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I get home late last night, having been too busy to follow the game. And the way I react to this kind of situation is thusly: I am wondering what the damn score will be. W or L? Is it still going on? Is it close? Did the lame throwaway lineup blow what might have been an easy win we could use later on? Then I see the score. 11-1 Angels in the top of the 9th. Holy shit that’s awesome!! Ok, cool. Move on. What did Trout do??? I jam open GameDay and flash to the box score to look for Mike’s night, hoping to see 5 for 5 with 5 grand slams? And 5 home runs robbed over the wall on defense? Is this how you react, too?
So then I see the line. Not a bad night. I scroll down and see that there is a home run there. Yes. A solo shot. 11 runs scored and Trout was not the major force (his night just blends in to everybody batting 2 through 9), for a kind of ‘meh’ night by Trout’s brilliant standards.
And yet, the best story of the night is Trout. Trout the hero. Trout the great guy. Trout the prized MLB asset who single-handedly is building a connection between the game and the next generation.
The Angels creamed the Rangers 11-1. It’s hard to believe that this is the same Rangers team that ruled the Division so recently. It’s equally hard to believe that they had 18,000 people in attendance. It’s probably that blistering Texas heat that kept them away. The same heat used to gouge taxpayers into building a shiny stadium for all those no-shows such that they don’t have to no-show outdoors on a 71 degree evening any longer while their teams wastes Adrian Beltre year after year.
UPDATE: LAA batters are the best in Baseball...leading in AB’s, Hits, Runs, Home Runs, BA, RBI’s, Total Bases and Slugging Percentage.
Have some Let’s-Take-An-Ohtani-Break-Links:
A Little Bit of Angels News
The Angels have pitching depth problems. They are not toast, but they are those last heels of the loaf going into the toaster............
Gratuitously, here is your link hook to complain about Mike Scioscia starting Luis Valbuena, who has turned shitty against left-handed pitching, against left-handed pitching Martin Perez instead of finding a way to start Shohei Ohtani, who came in as a very late PH against RH Bartolo Colon and recorded a highlight reel infield ground out..............
Ohtani is chasing a blister prob while pitching? Something for worry warts to worry about...........And with that, his merchandise has gotten blistering hot............
Ian Kinsler was not in the lineup last night, as projected. Now he will wait until after the Angels leave his once-upon-a-time home field of Arlington. It’s all because Kinsler is a giver. He didn’t want to take away that Ohtani 9th-inning pinch-hit appearance last night. I was kind of looking forward to Kinsler telling the Rangers to get the f$#k off his field...........
Lots of talk about how great this start has been for the Angels, now 9-3. In the most recent seasons they have had double-digit losses before they reached 9 wins. But in 2011 they were 9-5. No sense going all the way back to 1987..........
Hahahahahaha. Season projections are much like Waze. You may have noticed that Waze will cheat on predicting your arrival time by moving the needle as you arrive. It will always be correct at the end of your trip, hoping you forgot what it predicted at the beginning. And, suddenly, the Angels are now predicted to win more games this season.............
Albert Pujols avoids grounding into a double play.............
Everywhere In Baseball
The gall of Miami baseball ownership knows absolutely no limit. Not even when that ownership changes hands. They remain a stain upon our National Pastime and shall be mocked with derision mercilessly on this page until I retire. The latest shitshow comes out of the lawsuit filed by the City of Miami to get (partially) reimbursed for having paid to build Jefrey Loria’s playground out of the proceeds of Loria from selling the team. Loria, of course, is claiming he did not profit at all from any such sale. The team - which means the new owner group - has been named in the suit. In response, the new owners are claiming that they are a corporation of The British Virgin Islands, and not subject to domestic rule of law.............And even the fan base is embarrassed by it all...........
Corey Kluber is the best pitcher in Baseball.....And Shohei Ohtani remains unimpressed...........
Oh, goodie, the Astros have yet another #1 starter in their rotation............Just imagine. Had the Pirates held on to Cole, they might now have TWO #1 starters in their rotation. Which would be a huge. The Pirates are off to an 8-2 start just months after the Pittsburgh faithful had written them of for dead after trading away Cole and Andrew McCutchen in January.........
I love how Baseball keeps trying to hold to the code of fundamentals and fundamental rules and pushes back on players when, as so always happens, they try to push envelopes. Take, for example, running up the first base line. We all know the rule. We all expect the rule to be followed. We all rejoice when the rules are enforced. But notice that players and managers complain anyway after getting busted. Now, if we can just something about pine tar too far up the bat handle.............
The 2020 All-Star Game is going to be played in Chavez Ravine. This gives them 2 full years to install new sewage treatment facilities, and dig the fan safety moats...........
Oh crap. Jeff Mathis version 2.0...........
Just a reminder that MLB will be playing a Twins-Indians series in Puerto Rico next week..........I’ll bet it won’t be snowing in P.R..........
MLB is a testy place. Yadier Molina doesn’t like to be called names, and MLB doesn’t like people calling Yadier Molina names. Which is how Torey Lovullo gets a fine, and apologizes............Both guys got a one-game suspension...........
This comes to us via UniWatch. Felipe Rivero of the Pirates changed his last name. He is now Felipe Vazquez. No big deal, right? Well, maybe except or BBR, which has yet to get the memo. But here is the point of the link. Vazquez is apologizing to the 5 people (outside of his own family, which gets merch for free) who bought a jersey with his old name............
More entries in the attendance rolls of Old People Getting Old. Kendrys Morales (34) pulled a hammy...........Alex Gordon (34) tears a hip labral..........Anthony Rizzo (28) threw out his back...........
The Duffle Bag
This police chief is quite the typical Athol Red Sux fan...........WalMart Yodel Boy makes the big time..........Steven Souza, master holder of grudges............Ok, I have to stop paying any attention to High Heat Stats guy...............Baseball breaks new ground, selling naming rights to stuff nearby their stadiums............I had no idea that baseball reporting was a full-contact sport............