Spring Forward: Angels Post Baseball's Best Pre-Season Record

by Rev Halofan on Apr 4, 2009 9:05 PM PDT in Angels Postgame

Final Score in Anaheim: San Diego Padres 4, L.A. Angels 5

The Angels finished Spring training like they finished the 2008 season: with the best record of any team but little else to show for it. Their final Spring record: 26-8-1

PITCHING: With a beat-up pitching staff, minor leaguer Sean O'Sullivan started the contest, pitching 3+ innings with 7 hits, but only allowing 1 ER. He was followed by 20-year old Eddie McKiernan. Of the expected regular season bullpen help, Darren Oliver, Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo each pitched a scoreless inning. Kevin Jepsen allowed a run in his lone frame and, leading 3-2 in the 9th, closer Brian Fuentes' debut in front of the home crowd was forgettable as he gascanned up two runs in a pathetic display of mid-80s fastballs. He finally got two Padres to strike out in a somewhat professional manner, but it was a night to pause and remember the easy saves that Francisco Rodriguez routinely delivered.

BATTING: Robb Quinlan hit a foulpole HR (off a righty pitcher to boot!) and Kendry Morales had a ringing RBI double. Vladimir Guerrero, in his 12th Spring training game, drove in Howie Kendrick with an infield single that showed his Spring legs are fresh after that offseason knee surgery (props to Kobe's Colorado doctor).

LATE INNING ANTICS: After Fuentes choked up a save, Reggie Willits led off the bottom of the 9th with a basehit, Sean Rodriguez walked and Maicer Izturis hit a slow dribbler down the First base line. This allowed Willits to run home for a close play at the plate. Backup catcher Bobby Wilson then hit a simple single to score S-Rod and the Angels earned their Sunday day off before Monday night's season opener.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Robb Quinlan

33 votes

Bobby Wilson

22 votes

Reggie Willits

45 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Reggie started the rally on a clutch single.

Then did some more of his patented “score from second on an infield ground ball” routine.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Apr 4, 2009 9:06 PM PDT reply actions

Also, 26 wins ties us with the '97 Marlins with the best recorded spring training win total.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Apr 4, 2009 9:07 PM PDT reply actions

Nice stat

Thanks

Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on Apr 5, 2009 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions

Reggie for Panther!

Mathis rocks a Hunter jersey in the off season.

"i got 5ive on it"

by Funke5ive on Apr 4, 2009 9:14 PM PDT reply actions

I voted for Wilson. Probably his only chance 'till September for a Panther.

by sothball on Apr 4, 2009 9:17 PM PDT reply actions

BTW, I hope fENOMINAL doesn't see the photo above of O'Sullivan...

…might bring back some bad memories.

by sothball on Apr 4, 2009 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Did Fuentes really throw in the mid-80's?

That is the headline here.

What happened to his velocity? This could be a huge problem. A $30 million problem.

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Apr 4, 2009 9:34 PM PDT reply actions

He K'd the last 2 batters rather efficiently, but I didn't see his speed for those 2.

He really just dug a hole for himself…2 errors (a throw to 1B and a pick-off attempt at 2B). Without the errors, he would have allowed only 1 run (1st batter HR).
Chalk it up to nervousness…first appearance at the Big A.

by sothball on Apr 4, 2009 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh

Frankie

"i got 5ive on it"

by Funke5ive on Apr 4, 2009 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Wasn't quite mid-80s.

Gameday pegged his average for the night at 88.2.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Apr 4, 2009 9:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Results are up!

== Resident Point Tallier ==

by scottnak on Apr 4, 2009 10:05 PM PDT reply actions

great way to finish off the spring

nice job halos!

"Baseball was, is, and always will be to me the best game in the world." - Babe Ruth

by AnaheimHalos61 on Apr 4, 2009 10:37 PM PDT reply actions

The Big Q for Panther

1. Ha, I knew Q wouldn’t get Panther from you guys
2. Fuentes got his first win with the Angels! ;)

Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on Apr 5, 2009 12:12 AM PDT reply actions

And the big "LOSE"???

Angels Stadium, for continuing to play the “loser” song during the 7th inning stretch. Even showed it on the broadcast.

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on Apr 5, 2009 9:30 AM PDT reply actions

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME?????

@ Angels: PLEASE, PLEASE STOP THIS MADNESS!!!

Blogging is FUN!

by Downing Rules on Apr 5, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions

Frankie

closer Brian Fuentes’ debut in front of the home crowd was forgettable as he gascanned up two runs in a pathetic display of mid-80s fastballs. He finally got two Padres to strike out in a somewhat professional manner, but it was a night to pause and remember the easy saves that Francisco Rodriguez routinely delivered.

Don’t mean to be argumentative, Rev, but my recollection of 2008 was that there were quite a few nights when the words “routine” and “Frankie” weren’t used in the same sentence. He had many 1-2-3-4-5 9th inning saves, which was remarkable when one considered he almost always entered the game with the bases empty.

I am looking forward to Fuentes getting his bearings over the next couple of weeks, but I don’t have the misty, watercolored memories of Frankie being automatic from the bullpen last season. I think the Mets fans will be reaching for the Tums before the All Star break.

by George Kaplan on Apr 5, 2009 10:35 AM PDT reply actions