Memorial Day to Forget: Angels, Ervin Santana Destroyed by White Sox

by cupie on May 25, 2009 9:13 PM PDT in Angels Postgame

(Rev Halofan reporting) - This was supposed to be the game that Vladimir Guerrero made his triumphant return to the club. Before the game I saw Kelvim Escobar in Centerfield jogging with Jose Arredondo and saw Reggie Willits take a few bunt swings in batting practice before hopping on a plane to Salt Lake City to make room for Vladdy in Anaheim.

The Memorial Day festivities were respectful to those who have served our country and a serviceman in his dress uniform threw out the first pitch to Mike Scioscia. After a weekend series against the Dodgers that saw us take 2 of 3, the news was only better ... Texas had lost to the Yankees in Arlington by a score of 11 - 1.

The first pitch of the game was a strike looking by Ervin Santana to Scott Podsednik. The future looked bright ahead. Lackey is back. Ervin is back and now Vlad was in the lineup. While the bullpen is in trouble, we have identified most of what ails it. While the bats would be better with Wood in the lineup, the defense and run production is as good as when the Angels won most of their division titles.

Ah yes we had the season in the bag and the walk-up sales tonight appeared to be near 12,000.

But then Podsednik got a hit. Then Alexei Ramirez got a hit. Then Jermaine Dye got a hit. Then Jim Thome got a hit. Paul Konerko flew out - hey 1/3 of an inning pitched Ervin, good going. Then Carlos Quentin got a double (to Centerfield). All was not lost, though, as Angel-killer Quentin hurt himself and was removed form the game. The damage was stopped as Ervin got a great defensive play by Erick Aybar to stop the bleeding and struck out Josh Fields to end the inning. 3 runs, 23 pitches.

In the bottom of the 1st the Angels came right back and scored three runs. Woo-HOO!

Wow, we ARE good, it IS true, this is OUR year.

In the top if the 2nd the White Sox bats burst that balloon. I left the game in the 7th with Justin Speier roasting his own ERA on a Memorial Day barbecue with no smoke, all fire and nothing left to show for it but question marks about our supposedly healthy #2 starter and a burned out bullpen of four shaken relievers holding their confident-free heads in their ability free-arms as their ERAs hovered near their IQs.

Poll

Blame of the game... and there is plenty to go around.

Ervin Santana

269 votes

Rafael Rodriguez

19 votes

Justin Speier

13 votes

301 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I'd turn the page on this one.......

but it will probably give me a papercut which would get infected and cause me to have to get my finger amputated.

Godspeed Nick - RIP - 1986-2009

by norcaliangelsfan on May 25, 2009 9:15 PM PDT reply actions

Sox is singular isnt it?

Nice, literal title for this game.

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on May 25, 2009 9:17 PM PDT reply actions

and by singular i really mean...it doesnt have an "S" at the end, right?

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on May 25, 2009 9:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Fortunately, I missed the game; though it's easy to see that it totally...

S U C K E D!

by Big Easy Halofan on May 25, 2009 9:19 PM PDT reply actions

AJ Lose

I am the Iron Man

by 44FAN on May 25, 2009 9:21 PM PDT reply actions

I think I just threw up

RIP #34

by linkbruin on May 26, 2009 3:22 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm just curious

If you’re down 7-3 in the second inning after your starter has just imploded…and you’ve still got a fighting chance to come back sometime over the course of the next seven innings…all you need to do is stop the bleeding long enough for the offense to maybe make a showing…

Why the H-LL would you put in a COMPLETE ROOKIE not at ALL used to facing major league hitters in high pressure situations?

Good grief.

RIP Nick Adenhart.

"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5

by Clutch on May 25, 2009 9:43 PM PDT reply actions

4-run deficit is pretty much time to bring in someone like that.

If you are down 1-2 or up 1-2, then you are right.

Make some noise already people. Come on!

by Downing Rules on May 25, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions

If it was the seventh inning or later, or if it were 7-0, then yeah, perhaps

But when you’ve got seven whole innings in which to score four runs—which really shouldn’t be beyond the capacity of this club—then I don’t see how you justify that silly decision.

I didn’t watch the game, and I wasn’t in the dugout, so I don’t know if there was a different reason behind this, but it seems to be a pretty dumb move by the Soth.

RIP Nick Adenhart.

"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5

by Clutch on May 25, 2009 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Which is to say

Suppose you’d put in Speier and Bulger (or, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb***, anyone?, until recently) and they’d performed then exactly as they did when they were put in later in the game—not likely, but a good possibility. At that point, the Halos are down 10-3, which is certainly not pretty—but gives a MUCH better chance of coming back than does a score of 17-3.

I can see putting in Rafael Rodriguez if the game was already done, 17-3, in the eighth inning. But the SECOND INNING, when the game is still relatively WITHIN REACH?? Yeah, no.

RIP Nick Adenhart.

"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5

by Clutch on May 25, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Bullpen Help?

Think anyone is going to get sent back down to get some help for the bullpen? Possibly a 1 day stint in the bigs for Rodriguez?

RIP Nick Adenhart
2009 Is for You

by SMUangelFan on May 25, 2009 9:49 PM PDT reply actions

Down But It Won't Last Long?

I’m down but it won’t last long
I’m down but it won’t last long

Don’t let me down
Don’t let me down
Don’t let me down like this

It’s not the same
Over and over
Over and over again
Yeah, this is not my day

I’m down but it won’t last long
I’m down but it won’t last long

Half my brain has gone away
Half my brain has gone
So far away

Don’t let me down again

RIP Nick Adenhart.

"When the Babe tries to call his shot, I hope Nick puts one in his ear."
--RallyMonkey5

by Clutch on May 25, 2009 9:54 PM PDT reply actions

was gone the whole day

what Did i miss?

RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09

by vlad IS my man on May 25, 2009 10:04 PM PDT reply actions

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

check back tomorrow. :)

Miss you Nick...! RIP

by K3YEROUT on May 25, 2009 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions

You missed the “Pythagorean Win Total Nightmare”

Make some noise already people. Come on!

by Downing Rules on May 26, 2009 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions

This game sucked

but what I was asking myself was why Quinlan was batting ahead of Morales. Also, this whole Mathis Santana thing is getting old and Napoli just needs to play every game. I mean with Q Mathis and Aybar in there against a good pitcher not much should have been expected. Sit Q and Mathis and I can live with Aybar but Kendrick and Napoli make that line up stacked.

"If I was still pitching, I would stick one right in his ear..." Goose Gossage

by angelskid2210 on May 25, 2009 10:38 PM PDT reply actions

When we were down 16-3...

I realize I voted for under 4 runs by the Angels.

I didn’t expect it this way, but at least they didn’t ruin my three points.

I've got nothing.

by bc56274 on May 25, 2009 11:20 PM PDT reply actions

Bad Voodoo

Here is Ervin’s pitch data for tonight. For comparison, here is the data from his CGSO in Kansas City last May. You’ll notice a few things.

1. His velocity is way down. At no point tonight did he throw a fastball or slider any faster than his average for those pitches last year.
2. His fastball is flatter and running inside on righties. Some of them are so bad the pitch tracker thinks they’re two-seamers.
3. His sliders aren’t sliding. They’re breaking two inches less on average.

To make sure this wasn’t an accident, I checked out the data for his other two starts this season. Exact same story. This isn’t the same voodoo we saw last season.

The burning question is now, is he hurt, or is he just out of shape? He didn’t get a spring training, so he might just be regaining strength after a long time on the shelf. It happens, especially to young pitchers. But he does have a tear in his elbow. The only permanent fix for that is Tommy John surgery…with a 12-18 month recovery period.

That would be some bad voodoo.

by Suboptimal on May 25, 2009 11:35 PM PDT reply actions

Are you SURE that the tear is permanent?

That was not my understanding, but I am no “expert” on anything even close to physiology.

Assuming the best, he is still in Spring Training and, hey, Shane Loux is hurt anyway, why not let him get his work in at the major league level. It is not like Anthony Ortega would have gotten away with much better against those hungry White Sox bats.

by Rev Halofan on May 25, 2009 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions

To quote the recent Star Trek

I’m a physicist, not a doctor. Maybe it was the other way around in the movie, but whatever. My understanding was that Ervin has a damaged ulnar collateral ligament. Ligaments do not actually heal. The rehab process was intended to strengthen the surrounding muscles and take the load off of the UCL, hopefully avoiding surgery. I guess this works sometimes.

It’s the same thing that the Twins tried with Liriano in 2006, but it didn’t work out and he had Tommy John anyways. He was out all of 2007, made it back for the end of 2008, and now he sucks. Oh God.

Ervin can take that contract extension to the bank.

by Suboptimal on May 26, 2009 12:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Agree

My understanding, as well, is that ligaments don’t heal. Once there’s a tear, the tear is permanent. It can tear more, but only surgery can put it back together (or more often, the ligament is fully replaced, as was the case with the ACL in my knee).

At this point, I’m hoping Ervin is just out of shape. More likely, he needs the TJ surgery. If that’s the case, the sooner it’s done, the sooner he’s back. If he were to have it now, he might be back sometime in 2010.

by jjackflash on May 26, 2009 12:24 AM PDT up reply actions

He was fine against KC. I call this one a blip on the radar (I hope).

Make some noise already people. Come on!

by Downing Rules on May 26, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I am a bit worried about Ervin too and what the future holds

Hopefully I have nothing to be worried about though

RIP Nick Adenhart

by stolenbases on May 26, 2009 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Thank you...

for quantifying what I was saying in the game thread last night. I have not seen that web tool. What a wonderful tool.

The intangible that I will add is that the w/sux were very comfortable in the batter’s box last night. They appeared eager or hungry to face Ervin. That is very unusual. Those were some huge swings they were taking. Ervin needed to dust one or two of them off. Podsednik running up to swing at his pitches? I doubt he does that if Ervin is throwing 97…

Ligament tears are permanent. Just a matter of strength in the remaining ligament. Probably only a matter of time unless the tear was minute.

Is this organization strong enough to weather the loss of Nick, Ervin, and Moseley in the same year? Will Lackey get his stuff together? Whither is Scot Shields? I was wondering how the predictions that the Angels would only win 80 something games were going to come about…now I see how that could happen.

Is Ervin still in Spring Training mode…probably. I will certainly give him the benefit of the doubt.

Miss you Nick...! RIP

by K3YEROUT on May 26, 2009 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions