:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54310279/usa-today-10017529.0.jpg)
Having fun, are we? 20 straight innings without a run scored. About as productive as we were when we were not playing at all. Say, December baseball. I wonder how many analysts will be doing the I-Told-You-So waltz about our starting rotation later this year, while sweeping under the rug stretches such as this when our pitching has not been all that bad. 14 games into the season and the pitching staff has only surrendered 6 or more runs 5 times. Now, to be clear, this is not stellar. But it's good enough that we should have more than 6 wins, especially since we had a miracle come-back in one of those 6+ run games.
But we don't. And a part of that (not a HUGE part) is that the Angels offense is averaging 1.5 runs per game since those two miracle come-backs. 3.5 runs per game overall.
This is not what the pundits are going to want to talk about when we fall short in the fall. But it counts. It really counts. And no amount of poo-poo-Pujols would erase these outcomes from the factual record.
But, really Halos, this ain't December any more. So can we play some baseball for a change? Or do we have to call up the amazing inning-6-through-9 scrubs that made us all so confident in our offense during Spring Training?
Have some Balsa Bat Links:
A Little Bit of Angels News
Quickly, so as to not get into any sort of groove as if this is going to be a regular thing, but the Angels lost again yesterday while Jesse Chavez looked fantastic. At least the defense was on the ball...........And, considering the opponent, we might see another loss soon. So just brace yourself for it. (Besides, it could be a lot worse. In fact, it could be a lot worse.).........
Hoo boy. Huston Street has not pitches since last July 31st, when he turned a 3-run lead into a 2-run loss against Boston. yesterday the Angels stopped pussy-footing around with the the 10-day DL and just parked Street onto the 60-day DL. He wont make it back until June, at the earliest. This has a familiar smell to it. One laced with racing oil...............
This week's Mike Trout recap..........
Victor has a new essay up............
Inland Empire 66'ers get a new stadium deal, so they get a new name. A name befitting the legacy of Arte Moreno. The Inland Empire 66'ers of San Bernardino............
______________________________
Everywhere In Baseball
Justin Verlander, as I linked yesterday, believes that the Indians are stealing signs. How else to explain how well the Indians are doing against him? (Well, I dunno. It's not like they are the reigning AL Champs or anything.) Another possibility is that Verlander might be tipping his pitches, and the Indians have figured that out. That would, of course, put the blame back on Verlander himself. Nah. can't be that. Too blessed to be stressed..........
Oh boy. Baseball writers going at other baseball writers. Joel Sherman of the NY Post calls out baseball for refusing to end games in ties. He knows full well them are fightin' words. And in come the haymakers. One from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and another from Kyle Koster of USA Today. Methinks there shall be more...........
Rick Ankiel had an alcohol problem. One severe enough that he, when he was still a pitcher, he took on Randy Johnson well after taking on some copious amounts of vodka.....
One of the banes of pro basketball is how coaches and players work the refs, whining and complaining all the time to game the officiating in their favor. It's been going on forever and the impact can be really noticeable. Makes sense, since the officiating is highly subjective and refs are human. Well, guess what? The strike zone is highly subjective and the umpires are human, too. So Miguel Cabrera is learning to work the umps to force pitchers to throw into his hitting strengths...........
Humidors at Coors Field. Or, a lot of math over a cigar box...........
Oh, sure, we Angels fans might have some resentment for the love that a Mookie Betts gets, since it comes at the price of Mike Trout's public adoration. But this is truly something worthy of applause in this day and age. Betts has not struck out since September 12th, the 140th game of last season. That is (including last night) 28 games and 109 At Bats without a K. That is pretty damned impressive..........
Nate Silver, not having much to do since the election, has spent his winter rebuilding the stat lines for relief pitchers. In his world, he proposed ditching the Save, and introducing the Goose Egg..........
Adrian Beltre is awesome. And the more awesome Adrian Beltre becomes, the more ridiculous becomes the legacy of the Tony Reagins era. Reagins is not alone, as Arte had a hand in it. But Adrian Beltre could have been our awesome. Easily...........
Luis Tiant is calling BS on the BBWAA HoF voters. Fair complaint, since the voters have walked right over an entire era of players............
StatCast fixes defensive stats, and players are starting to get noticed. To me, that means they are going to start getting paid. That should make more of them a lot more stat-friendly, I predict..........
______________________________
Season Update
The Royals were the last team to pick up a win in the 2017 season. They claimed it on April 7th, at 10:23 PM local time in Houston.....
The Orioles were the last team to lose a game. That happened on April 9th at 5:00 PM local time in New York City......
The Rays were the last team to win on the road. This was April 14th at 10:47 PM local time in Boston.....
The Brewers were the last team to take loss on the road. April 15th at 4:21 CDT, local time in Cincinnati.....
The Blue Jays were the final team to snag a win at home. April 15th at 3:48 PM local time in Toronto.....
We are down to 2 teams which have yet to lose at home (the Yankees and Braves). The Yankees might go a long time before their first home loss. They have 2 games left against the White Sox and then won't be back in New York until the 28th. The Braves, though, they are about to host the Nationals. That should take them off the watch list.
______________________________
The Duffle Bag
Finally. Some truth. The whole Tim Tebow thing ain't about his baseball skills............Geez. Already? Cubs fans have found something to freak out about?..........Just a PSA to remind you all that Boston fans are a pissy lot.............Kyle Schwarber defeats the shift, brilliantly..............Josh Harrison, though...ouch ouch ouch ouch............The Orioles have a magic bat? Mike Trout should have a magic bat or two to share, shouldn't he?...........
OT: Coachella has officially jumped the shark. It's being covered by the Orange County Register.
______________________________