Post-Valbuena, poppycock: Angels get same results

Indians 4, Angels 3

There’s nothing that irks me more in baseball than when a major league hitter cannot deliver with a runner on third and fewer than two outs. Nothing.

In the fourth inning, Francisco Arcia had one such situation, and he proceeded to strike out swinging.

In the fifth inning, Eric Young Jr. had a crack at the apple, and he struck out looking, which might be better or might be worse. Arcia proved he couldn’t make contact with the ball, but EYJ proved he wasn’t even TRYING to make contact with the ball.

In the seventh inning, Andrelton Simmons popped up with the bases loaded.

Because Sunday was just another day of Angels baseball.

Deck McGuire got the ball for Mike Scioscia in the first inning. I hesitated to say he “started” the game, because he really wasn’t a starter...he was more of a Tampa Bay-style opener. He didn’t open well, though, giving up 3 runs in 0.1 innings, and Cleveland was threatening to blow the game wide open when Taylor Cole came in and saved the day. Cole was thrown into the fire and came out unscathed. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowing 0 runs of his own and 0 inherited runners to come in and score. Bravo.

Cam Bedrosian came into the game and allowed a run, because of course.

The other annoying thing about Sunday’s game was that gigantic wall in left and left-center.

In the first inning, Shohei Ohtani banged one high up against that center field wall, and he would settle for a double. He would not score.

In the third inning, Jose Briceno got into one which barely didn’t get out to dead left, and Michael Brantley held him to a single.

In the fifth inning, Kole Calhoun ripped one to center. Just a triple.

All in all, the Angels do drop the game by one run, despite outhitting the Indians. May we only look inward to see who to blame.