Say “Hey” to the Postseason
Well they’ve done it. The Angels became the first team this year to clinch their spot in the 2008 playoffs. They managed to win the third game of the three game series with the Yanks Wednesday and the Texas Rangers lost to the last place Mariners to guarantee the high-flyin’ Angels their role. Now the job waits for them to get the best AL record. The Tampa Bay Rays are currently leading in this category, but only by a game. If the Angels achieve the best record, this will get them Homefield advantage in the ALDS this postseason, which Angel fans know is vital after last year vs. the Sox. The Angels couldn’t even manage one game over Boston and that was partly because the first two were in the worst stadium possible for a visiting team.
So for now, Angel fans must root for the Red Sox to clinch their division over the Rays. That way the Angels will be able to face Tampa Bay in the ALDS. The following is an article by Jeff Miller of the OC Register:
“Let me root, root, root for the… Red Sox! Red Sox? Dice-K all the way! Go go, Coco! Admit it, Angel fans, the last thing you want to see first in October is Boston. Not here, not there not anywhere. It’s OK, healthy even. One of the first steps in dealing with your fear is admitting you’re afraid. And you are afraid, right, of Papi and his pals? The Sox discarded the Angels last year like empty lobster shells in the 2004 season and again in 2007. The most recent two years in which the Angels advanced in the postseason, they did so by not playing Boston. So this isn’t a new topic, just another version of another sorry sequel waiting to happen, yet again.
But it deserves a revisit today because, with just three weeks remaining in the regular season, this sequel still can go unwritten. At this moment – unless something very dramatic happens – the Angels appear destined to face Boston in the first round. The best record in the AL won’t make a difference. The White Sox – Twins winner won’t be relevant. Even the cataclysmic fate of the Yankees won’t matter. The best way and ultimately, the only way the Angels can avoid the beautiful but deadly changing fall colors of New England is for the Red Sox to pass Tampa Bay and win the AL East. That likely would set up Angels – Rays in the opening round, and doesn’t that sound just a little more encouraging.
Let’s see, Fenway Park or Tropicana Field? The legends of Yaz and and Teddy Ballgame or the franchise that gave a last chance to John Rocker? Red Sox nation or Rays Neighborhood? Not real tough, huh? On the one hand, there’s a team that fills its park. On the other, there’s a team that couldn’t fill a 7 Eleven. New England is a region that devours baseball. Tampa Bay is a region that eats supper at 4:30. Late inning shiners or Early-Bird diners? This is a decision that requires the brain power of a batting doughnut.
We’re aware of how things have gone this season. The Angels are 8-1 in Boston, 3-6 against Tampa Bay. They have won 8 in a row against the Red Sox: it took them six tries to win a road game against the Rays. But baseball in July feels nothing like baseball in October, and that’s not just the cooler temperatures. This is particularly true of the players who mostly know the postseason through rumor and television images. After the likes of Troy Percival Chad Bradford and Cliff Floyd, we’re talking the Tampa Bay Light Rays in terms of playoff experience.
To appply a popular sports theory to this, if the Angels want to win the World Series, they’ll probably have to go through Boston at some point, so why not in the opening round? To this logic, we say cram it full of thumbtacks. We believe that people should work their way up, which is how every mountain is climbed, correct? When attempting to avid elimination, most sane folks would put off for as long as possible facing the one most likely to eliminate them. Besides any pitch could return the soreness to Beckett’s elbow. Any swing could re-injure Ortiz’s wrist. Any play could leave Lowell gripping his thumb again. Let someone else deal with the Red Sox first, wear on them a little. The Angels attempted this twice and the results weren’t fit for younger viewers.
We’re not saying the Angels players should fear Boston. That would be as pointless as switching Ortiz to Diet Coke. Any team playing for Mike Scioscia isn’t going to be afraid of an opponent anyhow. We’re just saying that it’s acceptable, as an Angels follower, to pull for the Red Sox this last month. It’s the intelligent thing to do. And most Angels followers are bright people, especially the ones wise enought to still be reading this column. Well done.
So now, delight in the exploits of Jonathon Papelbon even if riverdancing on his throat seems like a better option. Root for the health of Beckett’s right elbow instead of rooting for him to sprain both his eyelids. Cheer on Youkilis, even though at times he’s been You-Kill-Us. Boston winning the AL East would make quite a dramatic closing to baseball’s regular season. More important, it would make quite a dramatic opening to the Angels postseason. Really, it’s OK, Angels fans. Think of it this way. You’re only doing what’s natural; you’re rooting for red.”
Coverage Will Resume in Postseason
Due to a lack of resources and time, the past few weeks have been uneventful here on this blog. Although everything is now back in working order, I will start again on a fresh page when the postseason arrives for the Angels. Thanks for keeping up!
Halos Have a Late-Season Slump
The Angels recent performances are making it look almost as ominous as the approaching tropical storm. They haven’t clinched the division just yet. Although they have the widest margain of games ahead of the second-place AL West team than any other team, there’s still a lot of games left to play. But lately they’ve been playing as if it’s already a done deal; a sure playoff appearance.
They fell again today in the first game vs Tampa Bay 6-4. Starting pitcher Jon Garland had a subpar outing, allowing five runs in six innings on 10 hits. He gets his eighth loss of the season to come to a decent 11-8 on the year. There were many pitchers for the Rays, starting with Sonnanstine who pitched over 100 pitches in only 5.1 innings. Next was Balfour, who ironically, gave up no walks. Bradford, Miller, Hammel, and Wheeler also helped out, giving up a combined 2 runs on 2 hits to hold down the Angels.
Juan Rivera did get his ninth homerun of the year to the seats out in center. There weren’t many fans out there to catch the ball, though, seeing as only 15,000 attended it in the first place due to the hurricane to-be on its way. So far, the next two games on schedule vs the Rays are still on for their originally designated time, but a reevaluation is set for tomorrow morning.
Mark’s Magic Not Enough
By the way the lead kept changing back and forth, it was like watching a basketball game. The Angels, coming off of a five-game win streak and a recent sweep of the Yanks, had already won the first game of this rare, two-game series with the last place Mariners. Now they were looking for yet another sweep.
They would not get it this time, though, as their closer Francisco Rodriguez gave up his fifth blown save of the season while getting only one out in the inning. He was tossed out of the game as he was on his way to the dugout afterwards.
“I just asked him where the pitch was,” Rodriguez said, as puzzled by his ejection as by Davis’ strike zone.
“Frankie thought he had the first guy struck out,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t get the call. I don’t think it affected anything else. Francisco is as good as there is. He knows how to turn the page. He just didn’t get it done tonight. There will be no lingering effects.”
It was an unexpected falter in the bullpen that lost the game for the Angels, not the exploding offense which still managed to score 7 runs in the loss. Justin Speier gave up a game-ending three run homer in the twelfth from which the Angels could not come back from.
On the up side, Mark Teixiera had a great night as an Angel. He went three for six with two homers in the game, one tying it in the ninth at seven and forcing extra innings. Macier Izturis had a good offensive night as well, going three for five with an RBI. He was later taken from the game because of a thumb jam to an already injured thumb. Aybar will take his place until the injury is healed.
The Angels get the next day off and will play the Cleveland Indians on Friday. Jared Weaver is set to face star pitcher Cliff Lee.
Missing Too Much
As you might have guessed, I have missed quite a few posts lately due to a spur of the moment family vacation to the Sierras. Hopefully I’ll be able to successfully recap the four games I lost and get back up to date in the sports world. Thanks for your patience with this slacking blogger…
ORIOLES
The Angels got yet another series win against an AL team when they pounded the Orioles hard for the win. Starting pitcher Santana went seven innings, making only two noticeable mistakes in homeruns to Montanez and Markakis. It was the offense that helped to carry them as well, as they jumped on the soft throwing Olson to get a 9-1 lead as early on as the fourth. That allowed for Ervin to pitch more comfortably, knowing he had such a huge amount of run support.
“It’s a bit different when we score five or more runs,” said Santana, who won his 13th game of the season. “It takes some pressure off you. I just said to myself to keep pitching like the score is nothing-nothing.”
Vladimir Guerrero and Jeff Mathis also helped significantly with the offense, both hitting a homerun in the game. That makes 20 for Vlad and 9 for Mathis.
YANKEES- GAME ONE
Torii Hunter sure hit up a storm in this one. He had four RBIs with a monster homerun, a double, and two singles. That helped the hitting fest as the Angels offense took off, getting 17 hits off the Yanks at home.
“All the cylinders are clicking,” Hunter said. “It’s a lot of fun. Hopefully, it’ll carry over.”
Jared Weaver got his tenth win of the season, despite giving up five runs. The hits held them on top, though, and Jose Arredondo pitched two scoreless innings to get back below a 1.00 ERA as he was earlier. It is now an outstanding 0.97. Scot Shields closed this one out in the ninth and the Angels shut down the Yanks 10-5.
YANKEES- GAME TWO
It was not a good night for Yankees fans but it was worse for the Yankees relief pitchers Jose Veras, Ramirez, and Robertson. Going into the seventh, the Angels had only scored one run on a homerun by Teixiera, but then they got 11 hits and 10 runs. Anderson, newly added Napoli, and Guerrero also joined in as they belted out homers in the eightrun eighth to outscore the Yankees 11-4. John Lackey pitched a decent game for the Halos, going seven and giving up three on nine hits. He didn’t get the win, however, as Shields came in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning to win it.
YANKEES- GAME THREE
A sweep was just what the Angels needed to give themselves another boost of confidence. After tying the latest series with the Yanks in New York, they responded with a three game sweep at home against them a week later. It wasn’t such a loose game this time, though. When the game was tied in the ninth with one of the best closers in baseball on the mound, it looked like it may have to be an extra inning duel for the Angels in order to win. But Chone Figgins managed to roll a ball to the right side, just deep enough for Howie Kendrick to race home for the walkoff win. This marks the fourth win in a row and another sweep for the Halos. Their current record holds them 14 games above Texas and 20 games above Oakland. They’re still the best team in all of baseball and have the best road record, too. The Angels are hoping to keep this offensive and defensive roll going to the postseason of 2008.
Frankie Makes For Monkey Magic
It seemed as if the Rally Monkey could have the night off as the Angels went into the ninth with a four run lead. But when reliever Shields let the tying run come up to the plate, it was suddenly a save-situation. Francisco Rodriguez took the mound, and did something he doesn’t normally do; blow a save. He gave up four runs in inning to tie the game at five runs apiece. Mark Teixiera also made his first error as an Angel when a groundball to first bounced off his shoe and away from the base. This allowed the inning to continue with two outs. Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora then got hits to stretch the game to the bottom of the ninth.
If not for Torii’s leadoff double to center, the game may still be going. He also had a potentially game saving catch in center to rob a homerun. Garret Anderson moved him to third on a sacrifice play to the right side and Howie Kendrick was intentionally walked. Sherrill got the second out when Rivera popped up in the infield and Mathis walked to load the bases. Figgy came up and got a walkoff walk to win it, 6-5.
In the past 34 games, the Angels have made an uncharacteristic 29 errors. In the finale with the Yankees, that was what lost them the game. Defense has always been what the Angels prided themselves on, and that’s not going to change now. Mike Scioscia’s theory that defense, then offense will continue to be put into effect as always.
Joe Saunders would have tied with Cliff Lee for fifteen saves this season, but instead gets no decision because of Rodriguez’s ninth inning antics. He still has the best record on the Angels. Jose Arredondo pitched a shutout eighth tonight and lowered his ERA.
Tomorrow night, the Angels will play the second game of the three game series vs the Orioles and hope to come away with win number 71 of the season.
Unearned Runs Ruin Rally
Defense has always been an Angel strong point and something that they have used numerous times to win ballgames. But today, it was the sudden lapse in that quality that lost them the game. With four errors total, three of them in the disastrous eighth inning, the Angels saw their starting five to nothing lead drain out.
Starting pitcher John Lackey cruised through the first three innings smoothly. But from the fourth on, his command left him and he started giving up hits. Reliever Jose Arredondo came in to pitch after Lackey came out of the game, but gave up a three run homerun and more hits for the Yankees to put them on top 8-5. But not all was in the pitcher’s gloves in this one. Aybar, Matthews, and Figgins all allowed the Yanks extra outs with crucial errors, on which they capitalized.
On the bright side of the Angel loss, Mark Teixiera finally got some magic. He hit a grandslam in the eighth to right field when Willits and Aybar managed to walk to load the bases. That put the Angels back on top 9-8 final time. They didn’t score again in the ninth to put a W in the Yankees win column and an L in their loss.
East Coast Streak Snapped by Yanks
Low scoring games had been a thing of the past for the Angels of late, so it was almost surprising when they were only able to score three runs in the past two games with the Yanks. They were lucky yesterday, in that they only had to score one run to win with Santana’s shutout victory. They weren’t so lucky today when the Yankees returned the favor the Angels had been dealing out lately.
Angel pitching and offense seemed to be taking the day off. Jared Weaver pitched five innings, giving up six earned runs on eight hits (four of which were homeruns). He got the loss and fell to an even 9-9 on the season. His opponent Mussina muzzled the biting Angels to only two runs on only two hits. His record, already above average, rose to an even better 14-7.
Former teammate Jose Molina played a big part in the Angel loss. He hit his first homerun of the season and scored three times for the Yankees.
“It’s always good when you play against your old team and do some damage,” said Molina, dealt at midseason last year to the Yankees. “It feels good to beat your old team, especially after they won the first two games.”
The Angels hope to let this one go by and win the finale with the Yanks tomorrow to finish the roadtrip off on a good note.
Three 3-Run Homers Put Angels On Top
With the best July in franchise history, the Angels have put more than a comfortable amount of games between the second place Rangers and themselves. They have a 12 1/2 game lead in the AL West, the most in all of Major League Baseball by far (the Cubs second with a five game lead.)So it was only fitting that the last day of this heavenly month ended with another Angel victory.
Lately, everything seems to be working for the Halos. Their starting pitchers have been going deep into games and the offense has been providing more than enough run support to keep pitchers’ jobs comfortable. For the first time in thirty years, there were three 3-run homeruns by the Angels in one game. Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera both hit theirs in the space of four batters, making for a six run third inning. Afterwards, Guerrero wanted in on the action as well, hitting his 18th homer and racking up three more runs. He is now tied with Hunter for the lead on the Angels, besides Teixiera of course.
Teixiera got his first hit and RBI as an Angel in the game, too.
“This team is so good,” Teixeira said, grinning. “I hated playing against this team when I was with the Rangers. I’m just having fun being here right now. I know I’ll get in my game.”
Jon Garland performed well enough to advance to 10-6 on the season. He pitched six innings allowing the Yanks only three runs. His opponent Andy Pettite fell to 12-8, still a remarkable record. It seems as though no matter the opposing pitcher, the Angels can find a way to score, and score big. This time, they got 12 runs off the combined performances of Pettitte and Britton. One Angel reliever wasn’t on top of his game though, despite the huge lead. After Oliver pitched two scoreless innings, Daren O’Day came in and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk without getting an out. Luckily Jose Arredondo held New York there, as he got the Angels out of the inning and closed out the game.
The first place Angels are prepared to face Ponson and the Yankees at 4:05PM EST.
Errors Hold Down Sox For Second Straight Sweep
If this isn’t a statement series, I don’t know what is. For the second time this season, the Angels swept Boston, and this one was in Fenway. No team in the history of the Angels franchise has done that since the very beginning; 1962. But then again, no team in the franchise has had a 12 game lead above rivals in the AL West or had such a great record at this point in the season before, either. And to get the sweep in the very place that caused so much grief for the Angels in the postseason; well, I’d say this is very much a statement series.
“Against everybody, right now we’re feeling good,” Torii Hunter said. “Everything is just working out. Like I said earlier this year, when everything clicks, this team can be really special. And right now you see what’s going on.”
The Champions from last year looked almost second rate compared to the Halos. They made crucial errors in pressure moments and couldn’t provide the offense needed to outdo the runs scored because of those errors. At the moment, it looks like the best team in baseball might just have everything needed to ensure a productive postseason; with or without Teixiera who went 0-4 in his first appearance with his new team.
Not just the errors contributed to the Angels large amount of runs, however. Garret Anderson seems to be getting into a nice groove, hitting his 11th homerun of the year for back to back homer games. Just like last year, the second half has rolled along smoothly for him.
Despite having to face arguably Boston’s best starter in Josh Beckett, the Angels didn’t seem phased, using their newlyfound groove to score a three run fourth and a five run sixth against him. They played him like he was just your average pitcher and forced him out of the game moderately early. This gave way to Delcarmen, Lopez, and Masternson who only gave up one combined run on five hits. But by then it was too late, as the Angels outscored the Sox 9-2 in this three game series finale.
Throughout the season, the Angels have only been in third place for one day, second for seven, and first place for the last 112.
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