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Mariners-Angels Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
As Jered Weaver tries to snap the longest losing streak of his career, the Los Angeles Angels ace will be happy to face an opponent he's beaten more often than any other. Some run support would also help Weaver, who's looking to avoid a fifth c Some run support would also help Weaver, who's looking to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat as the Angels open a three-game set against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday night. Los Angeles' anemic offense has contributed to Weaver (11-11, 3.14 ERA) going without a victory since Aug. 6, scoring two runs over 34 innings for the right-hander in his last five starts - with Weaver going 0-4 with a 4.85 ERA in that stretch. Mariners starter David Pauley (2-7, 4.42) can relate to Weaver's recent woes. The right-hander hasn't gotten any run support while losing his last three starts, although he has a 6.11 ERA in that stretch. He allowed four runs in six innings of a 5-3 loss to the Angels on Aug. 30.
The Angels offense has scored 2 runs in Weaver's last 5 starts. Just let that sink in a second....
Torii Hunter remains realistic about Angels' postseason chances - latimes.com
Some Angel tid-bits from the Times:
Can someone please let Scioscia know the current situation, it appears he's not up to speed as to what's going on...
Manager Mike Scioscia remains optimistic about the Angels making some kind of playoff push, saying before Wednesday's 16-inning win over the Cleveland Indians that "we have the opportunity here where if we start playing well, we can really make this interesting.
On Scott Kazmir...
"Though Kazmir is in the second year of a three-year, $28.5-million contract that guarantees him $12 million next season, Scioscia made it clear the left-hander is not guaranteed a rotation spot for 2011. "He's a guy we definitely want to see turn the corner and start to pitch the consistent baseball he's capable of pitching," Scioscia said. "But just like anyone else; when that becomes an issue and you're not heading in the right direction, you're obviously going to look for different options."
Pineiro's coming back just in time for that playoff push...
Joel Pineiro, sidelined since July 28 because of a left rib-cage strain, is expected to be activated Friday after throwing a four-inning, 60-pitch simulated game on Tuesday. Pineiro will make one or two appearances out of the bullpen before returning to the rotation next weekend.
Angels to consider releasing Scott Kazmir? - Truth & Rumors - SI.com
If the Angels release Kazmir before 2011 they would have to swallow $14.5 million, because the 26-year-old has a $13.5-million club option for 2012 that can be bought out for $2.5 million.
How stupid is this? Why would they release him when they still have other options for him such as using him in the pen. Why flush that cash when Kaz is still somewhat useful.
Matsui's days with Halos may be numbered - angelsbaseball.com
Strong finish or not, it could be a case of too little too late -- certainly in terms of helping the Angels win, and quite possibly in terms of his return next season. The Angels entered Thursday 9 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, and Matsui, 36, is to be a free agent this offseason after he signed a one-year, $6 million deal in December. "As of right now, I'm not really thinking about anything beyond this season," Matsui said. "It would be nice, in general, if you were asked to stay with the team you're with."
Re-sign Matsui?
Hello, Bourjos: Angels rookie plays it fast on both sides of ball - Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports
Like any potentially great center fielder, Bourjos tries to play shallow as much as possible. "That way, I feel I'm able to go back, using my speed," Bourjos said. "And on bloopers, I'm able to cut them off, if I'm a little shallow. That way, I'm also closer to throw guys out. Maybe if I'm closer and I charge hard, they won't run. Maybe [laughs]." Baserunners have tested Bourjos so far, and he's come up big with eight assists in 253 defensive innings. Cleveland's Shin-Shoo Choo — who's been in the lineup most of the season — leads major league outfielders with 12 assists. Further, Bourjos made one error in 98 total chances and has showed impressive range. Around the league, the likes of Rays left fielder Carl Crawford(notes) (who's reportedly on the Angels free-agent watchlist) have already taken notice of Bourjos. Via MLB.com: "He can really move," Crawford said [after a game in August]. "He made some great plays out there. I'd like to see him race [Brett] Gardner, [Jacoby] Ellsbury. I figure [Bourjos] can steal 50 bases. He looks like he can run about as good as any of those guys."
Cool write-up about the Angels center fielder.
Inside Dodgertown - dodgers.com: Multimedia
Inside Dodgertown: Watch GM Ned Colletti make the call to John Lindsey
John Lindsey couldn't have come any closer to his first at-bat - Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports
John Lindsey(notes) was ready. He had slipped on his batting gloves, adjusted his batting helmet, taken a few practice cuts and even accepted some well-wishes from an unseen person behind home plate. After 16 years spent as a career minor leaguer, the 33-year-old first baseman was finally getting his first at-bat as a big league ballplayer with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one swing away from becoming the oldest non-Asian player since 2002 to make his major league debut.
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Dodgers show some class, especially when they fly the guy's family to see him make his debut.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and their owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt, were a bad match from the beginning. The damage to the once-proud franchise has been serious. - ESPN
The collapse is an extraordinary example of greed and unaccountability gone wild in a decade already full of them. Piece by litigated piece, the most important West Coast franchise in the game is being tarnished, and the skeptics who doubted the McCourts in the first place are swallowing the bittersweet aftertaste of being right.
Oh yeah, but there's still that.
The Angels’ Offense Is Sick - FanGraphs Baseball
Arbitrary endpoints aside, anytime three of your regulars rank third, second, and dead last in on-base percentage it is a bad development. Juan Rivera is just one of the trio diagnosed with the newly developed mysophobia (associated with all those base-inhibiting germs), but that fear is causing those with microphobia to go bananas over his on-base percentage.
The worst and second-worst mentioned in the above post are Mathis and Aybar, but mainly this post is a rant on how crappy Rivera has been this season.
East Coast bias and Web Gems - Sam Miller - The Orange County Register
What shouldn’t be the result of the late starts, though, is where the West Coast’s Web Gems rank. If ESPN hasn’t seen Torii Hunter steal a home run because it hasn’t happened yet, that’s understandable. But if it has seen him steal a home run, and ranks the theft at No. 5, that’s a choice. If it ranks all the West Coast teams’ thefts at No. 5, and all the East Coast teams’ weak highlights No. 1, well then that’s bias, inn’t it?
Overthinking It: Friar Men - Baseball Prospectus
However, in San Diego’s case, we’re not talking about one or two relievers having standout years; more or less every pitcher who’s seen significant work out of San Diego’s pen this season has been extremely effective.
This must be something Bud Black learned from his days in Anaheim...and something forgotten by his former employer.
Huff, Posey lead Giants' homer barrage vs Pads - Yahoo! Sports
With four mighty swings, the San Francisco Giants tamed Petco Park and trimmed the San Diego Padres’ lead in the NL West to one game.
Uh-oh. Things are getting shaky in San Diego.
For next trip, Rays going with wild pants - St. Petersburg Times
For their next road trip to New York, the Rays will wear John Daly style wild golf pants, and also make it a tribute to former Sox manager Pants Rowland, whose 1917 team was the only to make it to the World Series after being no-hit twice.
This is kind of funny, but also kind of dumb. I guess if it keeps the team loose, it can't be bad.
Pick a year, click refresh, and TRAVEL THROUGH TIME - YTTM.tv
YTTM lets you voyage to whatever year you pick, via the magic of internet video. Each video is hand selected for purity and awesomeness. Step back into whatever era you fancy, the YTTM.tv way!
This link is from Rob Neyer's Friday Filbert post. It's not baseball related, but still fun to mess around with.
September 10 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 10.
1919 - The Indians' Ray Caldwell, struck by lightning 2 weeks earlier, no-hits his former teammates the Yankees 3 - 0 at the Polo Grounds. This is the kind of guy Rob Dibble must idolize.
1940 - Former ML infielder Sam Crane, serving time for the 1930 murder of his former sweetheart and her boyfriend, starts parole proceedings. Same with this one. (Here's more to this story)
1962 - Against Hank Aguirre, Mickey Mantle clouts a 4th-inning home run, the 400th of his career, to tie the game 1 - 1. The Yanks score two in the 9th off Aguirre to beat Detroit 3 - 1. The victory, combined with a Minnesota loss, gives the Yanks a 3 1/2 game lead over the Twins. The surprising Angels are in 3rd place, four games back.
1962 - The Angels' Dean Chance loses his no-hit bid when Zoilo Versalles singles in the 8th inning for the only Twins hit. Chance wins, 5 - 0. This is the answer to tonight's trivia question...and Gubi will finally get it right.
1969 - Using a major-league record 27 players in one game, the Royals lose 11 - 4 at California. Andy Messersmith faces 20 different batters in the complete game win, while KC uses six pitchers.
1976 - Nolan Ryan hurls a 3-hit 3 - 2 victory for California, fanning 18 White Sox batsmen.
1985 - To bolster their pitching staff for the pennant race, the Angels acquire veteran Don Sutton from the A's for two players to be named later. Without going to Baseball-Reference, can you name the two players sent to Oakland for Sutton?
1990 - In the first head-to-head matchup of pitchers named Abbott, Jim Abbott's Angels beat Paul Abbott's Twins 3 - 1. Minnesota's Carmen Castillo pinch hits late in the game to complete the successful "Abbott and Castillo" revival.
2002 - A game after their 10-game win streak ends, the Angels inch closer to the first place A's with a 6 - 5 win at Anaheim. The A's blow a 4 - 0 lead but the Angels tie in the 4th and go ahead on Shawn Wooten's 2-run double in the 6th. The Angels lead the M's by six games in the wild card race. A ten-game win streak? Hmmm.
Happy b-day:
1924 - Ted Kluszewski, infielder; All-Star (d. 1988)