Angels' Pitching Depth Making Mark

by WiHaloFan on May 6, 2009 10:05 PM PDT in Angels News

Okay, I admit it. I was wrong about the Angels' starting pitching. I was one of the fans who thought there was no way Shane Loux, Matt Palmer, et. al., would be able to provide adequate pitching this season and something needed to be done with the Halo's roster. Although, I didn't think signing Pedro Martinez or Paul Byrd was a good option, I did advocate that the Angels' front office should explore trading for a starter using the team's depth at shortstop. While I'm pleasantly surprised by the last two starts tossed by Loux, and the great game Palmer pitched against the Yankees, the return of John Lackey and Ervin Santana can't come soon enough.

Shane Loux, who so far reminds me of last season's #5 starter Jon Garland, had spent 6 seasons in triple-A where he compiled a career ERA of 4.73 and allowing almost one-and-a-half base runners per inning without the skill-set to strikeout hitters (402 K's in 1263 IP). This season, Loux is relying on his two-seam and four-seam fastballs to induce groundballs and reduce extra-base hits. Last night against Oakland, Loux's four-seam fastball had an average of -8.74" horizontal break, while his two-seamer dropped an average of -10.22" resulting in 10 groundouts by the A's hitters. The key to Loux's success last night was his ability to throw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 25 Oakland batters he faced (pitch fx data provided by www.brooksbaseball.net).

Can he keep it up? I doubt it, as he doesn't have the history to backup these two outing. However, he really doesn't need to, at least not as a starter. Once Lackey and Santana return to the Angels' rotation, Loux will probably move to the bullpen as a long reliever or situational righty who can get a groundball out when needed. Last season Loux appeared briefly in the Angels' pen, facing 61 hitters in 16 innings. Of the 61 batters Loux faced, over half hit the ball on the ground, a highly desirable trait for a relief pitcher entering the game with runners on base. This season, Loux is nearly maintaining the groundball ratio he showed last season. In 2009, Loux has induced 51 groundballs in 103 plate appearances.

As of today (5/6/09), the Angels are one game under .500. With the return of Lackey and Santana as soon as next week, and the eventual return of Kelvim Escobar early next month, the Angels will be in a position to take control of the A.L. West.

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You are right

I was shocked by the starts of Palmer and Loux. The way they just manned up and stepped up to help the rotation was great. But I do also worry about one thing once Ervin and Lackey come back. Can they first of all jusp right back to where they left off? And can Loux and Palmer make good, effective transitions to the bullpen because as we know the bullpen needs help too

R.I.P Nick Adenhart 1986-2009 You will be greatly missed

by angelsown3417 on May 6, 2009 11:13 AM PDT reply actions

Depth = Good

I think this is the power of this team. We have all claimed we have depth in the IF (especially SS with Izzy, Aybar and Wood). We have depth in the OF (seriously, if not for the money issue Matthews would start on most squads and he is our 5th OF), and now we have shown that we have not 6, not 7, but 8 starting pitchers we can throw out there and get at least decent (if not great, only foiled by our bullpen) starts. The bonus is that when our ‘real’ starters return (Lackey, Santana, Moseley, Escobar??) we have even greater strength in our pen (Oliver is already back, in fact).

This is a great sign for our club. There are 6 or 7 teams playing much worse ball without having 5, 6, 7 players on the DL to start the season (or soon after).

Optimism reigns high.

by matthiasstephan on May 6, 2009 11:16 AM PDT reply actions

well wouldn't Loux still be the 5th starter once Lackey nd Ervin return?

Lackey-Ervin-Saunders-Weaver-Loux?

This bullpen collapses faster than the Austro-Hungarian Empire

by HaloDutch on May 6, 2009 11:17 AM PDT reply actions

Probably

But it could be temporary. Assuming both Moseley and Escobar make it back as well, either one of them could bump Loux to the bullpen. Of course, Moseley and Escobar both have decent (or better) track records as relievers, so Loux might hold onto that 5th spot. But it makes for a lot more flexibility, and Loux is a lot more attractive as a #5 starter than a #3.

by jjackflash on May 6, 2009 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions

Sho' Nuff

This bullpen collapses faster than the Austro-Hungarian Empire

by HaloDutch on May 6, 2009 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I think Palmer and Loux may have an equal chance at #5 starter.

I am The Iron Man.

by 44FAN on May 6, 2009 12:00 PM PDT reply actions

We should probably learn how to beat teams with winning records first.

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on May 6, 2009 11:14 PM PDT reply actions

Now that we're confessing

Weren’t you also the guy that said Saunders would regress?

Could be wrong. Am very too lazy to go back over the posts. Thought it was one of the new moderators. Just say “no” if I am mistaken. So many people on this site.

Angel Pitching (Adenhart), Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on May 7, 2009 3:08 AM PDT reply actions

I did a quick search...

In this post I wrote:
“I think Joe Saunders is going to do fine. I don’t think he’ll win 17 like last season, but he’ll win more than the 12 projected, and have solid all-around stats.”

In another post I mentioned Saunders is my second-favorite Angel.

To answer your question…“no”.

"I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us."

by WiHaloFan on May 7, 2009 6:06 AM PDT up reply actions