Thursday Halolinks: Angels Are The Kings of L.A., Mike Trout Is Better Than Bryce Harper

Kings of Los Angeles edition of Halolinks:

• Kind of a weird game last night, especially for those of us following along in the game thread. There was a lot of Erick Aybar hate, most of it justified, but it was funny how none of it really went away even after Aybar's 9th inning home run put the Halos ahead: Aybar, Callaspo homer to lead Angels over Dodgers - Yahoo! Sports. ''Both teams had a lot of chances to score, it seemed like, and nobody did anything with guys on base,'' Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson said. ''It's just kind of ironic that we won on a solo homer from a guy who hadn't hit one yet, so it was kind of cool.'' I suppose the "weirdness" could also be attributed to this: Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers - June 13, 2012 - MLB.com. "After a stretch in which the Angels went six straight games while scoring six or more runs, they managed only seven runs total in the series against the Dodgers. But the Angels got their sixth series win in their last seven sets." To go from plating a ton of runs to barely scratching out a couple here and there shows how streaky this team is.
• I think I may have written this before, but C.J. Wilson is becoming one of my favorite Angels. Here's a very good Lyle Spencer article that adds to my man-love: Angels starter C.J. Wilson well-suited for analytic nature of pitching - angels.com. "What it boils down to, always, is somehow balancing yourself and staying in control even when you're not feeling totally in control. That's what happened early when Wilson knew he wasn't right and had to correct things, in the dugout, with pitching coach Mike Butcher. "The first two innings," Wilson said, "I was getting long and loopy. So I went down and talked to Butch and had to make an adjustment. It's hard to adjust when you're out there trying to get guys out. It's like you're fighting a battle on two fronts." And, let's toss in another interesting Wilson post from another unlikely writer, Mark Whicker: Angels haven't seen the 'overrated' Wilson - The Orange County Register. ""I don't care who thinks he's overrated," pitching coach Mike Butcher. "I think all of us are glad he's around."
• Good post, but I wish there had been a few more quotes from the Dodger players: Dodgers side with Trout ahead - The Orange County Register. "Bryce Harper or Mike Trout? The Dodgers are the only major league team qualified to answer that question at the moment, having the unique claim of facing both the Washington Nationals with Harper and the Angels with Trout. "He plays under extreme control," Gwynn said. "Whereas Bryce looks like he's exerting full effort, Trout doesn't."
• One of the HH commenters mentioned this in last night's thread and wrote that he was the author of this tweet...not the bad one that got everyone riled up, but the one quoted below: Williams, followers respond to racist tweet - The Orange County Register. "One person on Twitter said to Williams: "Maybe it's time to be the bigger man, and let this go. Posting his phone number is childish." Williams responded: "sorry bro. The message that was sent to me is uncalled for. And I want people to know who this guy is." Let us know if there are any further developments to this story.
• For you draft followers: Halos agree to terms with 14 more Draft picks - angels.com. "So far, the team has agreed to terms with 25 of its 38 picks in the Draft."
• Here's a fun, click-thru post on each teams' history: Origin of each MLB team - Los Angeles Angels - FOX Sports List. "The expansion Los Angeles Angels joined the AL in 1961, but their roots trace back to a California and Pacific Coast League team based in LA since 1892."
• Hey, did you hear...Matt Cain threw a perfect game last night! Matt Cain Throws The First Perfect Game In Giants History - McCovey Chronicles. "The first perfect game in Giants history. One-hundred-and-twenty-nine-plus seasons and 19,781 games without a perfect game. It had to be Matt Cain. He could have retired to fight crime yesterday, and he still would have been one of the most legendary pitchers in the history of an ancient franchise. Instead, he keeps adding to the damned legend. And it is so, so glorious." Here's a video of a great catch that helped preserve the gem:
  
• Cain's game was one of the all-time best: Matt Cain sets a new standard for perfection - HardballTalk. "Cain struck out 14 in the contest, matching Sandy Koufax’s total on Sept. 9, 1965 for the highest strikeout total in a perfect game. That gave him a game score of 101, which is tied for the second highest in major league history for a pitcher in a nine-inning game. Of course, Koufax, who had the same line, matched him there, as did Nolan Ryan in his 16-strikeout no-hitter in 1991. The top game score in a nine-inning game is 105, from Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout, one-hitter against the Astros in 1998." Here's the list of the top game scores: Matt Cain’s Place in History - FanGraphs Baseball
  
• Someone else pitched a great game last night: Mets 9, Rays 1 - NBC Sports. "Mets manager Terry Collins said the team would appeal the official scorer's ruling on Upton's hit to the commissioner's office, but conceded it probably wouldn't change the result." R.A. Dickey's one-hitter and scoreless streak would probably be the top story in the baseball world, but is being over-shadowed by Cain's perfect-o.
  
• Really interesting, and not your typical player interview: Q&A: J.J. Hardy on Shortstop Defense - FanGraphs Baseball. "On positioning and changing leagues: "With the BATS system and everything else that’s available, I think every shortstop — and every position player — has a pretty good idea of where players hit the ball. There’s a lot of data supporting that. You see it on paper, which is a lot easier than having to study everyone’s swing on video." Someone should get Aybar a copy of those charts.
  
• Okay, which one of you HH guys is the O.C. businessman trying to buy the Padres? Source: Sale of San Diego Padres gaining momentum - FOX Sports. "A group led by former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley is one of the finalists, and the other two bidders also are from southern California, the source said. The source described one as a businessman from Orange County and the other as a private equity investor from Los Angeles, but declined to identify them further."
• Ha-ha: Theo Epstein’s unhappy ending - BostonHerald.com. "Out of respect to players still on the Red Sox, Epstein declined to single out any particular signings as mistakes. But it’s clear he regrets the five-year, $82.5 million deal right-hander John Lackey signed before the 2010 season, as well as the seven-year, $142 million deal bestowed on outfielder Carl Crawford a year later." I'll admit, I was pissed when Crawford spurred the Angels and signed with the Bosox, and I was a little torqued when Lackey left.
  
• Ah man, professional athletes get all of the cool stuff:
  

Autograph of @JustinBieber pulled in the @dbacks locker room today by JJ Putz! He's stoked! Thanks, @PaniniAmerica! twitter.com/bradziegler/st…

— Brad Ziegler (@bradziegler) June 13, 2012