out of gas in the fifth, allowing a two-out rally that turned the game around for Burlington. The best-of-three series continues in Burlington at 2:05 PM.
Wing: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Alliman: 0-1, 1 K
Witherspoon, T: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Locke: (W, 1-0), 7.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 2 BB, 2.57 ERA
Martinez Mesa, F: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Stephen Locke struck out five in a season-high seven innings as the Owlz took game one of the best-of-three Pioneer League division series. The series continues at 7:00 PM in Ogden.
Pedroza: 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Russell: 1-5, 1 BB, 3 K
Silverio: 2-5, 1 RBI, 2 K
Buss: 3-5, 1 3B, 1 K
Walter: 1.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 36.00 ERA
Smith, S: 5.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 1 BB, 1.35 ERA
Aguasviva: 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 2.45 ERA
Rondon, D: 2.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 13.50 ERA
Pratt: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 4.50 ERA
The Loons survived an early 4-0 deficit in a see-saw thriller that had the team coming back four different times, the last in the ninth with Jaime Pedroza hitting a three-run jack to re-tie the game after the Tin Caps rallied for three in the top of the frame. That threw the game to extras, which finally ended on Jerry Sands' RBI single.
The best-of-three series continues at 5:05 PM tonight at Ft. Wayne.
Labels: minors
Saturday, September 12, 2009 |
Dodgers Embarrass Giants For A Second Night: Dodgers 9, Giants 1
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Last Minute Rally Of No Avail: White Sox 4, Angels 3 (10 Innings)
The rest of the game was mostly like that, save for a brave and exciting ninth inning rally to tie the game up. I can't get terribly upset about it; you're gonna lose some, and the Sox can still score runs.
Labels: angels, recaps, white sox
Rangers Finances Worsening; League Calling The Shots?
- Team President Nolan Ryan claimed that the team was unlikely to be sold prior to 2010, though there are signs to the contrary; in particular, the team has fielded six offers to buy, since narrowed to three.
- Bud Selig apparently forced Texas to lowball their bid to Matt Purke, who offered the 14th overall pick $4M — which he turned down to go to Texas Christian University.
- The league may also prevent Kevin Millwood from making his next scheduled start because it would cause his $12M 2010 option to vest.
Labels: rangers
Rosenthal On The Postseason Rotations
Here is where the addition of left-hander Scott Kazmir could matter most — assuming that Kazmir continues his recent roll, which is no guarantee.The Dodgers:Kazmir is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA against the Red Sox this season, with both of his starts coming at Fenway Park. He also threw six shutout innings at Fenway in Game 5 of last year's ALCS.
The plan, then, should be this: Right-hander John Lackey in Game 1 at Angels Stadium — he had a 2.63 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox in last year's Division Series. Righty Jered Weaver — 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA at home, 6-3 with a 4.98 ERA on the road — would pitch Game 2.
That would leave Kazmir for Game 3 at Fenway and either lefty Joe Saunders, righty Ervin Santana or Lackey on short rest for Game 4.
Hoo-boy. Lefty Randy Wolf is battling irritation in his left elbow. Lefty Clayton Kershaw is recovering from an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Righty Chad Billingsley is 3-5 with a 5.23 ERA since the All-Star break. Righty Hiroki Kuroda has started once since getting struck in the head with a line drive.It turns out that righty Jon Garland might be a more important acquisition than most imagined — and that the Dodgers might stand a better chance in the first round if they settle for the wild card and face the Cardinals rather than the Phillies [emphasis mine — RLM].
Garland is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA against the Phillies this season, and the Dodgers' other starters haven't been much better. Kershaw is 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA, Wolf 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA. Billingsley melted down twice against the Phillies in last year's NLCS.
Not a great matchup for L.A.
Labels: angels, dodgers, postseason
Clayton Kershaw's Non-Throwing Shoulder Separated
Update: Eric Stephen has more thoughts on the matter.
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