Thursday Halolinks: Angels Continue To Tame Tigers, Weaver Needs To Be Flexible

Some quickHaloLinks before today's early game:

• It's fun when the big moment of the game comes from a surprise source: Angels top Tigers as offense remains hot - Yahoo! Sports. "Aybar provided the big blow, blasting Alvarez's 110th pitch of the game over the left field wall to give Los Angeles a 4-3 edge in the sixth. Iannetta's two-out single preceded Aybar's third homer of the season. Tigers manager Jim Leyland knew he was taking a risk by leaving Alvarez in after he threw so many pitches. " In that situation, all we're looking for is a base-hit from Aybar, but when his flyball to leftfield kept carrying and finally left the park, the moment was a little sweeter.
Los Angeles Angels tickets


• I'm on record as one, if not the founding member, of the "DDLR Non-Appreciation League", but he did a great job last night. I groaned whe I saw him coming into the game, and figured the two guys Buckner had put on base before leaving the game would for sure come around to score now that De La Rosa was in the game: Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers - Jun 26, 2013 - CBSSports.com. "Buckner was pulled in favor of Dane De La Rosa after walking Jhonny Peralta and allowing Andy Dirks' infield single to lead off the fourth. De La Rosa (2-1) got two quick outs before walking Austin Jackson to load the bases. But he fanned Hunter to end the inning with Detroit ahead 3-2. De La Rosa allowed a hit in two innings." Gotta give the guy his due.
• Interesting look at the Halos' relief corps: Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers - June 26, 2013 - MLB.com. "You're down there for so many innings, every day, by yourself," said Kohn, who recorded the final two outs in the seventh inning on his 27th birthday. "It's not like the dugout, where you have multiple people there. We're a unit, we're always together, seven guys down there for nine innings every single day. You have to have a unit and a bond, and it starts with guys like Downsy, who are the veterans who keep us in line at times. We're brothers down there."
• Angels-Tigers Preview - FOX Sports. "After going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his first two outings since coming off the disabled list May 29, Weaver (1-4, 4.65) hasn't looked right. The right-hander has compiled a 6.62 ERA during a three-start losing streak, his longest such stretch since dropping a career worst-tying four straight May 2-18, 2011. "The last three starts it just kind of seems like there's one inning that's a blow-up inning, and I've just got to learn to stay away from that," he said. "It's frustrating. I'm not doing a whole lot to help the team right now. I just have to keep battling, and hopefully things will turn around." This is an interesting take on the possible problem with Weaver: Weaver pushing to regain flexible delivery - angels.com. "Weaver, who missed more than seven weeks from early April to late May with a broken left elbow, is 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA in his first seven starts and his average fastball velocity has gone down again -- from 90.1 in 2010, to 89.2 in '11, to 88.0 in '12, to 86.6 in '13. Butcher points out that Weaver won 20 games last year while pitching at around the velocity he's been at this season and said his right shoulder, which bothered him down the stretch in 2012, is completely healthy. What the Angels are working on with their ace is getting back his patented flexibility and extension, because few starting pitchers rely on it more than a 6-foot-7 Weaver who throws way across his body." With his unorthodox delivery, I suppose the smallest little tweak can have a large impact on his performance.
• I forgot about this: Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers - June 27, 2013 - MLB.com. "On July 31, 2011, Weaver and Justin Verlander were locked in a pitchers' duel. When Magglio Ordonez admired his home run, it struck a nerve in Weaver. Later in the game, Carlos Guillen homered an started down Weaver which further aggravated the right-hander. The next pitch went over Alex Avila's head and Weaver was promptly ejected."
• Good video, but at this point in Weaver's career, Id have to say "no": Is Jered Weaver a future Hall of Famer? - FOX Sports. "On the Angels' career leaderboards, his win-loss percentage of .648 ranks first, while his 103 victories are fourth behind Chuck Finley (165), Nolan Ryan (138) and Mike Witt (109). Weaver is also seventh with 1,149 strikeouts."
• Dipoto not labeling Halos as Deadline approachs - angels.com. "I don't see drastic paths," Dipoto said. "We have a roster of veteran players, most of whom are under club control, a very talented offensive club, we've got a pitching staff that's evolving, some pending free agents, many others under club control. And we'll assess as we go."
• Angels GM Jerry Dipoto focuses on present, but a reckoning looms - latimes.com. ""The back of his baseball card says there's a pretty good chance he'll (Josh Hamilton) snap out of this, so my confidence level is really good," Dipoto said." Whenever I hear the word "reckoning" I think of the movie Tombstone and all of the great Doc Holliday quotes, "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after. It's a reckoning."
  
• Unlocking the4 Hamilton Code: Have Pitcher’s Solved the Josh Hamilton Equation? - High Heat Stats. "Rather than giving in to the prodigious slugger, pitchers are hammering him with breaking balls. No hitter in baseball has seen a higher percentage of curveballs (16.9%) than Hamilton and only 7 batters have faced a higher percentage of change-ups. By repeatedly slinging sliders, curves, and change-ups, pitchers are hoping to get Hamilton to roll over, and thus far the Angels right fielder has been more than happy to oblige. As long as pitchers continue to attack Hamilton with a steady diet of breaking balls, the slugger’s production will continue to look lean."
• Neato: Show of respect: Blue Jays hold team meeting to announce demotion of Munenori Kawasaki - Yahoo! Sports. "In a sign of respect and appreciation you don't often see in professional sports, the Toronto Blue Jays held an impromptu team meeting on Wednesday to announce the demotion of shortstop Munenori Kawasaki to Triple-A Buffalo."
• Indians 4, Orioles 3 - NBC Sports. "Kazmir was perfect for four innings and retired 18 of the first 19 Baltimore batters. After Machado singled in the seventh, a wild pickoff attempt by Kazmir preceded a sacrifice fly by Chris Davis."
• The crap out of New York is sooo drama-driven, it's almost a soap-opera: Alex Rodriguez thinks New York Yankees slowing his return from injury, according to source - ESPN New York. "According to the source, Rodriguez felt the GM's response was "over the top," and cemented his belief that the Yankees have been looking for ways to rid themselves of the 10-year, $275 million contract they gave him after the 2007 season." A very bad soap-opera.