Wednesday Halolinks: Angels Get A Reaction, Face Tigers Again

To be honest, I don't know how to feel about last night's game. A lot of runs, tons of hits, not so great pitching, and a sloppy opponent. Meh.

Here's your Halolinks:

• Angels 14, Tigers 8 - Yahoo! Sports. "Josh Hamilton had three hits, scored three runs and knocked in another as everyone in the Angels' lineup scored at least one run. Starting C.J. Wilson (7-5) got the victory despite giving up five runs in five innings. The Angels, who scored a season-high in runs, have a seven-game winning streak over the Tigers, their longest active streak against any opponent." Josh Hamilton had three hits? Ahhh, yeah...
  
• But wait, there's more: Angels crank out 16 hits in 14-8 win over Tigers - Yahoo! Sports. "We did a lot of good things offensively," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. "They cracked the door open for us but we went 11 for 20 with runners in scoring position and those two-out hits kept coming. It made the difference in the game." Mike Scioscia spouting off semi-sabermetric stats?
  
• In-depth analysis from C.J. Wilson: Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers - Jun 25, 2013 - CBSSports.com. "We need to do everything right to get to where we need to get -- to be in the race," Wilson said. "We need to get lucky. We're so far back right now, it's not even scoreboard watching. We have to really pull together and get the most out of ourselves." What's the word I'm looking for...on the tip of my tongue...
  
• Okay, how'd that happen? Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers - June 25, 2013 - MLB.com. "The Angels swept a three-game series against the Tigers in Anaheim April 19-21 and have outscored the Tigers, 36-12, in four games this season -- a year in which they won't face Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer." No Verlander? No Scherzer?:
  
• But wait...Angels-Tigers Preview - FOX Sports. "Alvarez (1-0, 2.45 ERA) had his contract purchased from Triple-A Toledo earlier this month as a temporary replacement in Detroit's rotation for the injured Anibal Sanchez. The left-hander has responded by limiting opponents to three runs over 11 innings in two starts with 10 strikeouts." Someone just up from the minors? A lefty? Oye:
  
• Vargas shut down two weeks after second opinion - angels.com. "...the Angels left-hander will require surgery to remove it (a frickin' blood clot), prompting him to be shut down from throwing for a couple of weeks. Vargas' surgery will be performed by Dr. Russell Montgomery at St. Joseph Hospital of Orange at 8 a.m. PT on Wednesday. If all goes well, the 30-year-old can start building back arm strength 14 days later, which should have him back off the disabled list by the end of July." The end of July? JULY??
  
• In an effort to shore up their beleaguered pitching staff: Angels Acquire Collin Cowgill - MLBTradeRumors.com. "Cowgill, 27, has a .173/.189/.327 slash line in 53 plate appearances for the Mets this season, though he's career .307/.381/.476 hitter in 885 Triple-A plate appearances." Wait, what? He's not a pitcher?
  
• Oh, I get it. The club is trying to corner the market on crappy hitting outfielders by giving up decent hitting outfielders: Angels get OF Cowgill from Mets for minor leaguer - FOX Sports. "Johnson, 23, was hitting .310 with two homers, 30 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 68 games with Class-A Burlington in the Midwest League. The Mets said they will send the outfielder to Class-A Savannah of the South Atlantic League. Johnson was drafted in the 25th round by the Angels last year out of Washington State." Okay, a 23-year old in single-A isn't that spectacular, and not much of a sacrifice.
  
• Ah, here comes that pitching help! And they can throw in a third baseman! Cubs finally say uncle, designate Carlos Marmol for assignment - CBSSports.com. "Marmol, 30, has pitched to a 5.86 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings this year while saving two games in five chances. Since saving 38 games with a 2.55 ERA during his breakout 2010 campaign, he has posted a 4.13 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. In other roster news, the Cubs have released third baseman Ian Stewart according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. Stewart recently criticized the organization on Twitter for not calling him up from Triple-A Iowa, then was suspended for his comments."
  
• I'm not a Harrelson fan, but he's so awesome sometimes: White Sox Blow Lead In Ninth; Hawk Harrelson Goes Silent. "Tie game. Low, guttural noises from Hawk. Silence. Nonsensical murmuring. A half-hearted update on the count and then "You have got to be KIDDING ME" into the break." I especially like the, "Lord have mercy" he mutters.
  
• Was the guy's name "Hambone's Swing"? Ex-Cub pitcher Kerry Wood discovers body in Belmont Harbor - chicagotribune.com. "The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victim as a 40-year-old man from the 5400 block of North Broadway."
  
• This is pretty cool: Visualizing Home Run Pitch Locations - Beyond the Box Score. "An interactive visualization looking at where home runs were pitched in the strike zone by pitch type, distance, speed, and damage."
  
• Oh, that A-Rod. He's such a goofball: Brian Cashman tells New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez to shut up - ESPN New York. ""You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]," Cashman told ESPN New York. "Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."

• Visit from Dr. Kelly over the weekend, who gave me the best news - the green light to play games again! http://t.co/RuzfXOJjHI

  — Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) June 25, 2013

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• Remember a couple of weeks ago when we had Sam Miller on HaloTalk? Here's a link to his podcast: BP Daily Podcast: Effectively Wild Episode 232: Will Park Effects Go More Mainstream?/Yasiel Puig and Hitting .400/Evaluating Player Development/Loaning Players. "Ben and Sam answer listener emails about park effects, player development, hitting .400, and more. - Keywords: emails, podcast, park effects, yasiel puig, hitting .400, player development"
  
• Fan with phone: Hey Marty, I'm at the Sawx game. Yeah, it's a freakin' pissa, the ball bounced off this broad's rack and right into my hand! Fan at Fenway Park manages to catch foul ball while on the phone - Yahoo! Sports
  
  
  
• Congratulations UCLA: Mississippi State vs. UCLA - Recap - June 25, 2013 - ESPN. "Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs, Nick Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings and UCLA won its first national championship in baseball with an 8-0 victory Tuesday night." And congratulations Eric Filia: UCLA OF Eric Filia's girlfriend Lauralee McIntyre has been very popular at the CWS - Larry Brown Sports. "Filia is a sophomore outfielder for the Bruins. He put together a stellar career at Edison (Huntington Beach) High School in Southern California and has become one of the top offensive player for the Bruins. He led the team with a .281 batting average and tied for the team lead with 14 doubles." And he the guy obviously has game: