Wednesday Halolinks: April Ends With Another Angels' Loss, Hamilton Bad But Good

It's Wednesday. Day game. Poor play. Halolinks:

• Does the date really make a difference in a team's performance? The Angels do crappy in April and terrific in May...well they did last season, who's to say they'll be able to turn it around this year? Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics - April 30, 2013 - MLB.com. "The April finale, a 10-6 loss to the A's on Tuesday night, was the type that defined the first four weeks of their season -- with the starting pitcher struggling and a thin bullpen unable to keep the game manageable." The club did score 6 runs last night. That's usually enough to win most of your ballgames, so last night's game can't be blamed on the hitting (even though not everyone is hitting...more on that below) Athletics 10, Angels 6 - FOX Sports. "Mike Trout drove in four runs and Mark Trumbo homered for the second straight game for the Angels. Los Angeles fell to 9-17, the worst start in franchise history. The Angels are 0-5 against Oakland for the first time since 1990." The Angels have never lost 100 games in a season, although they have come close a couple of times (they've lost 95 twice), but they are on a pace to finish 2013 at 56-106.
  
• In the meantime, the Rangers were also in a game that ended with the score being 10-6, but witha different result: Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers - April 30, 2013 - ESPN. "Texas scored six times in the sixth to break it open right after Darvish had missed first base and given up a tying home run, beating the Chicago White Sox 10-6 on Tuesday night."
• Sure, rub it in...Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics - May 1, 2013 - MLB.com. "During the past two seasons, April has been awfully cruel to the Los Angeles Angels and their fans. A 17-32 mark during the month is bad enough, but add to it a slew of injuries this year, and things are looking bleak for the club that started the 2013 campaign as one of the favorites in the American League." Angels-Athletics Preview - Yahoo! Sports. "The Angels will counter with C.J. Wilson (2-0, 4.30), who is 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts at Oakland. He's kept Smith hitless in five at-bats, while Cespedes is 3 for 9 in their matchups. The left-hander didn't fare well against the A's at home April 9, allowing four runs with three walks in six innings while not getting a decision in a 9-5 loss."
• Everyone knows what's ailing Hamilton, or rather what's ailing his at-bats, his desire to swing at every pitch: Hamilton suffering from impatience at the plate - angels.com. "He continues to chase the breaking ball on the outside corner, and because of that has seen the second-lowest percentage of fastballs in baseball (44.3 percent)." In his second at-bat against Oakland starter Jarrod Parker which resulted in a base-on-balls, Hamilton saw 6 pitches, one fastball and 5 change-ups. The third time Hamilton batted against Parker, Parker threw nothing but change-ups (4 of them) and got Hamilton to ground out. Is anyone in the Angels organization paying attention to Hamilton's at-bats other than Victor Rojas?
  
• Josh Hamilton Is Swinging Himself Into Oblivion - FanGraphs Baseball. "A year ago, when Hamilton was hitting home runs left and right despite his absurd approach at the plate, he was a mystery, doing something that we’d never seen before. Now, though, the magic is gone, and Hamilton is just a hack who has terrible at-bats and makes a lot of outs." Yeah, we know.
  
• At least he's hard to hate: Butterfinger! Josh Hamilton happily eats candy bars Oakland Athletics fans throw at him - Yahoo! Sports. "And, like the elephant on the sleeves of Oakland's jerseys, A's fans in the bleachers don't forget. So they threw Butterfinger candy bars at Hamilton during batting practice as he shagged (baseballs, for you British readers) in the outfield. Butterfinger. Get it?"
  
• Josh Hamilton's Special Gift For A Fan - ThePostGame. "During a game between the Angels and the Oakland A's, Hamilton signed a ball for a fan in the stands. But he didn't stop with his autograph. He added a religious message as well as a wonderful compliment: "Your hair is awesome."
• On an Intentional Ball Thrown to Albert Pujols - FanGraphs Baseball
• I wonder if he's available for the Halo bullpen? Very Urgent Scouting Report: Skip Schumaker, Pitcher - FanGraphs Baseball' "...a very urgent scouting report on Skip Schumaker, who both (a) is a middle infielder for the Dodgers and (b) threw a scoreless inning for that same team on Monday night"
• The Angels will play two games against the Cubs in Chicago this July and I about pee my pants every time I think about it. Wrigley Field: A local’s guide to enjoying a road trip to the home of the Chicago Cubs - Yahoo! Sports. "Next up in the series is yours truly on a 99-year-old park that remains one of the top tourist destinations in Chicago. Wrigley Field is about to undergo a $500 million facelift, but here's how to best experience the turn-back-the-clock machine before the construction trucks arrive at the end of the season."
• PSY rocks Dodger Stadium, Lasorda not impressed. "Lasorda put on almost as good a show as PSY, half-watching with a blank expression as the Korean pop star danced to his hit nearby during the fourth inning Tuesday night. Fans smiled and cheered him on, while Lasorda looked like he’d rather have an enema."
  
• Good article: Life Lessons with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Kareem on What He Wished He'd Known - Esquire
• This has nothing to do with the Angels, and actually it has nothing to do with baseball, but I thought the design was pretty cool: The Prospective Designs For The Atlanta Falcons' New Stadium Are Crazy. "The Atlanta Falcons are building a new stadium, and the Georgia World Congress Center has compiled a report with a few prospective designs and amenities that might be featured at the new stadium. They are crazy."