Angels Dust

here we come. At least this way, we most likely clinch at home.

And now back to work.

The Angels waited long enough to clinch the division when I could watch the game live. Thanks!!! I only wish MLB.TV would not end the transmission so quickly.

Now that the division is finally in the pocket as we say here, the only thing left to do is clinch the best record and home field advantage throughout the play-offs. However, I do wonder how much this is actually worth when compared to giving some regulars additional rest.

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Looking at this table, it could to be a huge factor. The Angels win two thirds of their games at home, but are barely above .500 away from Angels stadium. Nearly the same can be said for the Yankees, so whoever plays at home has to be considered the favorite when these two teams meet. The Indians also play a lot better at Jacobs Field, while the Red Sox are a little more balanced, which is a bit odd since Fenway Park is one of the most distinctive ballparks, so you would think the home team can take advantage of by adjusting their play.

Anyway, home field advantage is for real, but so are tired arms and legs. Actually, I have no idea what I would do. Go with a six man rotation and mix in a bench player or two, but not field a reserve & call-up only lineup. At least, the Angels should look out to keep a better record than the Yankees.

I promise I won’t become one of “those guys” who post every funny video they find somewhere (at least on this blog), but since I don’t have enough time to write what I actually want to write about (suggesting that Lackey and Escobar should skip a turn in the rotation to stay fresh now that their Cy Young hopes are essentially over), I post this clip here I found at collegehumor.com.

The days that Roger Maris former home run record is broken with regularity may be over, but today’s game is still full of imposing sluggers that strike fear into opposing pitchers’ hearts. But among those stalwarts of slugging, who is the strongest of them all, the primus inter potens? There are several possible approaches to answer this question, and I would like to take a few traditional ones before I present my own solution… (Read more)

MLB has decided that the team with the best record in the AL can choose whether it wants an additional off day between Game 4 and 5 (Article). Since there is already an off day between Game 1 and 2, this would extend the series to eight days and allow both teams to use their #1 and #2 starters on full rest in Game 4 and 5.
Lets say the Angels overtake the Red Sox for the best record in the AL, then they would most likely play the Yankees in the ALDS. In this case, taking the off day would probably be a bad idea because it would allow New York to go with three starters (Wang, Pettite and Clemens) instead of giving a start to either Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Mike Mussina or bringing Pettite or Wang on three days rest. I would take Saunders in such a games any time, especially since the Yankees have so many left handed hitters. Also, the Yankees’ pen is probably thinner than the Angels’, so the less rest, the better for the Halos.
On the other hand, if we play Boston (because the Indians have a better record than the Angels), it would benefit us if they would choose to take the off day. They don’t have a clear #2 after Beckett with Dice-K falling apart lately and Schilling so inconsistent this season, so the Angels have a clear advantage if they can start Escobar twice on full rest.

As a Sinologist (no, really, I am), I obviously had to link to this:

With the division title all but secured given a nine game lead and Seattle’s recent break-down, it is not too early early to look a bit further to October. The Red Sox and the Angels are virtual locks to make the postseason. Right now, the Indians are five ahead of the Tigers, who trail the Yankees by three in the Wild Card Race. Even if the Mariners somehow come back to take the Wild Card, our first round opponent will be one of the four teams above.
Right now, we would play the Yankees in the first round and looking at the contenders’ schedules, this is also the most likely scenario, because the Yankees’ (Royals 2, Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 3, Orioles 6, Devil Rays 3) and Indians’ (Angels 2, White Sox 3, Royals 6, Tigers 3, Athletics 3, Mariners 4) schedules don’t look much harder than the Tigers’ (Mariners 2, Blue Jays 1, Rangers 3, Twins 6, Indians 3, Royals 3, White Sox 3), if at all. Right now, the most likely scenario that would not lead to an Angels-Yankees clash is the Indians overtaking the Angels so that we have to play Boston (I’d rather not, so lets put them away this weekend).
Looking at the Yankees deep lineup, they are certainly not the team you want to pitch against in the play-offs (but there are hardly any teams left that you really want to face) and even though the Angels have fared pretty well against them in recent years, only Lackey was really good vs. the Yankees this year. And although I know it’s just a small sample, but I’d rather not see Bart or Ervin on the mound against them, that’s for sure.
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On the other hand, the hitting has been pretty good against the Yankees, only Vlad did not hit that well against them. However, a 1-2 punch of Pettite and Wang looks pretty good from a distance, so it will probably get a bit more difficult in October.
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Bring ‘em on!

Let’s play a little game. Assign these pitching lines to the appropiate pitchers:

Starters: Lackey, Santana, Saunders, Weaver

4.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Had I not followed the series at Fenway park, my answer would probably have been Saunders, Weaver, Santana, Lackey, but we all know that’s not quite right (for those who didn’t watch, it’s Lackey, Santana, Weaver, Saunders).
It all started with the doubleheader on Friday, when Scioscia and Francona denied the fans a matchup of the current AL win leaders, which instandly jinxed the series for both teams.
Lackey got pounded immediately, giving up 6 runs in the first inning and needing 97 pitches to get through four innings. After that slugfest to begin the game, Chris Bootcheck shut out the Red Sox for three innings (2 H, 0 BB). Go figure. In the second game, Beckett pitched well (7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER), but didn’t earn the win as Eric Gagne came through for Los Angeles once again, blowing the save and taking the loss with three runs given up in the ninth. However, that this was even possible is a small wonder itself as Ervin Santana, freshly recalled from Triple-A, where he didn’t to anything to suggest he could survive the Red Sox lineup in Fenway park too long (5.01 ERA, 1.52 WHIP), pitched 6.1 pretty good innings to keep the Angels in front until Scot Shield and K-Rod gave up four in the eight.
Then on saturday came Jered Weaver, who shut out the Red Sox through four innings before giving up a an infield hit to Eric Hinske, when Weaver had to get out of the way of Hinske’s broken bat and therefore failed to cover first. He than gave a perfect imitation of his older brother, imploding to the tune of a double, a hit by pitch (on a 0-2 count), two singles and a grand slam, turning a 5-0 lead into a 5-6 deficit and exiting after another single to JD Drew.
Capping a crazy series was Saunders on Sunday, mowing down Sox with a season high seven Ks.

I guess this was a reminder that in any given game, anything can happen. Now it’s on to New York, where the match-ups are Moseley-Hughes, Escobar-Mussina and Pettite-Lackey. I like our chances there and I’d say the odds favor the Yankees in the first game slightly and the Angels in the second clearly, with the third being wide open. Which means that in the end, Mosely will end up with a W, Escobar with an L and the third game is decided in the pen. Or not. We’ll see.

Unfortunately, Mike Scioscia and Terry Francona have decided to deny the fans the joy of watching the two current Cy Young frontrunners in the AL face off against others, instead feeding them recently demoted Ervin Santana and a TBD. On the one hand that leaves the possibility that both Beckett (15-5) and Lackey (15-6) earn another win and bolster their resumé. On the other hand, we still won’t know who is better. Since the answer to that question will not be given on the diamond this Friday, lets check a few stats and facts to find out who gets my MVP (most virtuous pitcher), a special award that captures current and past performance on and off the field.

To read more, click here

After losing series to Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Oakland and Seattle, the Angels finally recorded their third series win since the All-Star break. Although he did not record a quality start, Joe Saunders pitched solidly enough, keeping the Angels in the game. Eight hits and four runs aren’t Cy-Young material, but you can’t expect a guy like Saunders to dominate a team like the Red Sox. However, if you have to give up a home run to a Boston hitter, catcher Doug Mirabelli isn’t the one you want to hit it. Ah well, it didn’t matter in the end. However, if Saunders deserves some praise, then Chris Bootcheck certainly does so, too. Pitching two and two thirds of an inning, Bootcheck gave up just one hit and allowed the Angels to pull away. Bootcheck is no Shields or Speier, but he is a huge improvement over Kevin Gregg (who, btw, is defying reality by pitching pretty well out of the Marlins’ pen). When Gregg came into a game with a lead, you were biting your nails as walks and wild pitches allowed the other team to crawl back into it. I’m so glad that these times are over.
The only drawback of this victory is that it allowed the Yankees to gain a game on the Red Sox and while the Rev is right to point out that Boston is an “Evil Empire Pretending to be Underdogs“, I still prefer them over the Yankees a million times.

And one for the road: Kevin Gregg’s pitching stats for the year

W L  ERA  G SV SVO   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO
0 4 3.19 54 23  25 62.0	47 23 22  5 29 59

Who is this guys and what has he done to the with Keving Gregg???