Tuesday Halolinks: Why Does Mike Scioscia Let This Happen?

Halolinks! Get 'em while they're hot!

• When the news broke that the Angels had signed Joe Blanton I was somewhat pleased. I have faith in the Halo front-office, figuring they knew what they were doing when they signed him. Now I'm not so sure: Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels - April 22, 2013 - MLB.com. "Joe Blanton somehow pitched into the seventh inning, despite giving up seven hits in the first three frames, Josh Hamilton notched four hits on a day he was dropped to fifth in the lineup, Mike Trout made a rare misplay to give the Rangers a run in the sixth, the bullpen allowed three runs to tie the game in the seventh and Peter Bourjos was stranded on first base in the bottom of the ninth. "It was one that got away," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, his club now 7-11. "You have to turn the page." Yeah, he really said that. Anyway, compounding the Blanton problem is the Scioscia problem...why does he do the things he does? How may other managers would have left Blanton in the game last night after his team had taken a 3-run lead? Rangers 7, Angels 6 - FOX Sports. "Joe Blanton allowed 12 hits while pitching into the seventh for the Angels, leaving with a three-run lead before his bullpen wasted it." Twelve hits in 6 innings. That's terrible. Yet, there he was taking the hill in the seventh. Angels rally, then give too much back in 7-6 loss to Texas - latimes.com. "But Blanton gave up a leadoff single to Elvis Andrus in the seventh, and Lance Berkman blooped a single to right against left-hander Michael Roth. On came Dane De La Rosa, who walked Adrian Beltre to load the bases." And surprise, he gave up a lead-off hit.
• This quote almost makes me like him. Almost. Pierzynski's homer pushes Rangers past Angels - Yahoo! Sports. "It kind of makes me laugh a little bit," Pierzynski said of the booing. "Because it was what, 2005? Eight years ago? And they still remember. I've had family and friends in the stands and they've asked people why they boo me here, and people don't even know. So, it's cool. I love playing here, it's an awesome atmosphere every night. ... It was the place I played my first big-league game, so this will always be a special place. I think the fans are awesome."
• Please, oh please, oh please don't get swept by the Rangers at home: Rangers-Angels Preview - Yahoo! Sports.
  
  I'm going to take my belt off, put him across my lap and give him a spanking. - Ron Washington
  
  
  "Left-hander Jason Vargas (0-2, 6.75) will try to help the Angels bounce back, attempting to throw more like he did against the Rangers in his season debut. He's given up 10 runs and 19 hits in nine innings over two starts since holding Texas to one run and eight hits over 5 2-3 innings on April 5. The Twins chased him after 3 1-3 innings in an 8-6 loss at Minnesota last Tuesday." Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels - April 23, 2013 - MLB.com Meanwhile, the Rangers are counting on Alexi Ogando to bounce back after allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings of work against the Cubs on Thursday. "I certainly don't expect him to give us 2 1/3 innings," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "If he gives us 2 1/3 innings, I'm going to take my belt off, put him across my lap and give him a spanking."
  

• Nice try, douchebag: Baseball town? Angels Stadium sports sparse crowd before first game of series with Rangers - Dallasnews.com. "Earlier in April, Rangers color analyst Tom Grieve poked some fun at Hamilton's comments after hearing the Angels had been booed by their home fans. "I wonder what that means," Grieve said. "They're not a football town. They're not a basketball town. What are they? Evidently they're not baseball fans out there either."
• Regardless of his going 4-for-4, moving Hamilton down in the order is dumb: Angels show lack of respect for Hamilton - ESPN. "It's a move I find distasteful because it feels like a panic decision, a move an experienced manager and good organization shouldn't make. It's a move just to make a move, with little to no merit in rationale. It's a move of a manager overreacting, reminding me of Joe Torre moving Alex Rodriguez down to eighth in the batting order back in the 2006 playoffs. So Hamilton is off to a slow start? It's 17 games."
• Pujols says DH is best option for plantar fasciitis - angels.com. "It's fine," Pujols told MLB.com's Ben Platt in an on-camera interview on Monday. "I'm able to play first base, too, if I wanted to. It just gets to a point sometimes during the game, by the fifth or sixth inning, it starts getting real sore. I think being the DH as of right now is the best thing to do to try to stay away from planting it as much. It's nothing different than what I went through and what I have gone through in my career. It's something that I know how to handle." Plantar fasciitis manifests when the ligament that supports the arch of the foot is strained, causing pain when walking or standing. It never really goes away, though WebMD reports that 95 percent of people with the issue don't require the surgical procedure to cut the ligament."
• If you haven't seen this clip, you must. Pitching to the Score - Beyond the Box Score. "Last week in a segment on MLB Now, Reynolds claimed that Yankees ace CC Sabathia is an example of a pitcher who "pitches to the score". Dave Cameron of FanGraphs examined the data to find out if there is any indication that CC Sabathia performs better than usual in pressure situations"
• Lyle Spencer: Miggy was nearly dealt to Angels in 2007 deal - angels.com. "Starters Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders were in the Cabrera conversations. Pitcher Nick Adenhart and shortstop Brandon Wood were high-end prospects coveted everywhere. Howie Kendrick was a rising star at second base. Kendrys Morales, two years removed from breaking out as a slugging first baseman, center fielder and leadoff man Reggie Willits (fifth in the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting) and catcher Jeff Mathis could have been part of a package."
• Pitching Our Next Great Baseball Movie - Baseball Nation. "Still, I got to wondering which subjects might make for the best movies as the studios cast about for material to satisfy what seem to be the public's rabid cravings for well-made baseball movies. And so I turned to some people who think about this stuff even more than I do ..."
• Entertaining post: Bugs & Cranks " The Blue Jays Bobblehead That Wasn’t. "When I found out April 21st was Edwin Encarnacion bobblehead day, I was like; yes, this thing needs to be in my house. So the boyfriend and I took the Rogers Centre. Usually for Sunday games we arrive at 1. There’s no point in arriving early. Do I really need to see JP Arencibia playing a quick game of warmup catch with Jose Bautista? They’re not shirtless. What’s the point. I kid. Okay, not really."