Tuesday Halolinks: Will The Dog Days Of Summer See The Angels Play Like Mutts?

And the Rev exclaimed, "Let them have Halolinks!":

• I unexpectedly got home early from work last night and was able to see the last couple innings of the game. Joke was on me, the game was already over: Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels - August 13, 2012 - MLB.com. "Lately, the Angels have looked a lot like the team that struggled through the early portion of the season, starting off 6-14 before going on a surge that this current skid is rendering rather meaningless. When they hit, they don't pitch. When they pitch, they don't hit. And when they get behind, they can't come all the way back." I think that's what was so fun about June, in those games the Angels were able to get at least two of the three components (Yeah, I know, there's more than three) of great starting pitching, shutdown relief pitching, or explosive hitting in each game. Now we're lucky to see one.
  
• Slump drops Angels to fifth place in AL wild-card race - Yahoo! Sports. "Pitching has been the primary culprit recently. However, the offense was shut out into the eighth inning Monday and has scored just seven runs in the current three-game losing streak after averaging seven runs over the previous 11 games." The Angels scored 138 runs in both June and July. The June total was fourth-best, while July's run total was the best (tied) in baseball. But looking at the club's runs allowed tallies for those two month, you could see that the wheels were starting to come off. The Halos allowed 106 runs in June (9th best overall), but then July saw the pitching staff give up 119 runs, dropping the club all the way down to 20th in runs allowed. Now that the pitching staff has stumbled into the first 2 weeks of August, they've continued to go in the wrong direction by allowing the second-most runs in baseball (Cleveland has allowed the most) even though the offense has been pretty good. The Angels are on pace to out-score their previous two months, but are also on pace to give up almost 200 runs...and post a 7-21 record in August.
  
• There's a new guy at ESPN covering the Angels. This is the first thing of his that I've read, "Meh": 3 Up, 3 Down: Indians 6, Angels 2 - ESPN Los Angeles. However, he did finish strong, "Hisanori Takahashi: Three batters faced. Three base hits allowed. That aside, dude was pretty sharp."
• Spring training was over 4 months ago, I hope he's still not basing his decisions on things (like exhibition games) that happened 4 months ago: Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels - August 14, 2012 - MLB.com. "Manager Mike Scioscia is surprised by his rotation's performance, not just since Greinke's arrival, but since Opening Day. "I don't think you have to go back to the Greinke trade. I think if we were talking about this in Spring Training, we'd be surprised to see some of the numbers that would project our rotation to have," said Scioscia, whose starters carried a 4.09 ERA into Monday's game. "Our guys all threw the ball well in spring, felt very good starting the season and some guys have certainly had a rough go. That's the game of baseball. You don't have that crystal ball. You can project all you want, but it comes down to guys bringing their talent onto the field."
• Indians-Angels Preview - Yahoo! Sports. "The Angels (60-56) are eight games behind Texas in the AL West but only 2 1/2 back in the wild card race, and might aid their postseason hopes with some better performances from their pitchers, who have posted a 6.30 ERA during a 3-9 stretch."
• Big-name rotation failing to deliver as Angels close in on the point of no return - Yahoo! Sports. "We’re not going to go to the playoffs five games over .500," he (Wilson) said. "We’ve got to win 90 games, at least." That would have the Angels win 30 of their final 46 games. As the man said, at least." That's a .652 winning percentage Wilson is saying the Halos need to play at. Okay....
  
• Daily Mike Trout porn:
  
  10 Degrees: Home runs are as plentiful as trout, and rookie Mike Trout is hitting his share - Yahoo! Sports. "To see him slug 21 in 377 major league at-bats this season, then, has been something of a revelation, particularly considering he hit 23 over 1,117 at-bats in the minor leagues and five in 123 major league at-bats in 2011. Yes, scouts always figured Trout's home run power would develop and he might – might – crack 30 in a season." Is anyone else worried that the player we've been watching the last three month might not be the player we'll see in the next three?
  
  Upon further review, Angels' Trout is even better than you think - CBSSports.com. "But already he's doing something that has never been done in baseball history. Trout is hitting .340 with 21 home runs and 36 stolen bases, and if the season ended today -- which it won't, but bear with me -- he would be the first player in baseball history to post those three numbers in the same year. You follow? Nobody in baseball history has hit at least .340 with 21 home runs and 36 steals. Mike Trout is there right now."
• It's just like acquiring two bullpen arms!: Downs, Walden near returns to bullpen - angels.com. "Angels lefty reliever Scott Downs, out since July 27 with a strained left shoulder, felt good coming off his first bullpen session on Sunday and is set for another one on Tuesday. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that session "might roll into a simulated game," which would make him awfully close to returning to the Angels' beleaguered bullpen. Scioscia previously said he doesn't believe Downs will need to go out on a rehab assignment."
• I sometimes hit myself in the face too, but not since I've started the medication: Adam Dunn hits monster home run off own mugshot on Rogers Centre scoreboard (VIDEO) - Yahoo! Sports. "Yes, Dunn hit his own face with a home run. That's got to be the best bat control ever." You know who holds the all-time record for getting hit in the face by the most balls? A - My hot girlfriend, B - Your hot girlfriend, C - Rock Hudson, D - A hot Texas Rangers fan. The answer is C, because none of the other things exist.
  
• Okay, he may be a douchebag, but he's a pretty decent ballplayer: