20 Observations After 20 Games
by Rev Halofan
on Apr 20, 2008 7:54 PM PDT
We have played 12.5% of the season and...
- If neither the Mariners nor A’s sign Barry Bonds by June 1,
this division belongs to the Angels by an easy 12 games. Frank Thomas will not be enough.
- The Angels’ record in missed John Lackey starts: 2-2.
- A week without Howie Kendrick saw us go 5-2, and yet he
remains the most-missed Halo at the moment.
- Don’t worry about Shields and Frankie, the bullpen is going
to be fine – Justin Speier might need the most help of them all and he has nailed it
down of late.
- If Juan Rivera remains the only apparent alternative to the
slumping-yet-healthy Gary Matthews and Garret Anderson, assume Mike Scioscia
will let them hit their way out of it – into productivity or oblivion.
- After 4 starts each, Ervin Santana looks better than Jered
Weaver.
- Joe Saunders is having some great early success, but watch
past the 80-pitch mark as he hits the exhaustion wall.
- Jon Garland is going to get the Jekyll and Hyde award by the
end of the season.
- Mathis and Napoli are the best catching tandem in baseball
and equitable playing time between the two should mean rested superiority late
in the season.
- Torii Hunter is the real deal.
- Vlad is pressing and really should be DH more.
- Casey Kotchman may wind up on the all-star team and should
already have a gold glove.
- In 4 of our 8 losses, we had the go-ahead run at the plate or
on base when the final out was made.
- With his bat and glove, Erick Aybar has made me forget
Orlando Cabrera, but Matthews in the #2 slot and Garland on the mound have
brought OC back into view.
- I gave up on Chone Figgins before last season and he just
surprises me every game. His glove is fine at the hot corner and he is an elite
leadoff man – the transformation from overrated supersub to key cog in the
machine is complete.
- Like Bewitched!, we have two Darrens. Unlike Bewitched!, our
new Darren (O’Day) is better than our old Darren (Oliver).
- Frankie is determined to pitch 50 Saves in his contract year
and we might as well let him.
- Scot Shields should be an above-average to very-good closer next
season.
- Other than Matthews in the 2 spot, how can you complain
about Mike Scioscia?
- Going into play today, we had yet to play a .500 team.
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Post-Game Digestion
by Rev Halofan
on Mar 31, 2008 9:47 PM PDT
While the offense was generally putrid, there were a few good things to take away from the Angels losing their first game of 2008.
Kotchman looked great, pummeling the ball with authority. Weaver gutted out a few jams, were Napoli to have cooperated with a cannon on base stealers, Jered might have squeaked himself a W. Figgins was clutch even though clutch does not exist (Baseball having an automatic transmission, I guess). Darren Oliver was quick and efficient.
Welcome to the Angels Torii Hunter. Welcome to the Major Leagues Darren O'Day.
Okay, as fans we take it one game at a time (I just corrected a typo in that sentence, I had typed “dame” and that would change the meaning of this post quite a bit), so let’s blow off the steam and get them tomorrow.
Bottom Line: Livan Hernandez beat us on March 31, 2008, but remains the Losing Pitcher on October 27, 2002.
Name an Angels fan that would reverse these two.
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