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Not Much Room for Error

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:35:04 EDT

I'll assume the just completed 3-game sweep of the Blue Jays (in Toronto, no less) got some Angels fans off the ledge, or at least sitting on it instead of standing. After getting off to a horrendous start, the Halos went 4-2 on this recent roadie through the Bronx and Toronto to get to within a game of .500.

The starting pitching was the story. Joel Pineiro pretty much single-handedly got the team its only win against the Yankees and then Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana mowed through the Jays like a fat kid through his Easter candy. Very impressive starts from those guys, especially Saunders and Santana, who desperately needed to show something resembling their All-Star forms of two seasons ago.

The offense was better. More timely hitting than we've seen and a few more balls leaving the yard. Not much else to say, but I do expect the club to go on a tear with the bats here, real soon (Brandon Wood included). Erick Aybar has been outstanding at the top of the order. He's been patient, but still aggressive in the sense that hey, you got a pitcher throwing strikes, swing the bat. You have to read the situation and E.A.'s done that so far. Color me impressed.

Opening Night Observations

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:00:53 EDT

Not gonna lie, I spent the first part of the game more focused on the Duke - Butler NCAA title game, which was a GREAT game. Can you imagine if Heyward's last-second heave would have gone in? It would have EASILY been the greatest shot/moment in the history of the tourney. Move over Jimmy V searching for someone to hug, move over Villanova upsetting Georgetown, move over Laettner's turn around jumper versus Kentucky. It would have been HUGE. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Even though my full attention was dedicated to the hoops, I did flip to the Angels home opener against the Twins during commercials and also followed over the internet, so I had at least an idea of what was going on. And right after Heyward's shot came up empty, I switched the channel to see Jered Weaver pitch out of a little jam in the 6th to finish his night. A solid outing from Weaver - 6 innings, 3runs, 6 Ks, 5 hits and couple of walks. He gave the offense a chance, and that's all you can really ask, especially this early in the season.

Spring Update

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 1:23:50 EDT

We're somewhere between knee and waist-deep in Spring Training, so it seems like a good time to take a look at the club and see how they're doing. The 5-11-2 record isn't good, but it shouldn't set off any alarms either. Early on, the regular players play half the game, if that, with kids from all walks of the minor league system filling in.

Spring records are a strange thing. If you're team's struggling, it's so easy to dismiss it. They're just getting their work in...the kids are playing most of the innings...pitchers are working on new pitches, etc. If you're winning, well, that's another story. They're looking good...mid-season form...how 'bout the kids, the future looks bright, etc. The truth, as it often is, is somewhere in between. Records really don't mean jack, but we can look at some stats to get a feel for how some of the players are looking. Let's do that now, shall we?

Early Outlook: Semi-optimistic (part 4)

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:32:40 EST

OK people, we've looked at the Halos' additions and subtractions and what the lineup may look like come opening day. Only one thing left to pick apart, and that's the pitchin'. Used to be we Angels fans would head into a season praying, begging the baseball gods for a little extra offense. This season, we may need to pray for outs.

A lot has been made of John Lackey's departure, maybe too much. Now, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you his loss won't be felt AT ALL. That would be retarded (my apologies to Sarah Palin) on my part. But isn't it equally retarded to assume the entire staff is now horrible due to the loss of a guy who won 11 games last season and just 12 the year before? Big John was unquestionably the leader of the Angels staff, and probably of the entire pitching staff. The cliches of him being a "bulldog" and a "fierce competitor" and all that are well-deserved and well-earned. But when you boil down the numbers, Lackey is not in the class of the Roy Halladays, Johan Santanas or CC Sabathias of the world. He is a number one, not a true "ace." Heck, he'll be the number 3 starter behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester on the Red Sox staff. So Lackey wanted a lot of money and the Red Sox gave it to him, end of story.

Early Outlook: Semi-optimistic (part 3)

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:27:12 EST

So, parts 1 and 2 of this riveting series looked at the major pieces gained and lost by the team this off-season. A general consensus, or at least a widely held belief out there is that the Angels got significantly worse in these "exchanges." I'm not so sure. Now, I'm obviously an unapologetic Halo Homer, so take that into account when reading this. But also take into account that I'm really a fairly rational person who has NO problem criticizing the team he has rooted for since 1976. With that, let's take a gander at how the Angels lineup may look when they break Spring Training a month or so from now.

My projected lineup for the 2010 Season:

1. Erick Aybar SS

2. Bobby Abreu RF

A look back at my 2009 player predictions

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:17:16 EST

I'm going to take a break from my multi-part early season preview thing to see how well my predictions were for the 2009 season. Sure, it's easy to make BOLD predictions at the beginning of each season, you know, grandiose statements like "Vlad's gonna come back strong with a 40 HR, 130 RBI season and John Lackey is a lock for AL Cy Young - mark my words." Well, while I made neither of those statements, I did mark my words in a post in this very blog, and I'm ready to see how close or far off I was on my projections for Angels players stats for last season.

Let the hindsightedness commence!

Chone Figgins: PROJ: .290/.380/105 runs/55 SB --- ACTUAL: .298/.395/114/42

Not a bad start, huh? Figgy had an unbelievable year from an OBP standpoint and he outpaced my runs scored projection as the team ended up being a far better offensive club than I, or anyone else really, had anticipated. Those 17 CS of his really did in my stolen base guestimate. Figgy's still fast, but he has lost a step or two.

Early Outlook: Semi-optimistic (part 2)

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:16:02 EST

I finished up Part 1 with a look at the players leaving the Angels for greener pastures, or in Lackey's case, greener monsters, I guess? Well they're all leaving for more green, that's for sure. And who are we to begrudge them that? Just kidding, we're fans, we begrudge everything. Hell, we'd begrudge whatever god or deity we believe in if he/she came down wearing the cap of our favorite team's rival. "Really, Buddha, the A's? EFF-OFF!!"

Anyways, let's take a look at the NKOTB (don't act like you don't know) who were signed to replace our departed heroes.

Welcome to Anaheim:

Hideki Matsui, Fernando Rodney, Joel Piniero

Early Outlook: Semi-optimistic (part 1)

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:39:54 EST

Spring has yet to arrive, officially, but pitchers and catchers have reported for most MLB teams, and really, does winter even exist in Arizona (yes, parts of Arizona get a bit of winter) and Florida? Now I'm not one those who gets all nostalgic and weepy with the earliest signs that baseball is right around the corner, i.e. "the smell of fresh cut grass," "the pop of the mitts," "a fresh start for each team" and all that quasi-poetic crap. I don't start getting the least bit excited until the Angels and Dodgers play their annual pre-season exhibitions, or at least until I draft one of my three or so fantasy teams. But with all the upheaval the team went through this past off-season and the positive changes made by two of the Halos' division rivals, I thought it an OK idea to give an early look at the team's new make-up and their chances this upcoming season. I'll probably write a similar post as Spring Training progresses and we get a better look at how the team is shaping up, meaning, I'll look at how Brandon Woods' spring is going and whether or not he'll break camp as the starter at the hot corner.

Altered Angels?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:59:39 EST

The Angels are coming off of their most successful season since 2005, 100-win regular seasons notwithstanding. They managed to stay afloat while dealing with the death of a teammate. They survived injuries to key players that would have decimated lesser clubs. And they finally beat the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. All-in-all, it was a pretty good season even with the team flubbing and floundering their way through the ALCS and losing to the eventual champion Yankees. Hell, a ton of experts didn't even think the Halos would win the AL West. I'm guessing there will be even more predictions that they relinquish their stranglehold on the AL West in 2010. And maybe they will. Chances are, the Angels will not look like the same club they've been since 2004.

Deja-vu all over again

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:19:37 EDT

The nail-biting can now stop. Barring a collapse of 1995 proportions, the Angels will wrap up a third straight AL West title in about a week or so. And really, I don't think a collapse like that is likely under a Mike Scioscia-led team. Nope, they usually wait till the playoffs start for that (baddump-bump!). In all seriousness, I was a bit nervous for this past series with Texas in Arlington. I had visions of Marlon Byrd hitting homers and Neftali Feliz mowing down Halos (seriously, though, how good does that kid look? WOW). The boys showed some stones, however, in taking two-of-three from a pretty depleted Rangers squad who had dominated the Angels in every way over the course of the season. Props to the Rangers and their fans on a great season. I'm already nervous for next season.

Trial by Fire

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:05:05 EDT

A tough September schedule will make or break the Halos' postseason chances

What seemed an almost foregone conclusion a mere week or two ago is now anything but a sure thing. Clinging to an ever-shrinking 3 1/2 game lead in the AL West, the Angels face probably the roughest stretch of games they've faced all season coming up after a series that starts today in Kansas City (who shouldn't be taken lightly, as the Halos face the Royals top 3 starters in Meche, Greinke and Hochaver) and then a home series with the Mariners (who just took 2 of 3 from us in Seattle).

Here's what it looks like:

3 vs. White Sox

Back atop the AL. But only the playoffs matter.

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:27:19 EDT

So, the Angels have somehow risen atop the standings and now have the best record in the AL. Not the AL West, the entire AL! The Halos are at 63-40 as of August 3, and are breathing down the necks of their NL neighbors to the North for the best record in all of baseball. And of course, they've done this with Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero on the DL the last couple of weeks.

Man, those pesky Angels, winning with starting pitching and small ball and funda...wait, what? Wrong Angels. The 2009 Angels (which are looking A LOT like the 2002 team) have won by bludgeoning teams to death the last few months and pitching just well enough. And also, by playing top-notch defense. Lets take a look at the numbers, shall we.

~AL-leading 590 runs scored, 9 more than NY in 2 fewer games

Texas BBQ

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:18:16 EDT

Angels get their wings clipped by Rangers, dropping 2 of 3

Andruw Jones isn't quite done yet, apparently. That or he was saving whatever was left in his tank to hammer the Halos in Wednesday night's finale between the Angels and Rangers. Seriously Andruw, three bombs? Just ridiculous. But the real star was Vicente Padilla, who held the Angels to a single run and didn't hit anyone in the head with a 94 mph fastball. Ervin was terrible again. His fastball velocity and depth on his breaking pitches was pretty solid, but he had NO IDEA where any of them were going. I'm really not too concerned with John Lackey's recent struggles, but Ervin scares me. He is not mentally tough enough to battle through things like this. Maybe some time off at the All-Star break will do him good. So much for the rotation rounding into shape, huh?

At Least They're Consistent?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:22:32 EDT

The Angels' rollercoaster 2009 season continued last night with the team getting shelled 11-1 by the Rockies in Anaheim. That makes three straight losses by the club since reeling off seven wins in a row prior to this recent rough patch. I suppose the one thing we can say about these Halos is that they've been consistently inconsistent this season yet find themselves only a game out of first in the AL West entering play today (6/23). The Rangers have also been scuffling a bit, allowing the Angels to get close and hang around, but not take over first quite yet. The Mariners are also hanging around at a game over .500 and look like they may not go away altogether, like I thought they might. If Felix Hernendez and Erik Bedard stay healthy all season (big if) they should remain a .500 club or so.

Flawed and Feisty

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:01:22 EDT

The Halos are hanging around, but are they going anywhere?

After a road trip that saw the Angels play their worst ball of the season (and that's saying something), the club headed home for a three-game set with the Padres. Thank God for the Padres, huh, Halos fans? A visit from Buddy Black's club proved to be just what our sputtering offense needed, as extra-base hits were flying around the Big-A like it was 2002 all over again. In the series, a struggling Chris Young was the only bona fide big league pitcher the Angels had to face, as before his start on Saturday, Pads ace Jake Peavy was placed on the DL. Still, these are the Angels, and the team has had a knack for making Triple-A scrubs look like Cy Young, so it wasn't quite a foregone conclusion that the bats would come alive. But come alive they did!! The Halos slugged 9 HR and scored 26 runs in the three-game sweep, highlighted by Torii Hunter's 3-HR game on Saturday and Juan Rivera's pair of round-trippers in Sunday's finale.

Escobar's return raises questions.

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:53:52 EDT

Kelvim Escobar appears headed for the Angels' rotation. Would he be more valuable in the 'pen?

As Kelvim Escobar gets set to make what should be his final rehab start (tonight at Triple-A Salt Lake), it looks like Mike Scioscia and the Angels powers that be have decided that the big righty is going right back to his role as a starter. When Angels fans last saw Escobar, he was dominating AL lineups to the tune of an 18-7 record and a 3.40 ERA. Of course, that was 2007. Escobar missed all of last season after undergoing major shoulder surgery, an injury Escobar himself thought might end his career. When you take into consideration this recent injury, his history of injury, his experience pitching in a variety of relief roles and the Angels current bullpen struggles, I believe Escobar can better help the club win by heading to the pen.

Morales making many Angels fans say, "Casey who?"

Thu, 21 May 2009 12:48:36 EDT

One of the big "what ifs" surrounding the Angels big deadline deal for Mark Teixeira last season was, "what if they can't re-sign Tex?" Casey Kotchman established himself as a solid Major League first baseman in 2008 and he was sent to Atlanta as part of that deal, so much of the talk centered on who would play first base if (when, really) Teixeira signed elsewhere. I can honestly say I wasn't one of those really worried about losing Kotch. Not that I didn't like his game and his Gold Glove-caliber defense, I just had faith that our switch-hitting Cuban defector, who was quietly putting together back-to-back seasons of .341 hitting at Triple-A Salt Lake wouldn't be a step down, offensively, at least.

It was a tough sell for many in Halo Nation, as Kendry never really impressed numbers-wise in his brief stints with the big club. He hit just .234 in 197 ABs in 2006, his first taste of Major League pitching. He got only 119 ABs the following season, but posted a .294 average and 4 HR. Last season, with Kotchman pretty much entrenched at 1B, Morales got only 61 ABs with the Angels posting a meager .213 average. So when Teixeira did what many expected and headed East to play with the Yankees, the Angels were seemingly left with a gaping hole at 1B with not much available on the free agent market. But Mike Scioscia and Tony Reagins knew the answer was already in the organization, patiently biding his time becoming more and more accustomed to baseball in the States. Kendry Morales was ready.

Palmer's Perseverance Paying Off

Sat, 16 May 2009 16:20:34 EDT

It’s a well-worn story: journeyman pitcher toils away for years in the minors, gets a cup of coffee in the bigs here and there, but never quite establishes himself as a major leaguer. As the bouncing around from organization to organization and small town to small town continues, he begins to think maybe it’s time to call it a day, give up the dream.

Such was the case with the Angels Matt Palmer; a 30-year-old would-be landscaper who was thrust into the team’s starting rotation due to injuries to John Lackey and Ervin Santana. With the urging and support of his wife, Palmer continued to chase the dream, and instead of putting his horticulture degree to use, he’s putting his years of experience pitching in cities like Fresno and Norwich to use. Through four starts, Palmer is 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA. While there’s no telling if he’s going to continue pitching this well, and some sort of regression should probably be expected, his numbers to date are no fluke. He’s allowed only 16 hits in his 26.2 innings pitched and he’s held opposing batters to a miniscule .168 batting average. For all you fantasy players out there, Palmer’s WHIP currently stands at .97 – ridiculous to say the least.

Halos streaking, reinforcements coming

Mon, 11 May 2009 19:27:34 EDT

The Angels won their fourth straight game (and 6th of last 7) yesterday in completing a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. They are now 16-14 and just a half game behind the Rangers for the top spot in the AL West. The makeshift starting rotation has been one of the best in the AL all season without studs John Lackey and Ervin Santana, who are both set to make their debuts later this week. Fill-ins Shane Loux, Matt Palmer and Anthony Ortega have performed very capably, especially Palmer (pictured left) who has gone 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA. His solid work has probably earned him a chance to remain in the rotation when Lackey and Santana return, with Loux probably heading back to the bullpen and Ortega, who got roughed up by the Blue Jays in his last start, heading back to Salt Lake.

Can't Take Naps Out of the Lineup

Wed, 06 May 2009 14:47:42 EDT

Napoli's strong start is reminding Angels fans of his breakout 2008 season

Angels catcher Mike Napoli has been on a tear lately. A Pujols-like tear, really, that has seen him reach base in 13 of his last 14 at-bats. After last night's 4-for-4, 2 RBI performance, his average sits at .364 to go along with 4 HR and 11 RBI in just 55 at-bats. I'm guessing those AB's are going to skyrocket over the next few weeks, as manager Mike Scioscia just can't afford to take him out of the lineup. He's been the primary catcher all season, getting slightly more playing time than counterpart Jeff Mathis, but many of his upcoming plate appearances may come in a DH role, as he was in last night.

The Halos' offense has been rolling lately, as Napoli, Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales have all been driving in runs, and after stumbling a bit, 2B Howie Kendrick has found his stroke and has been hitting the ball much better lately. We all saw Napoli's power potential last season when he belted 20 HR's in just 227 AB's, a staggering pace that lead the majors. He also got hot down the stretch to finish with a .273 batting average (he's a career .250 hitter).

Bullpen bullied in the Bronx

Tue, 05 May 2009 13:12:58 EDT

The Angels arrived at the new Yankee Stadium with a three-game win streak, and it looked like the bullpen was starting to settle down a bit. Well, looks can be deceiving. With the first game deadlocked at 4 in the 8th inning, Justin Speier took one more step toward his outright release, surrendering 3 runs and letting a pretty gutty outing from rookie Anthony Ortega go by the wayside. In a positive note, Scot Shields got a few batters out earlier in the game, so, there's that...I guess.

Game 2 in the series was an epic bullpen meltdown in what has been a season full of them. Apparently a 5-run lead heading into the 8th inning isn't quite enough of a cushion for the Halos bullpen. The Yankees scored 4 in the 8th and then 2 in the 9th off of Brian Fuentes to complete the collapse. This game ruined my night. My perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled NY steak couldn't even salvage it for me. I went to sleep counting Yankees crossing home plate instead of sheep leaping over fences. OK, slight exaggeration, but it was bad.

3 wins in a row, headed to the Big Apple

Fri, 01 May 2009 10:20:35 EDT

The Angels completed a mini-sweep (2 game series) of the Orioles yesterday behind a pretty gutty performance from Shane Loux. The righty was in trouble a bit early, but was able to minimize the damage and give the Halos' bats a chance to come around. The O's Uehara kept the Angels bats pretty quiet till Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales went back-to-back in the 7th inning. Hunter's power stroke has been nice (his 8th HR already) but Kendry has been the Angels best hitter the last week or so, driving in runs and coming through with big hits. He's now hitting .288 with 3 HR and 14 RBI and a .534 slugging %. Kendry's obviously not going to put up Mark Teixeira numbers, but I thought going into the season that he would out-produce Casey Kotchman. Kendry can hit, and he's starting to show it.

2009 Angels Season Preview, continued...

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:26:30 EST

Now for the pitching, the strength of the club the last few seasons.

This looks to be the Angels strong suit, once more, with three starters who ended last season with an ERA under 4.00 and four guys who won 10-plus games. Both Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders enjoyed breakout seasons in '08 and were probably the biggest reason for the team's success, as ace John Lackey missed the first month or so the season. While I think Saunders will be hard pressed to repeat his success, I think Swervin' Ervin is the real deal. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he improved on his outstanding 2008 numbers, but I think he'll do about the same. The bullpen looks to be one of the stronger ones in the AL, even with the departure of Francisco Rodriguez. Let's take a look at the numbers.

2009 Angels Season Preview

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:48:32 EST

The Angels won a franchise-record 100 games last season before their annual ousting from the playoffs by the Boston Red Sox. They didn't go down near as easily as they did in '07, but down is down. Too few extra base hits and hits with RISP - it's a pattern we Halos fans have come to almost expect.

Last season was a little different than the previous few, as the team made a big deadline deal to land "the big bat" to hit behind Vladimir Guerrero in Mark Teixeira. To land Tex, the Halos had to part ways with talented first baseman Casey Kotchman, and even though the trade didn't bear the results Angels fans hoped for, I still think it was a good deal. They had to roll the dice with the team they had, especially the way the pitching staff was performing. Now with Tex donning pinstripes and Kotch across the country in Atlanta, the team looks to Kendry Morales to hold down the fort at 1B. Kendry only got a handful of AB's at the Major League level last season, but has had enough time with the big club the last few seasons to not be considered a complete question mark. He can handle the bat. Even though he hit just .213 last season (in just 61 AB's) he was never over matched. He's hit better than .340 each of the last few seasons at AAA Salt Lake, and, even though AAA's not the bigs, .340 is still impressive. Kendry will hit. His glove may be the biggest question.

This story's getting old

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:16:13 EDT

Manny is in Dodger blue, Papi looked like he aged five years since last season's ALDS, Beckett was not his dominating self and Schilling is not in uniform, off blabbing somewhere to anyone that will listen. And the Boston Red Sox still beat the Angels in the postseason. No, it wasn't Manny or Papi, heck, it wasn't even Youkilis or Pedroia that did the Halos in this time. It was Jason Bay in his first taste of playoff baseball, JD Drew with a bad back and some dude named Jed. Speaking of Jed Lowrie's game winner in Game 4, is it me or did it seem like that grounder took like 10 years to reach the outfield grass?

Nope, no Josh Beckett either. I mean, he was there and he pitched OK in Game 3, but it was not the Josh Beckett whose appearance on a mound in October generally means the opposing team has no chance. Instead, a young pitcher named Jon Lester became Beckett, allowing zero earned runs in 14 innings against the Angels.

A Beautiful Dump

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:21:51 EDT

When I booked my trip to visit Yankee Stadium for the first (and last) time, I didn't realize at the time that I would be attending the third to last game EVER at the House that Ruth Built. As a baseball fan, it was a place I had to see before the wrecking balls came calling. I had to see the mecca of Major League Baseball before it was nothing more than a parking lot, or whatever they're going to use the hallowed land for.

And I'm glad I did. There was nothing special about the game that night, a meaningless contest against the Baltimore Orioles that the Yankees pulled out 3-2. But being there, in that stadium, that night, was special. I just tried to take it all in, but really, it's impossible to take in 85 years of history in three hours. So I just watched the game, enjoyed my $9.50 beer and listened to the season ticket holders behind me commiserate with one another about how difficult Sunday's final game would be.

How the West was won

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:08:55 EDT

While it's been a foregone conclusion for a few months now, the Angels repeating as AL West champions was not exactly a "gimme" when the team broke Spring Training. Injuries to the team's two best starters from 2007, trading away a Gold Glove shortstop, and an overcrowded outfield were just some of the reasons many were picking Seattle to dethrone the Halos.

Fast forward to September 11. The two young starters who were supposed to battle it out for the 5th spot in the rotation, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders, were both All-Stars and absolutely carried the team in the early going with John Lackey missing about 5-6 starts and Kelvim Escobar missing the entire season. The trade that had many Angels fans scratching their heads turned out to be perhaps the most important thing the team did in the off season. While O.C. was fantastic at shortstop and the ideal #2 hitter, the stability Jon Garland provided at the back end of the rotation, especially with the loss of Escobar, was invaluable, and Scioscia and Reagins both knew Aybar and Izturis could hold down the fort at short, both defensively and with the bat. And they did. Another head-scratcher was the signing of Torii Hunter. Although we just gave a big contract to Matthews to seemingly be the team's CF for next few seasons, Hunter was signed to a big free agent deal himself, moving Matthews into a corner outfield/DH rotation with Garret and Vlad. While Torii was not exactly the "big bat" Halos fans have been waiting for, he was another bat and has played the best center field this long-time Angels fan has ever seen at the Big A (no disrespect to Devo, Pettis and Edmonds). Besides his glove and above-average bat, Torii also brought leadership and a winning attitude to a clubhouse that was maybe in need of a veteran vocal leader.

Angels getting production from behind the plate

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:03:00 EDT

Even though their batting averages are flirting dangerously with the Mendoza Line, the Angels catching duo of Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli have given the team outstanding production from behind the plate. In fact, it's tough to find another Major League club that can match the pair's combined 21 HR and 67 RBI.

Napoli, who's currently on his way back from a shoulder injury, has belted 12 HR and knocked in 29 RBI in just 142 at-bats. His homerun rate of a dinger every 11.8 AB's is among the best in the bigs.

Mathis has caught nearly every game since his buddy (the two are good friends off the field) landed on the DL, and though streaky, has contributed 9 HR and 38 RBI to an Angels offense that needs every position player to pull his weight with the bat. If Mathis can find some more consistency at the plate, he looks like manager Mike Scioscia's choice to play the bulk of the innings down the stretch.

Adios, Franky?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:08:50 EDT

I posted this on the main baseball board in response to a thread about Francisco Rodriguez filing for free agency after the season. Here are my thoughts on the matter...

This is something that most Angels fans knew was coming since last season, maybe even the season before. The Angels have made fair, market value offers for Franky the past few seasons, but obviously, nothing that bowled him over. He's a very good and still very young closer who I'm guessing will become the ML's top paid reliever after this season. I don't think the Angels will be the team to give him the dough, however.

You can't predict these things, but he looks like a candidate for arm troubles, and may already be experiencing some, as his velocity has dipped 2-4 mph this season. His violent delivery and the amount of sliders he throws has and will take their toll. The pitch that has sort of re-invented him is his changeup, that he only throws to lefties. I think it's his best pitch, as his slider has become predictable and inconsistent.

Angels Checklist

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 3:51:32 EDT

Starting pitching: Check. What was supposed to be a weakness in the early part of the season with John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar missing time has been anything but. Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana have been two of the better pitchers in the AL, and now that Lackey's back and Jered Weaver is pitching better of late, the Halos have one of the top rotations in all of baseball.

Bullpen: Check. One of the Angels biggest strengths over the last several seasons was a major liability in the opening weeks of the season. Scot Shields opened the year on the DL and Justin Speier, Darren Oliver and company were just plain horrendous in the early going. Speier is still a bit of a mess, but D.O., Darren O'Day and the return of Shields got the pen going again and Franky has been getting the job done, albeit in shaky fashion.