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Man that is a lot of red. Halos versus Cincinnati. It looks like an inter-squad game. And the Reds, they can get steamy. But, really, what is a Yasiel Puig in Southern California without antics?
While ESPN wonders where Tommy LaStella ASG votes are coming from (below), and it is true that he has only been .220/.250/.320 over the past 2 weeks, Tommy led off the Halo offense with a 1st-inning lead-off inside-the-park home run because the Reds outfielders were playing like dogshit. Notice that it was off Reds centerfielder Nick Senzel’s glove. And notice that when the ball has then caromed off the wall, La Stella is already heading hard into second base. That is pro-quality hustle right there, one that earned him the HR, RBI and run scored. That should answer ESPN’s question of how Tommy is earning those ASG votes. And it should alert you all to the idea that maybe, for a change, Halo fans are the ones stuffing the ballot box for their surprise star. Oh, and notice that it is me who is pimping Tommy La Stella. Even going so far as to link you to history.
Now La Stella is pretty fast. So it might seem surprising to see Skipper Brad sub him out for Wilfredo Tovar as a pinch-runner in the 7th inning. Tovar would reach second base on a Mike Trout fly out to centerfield because the Reds outfielders were playing like dogshit. But then how many times are you going to see a runner score from second base on a Shohei Ohtani sac fly to right field? Thank you Jose Peraza for that brain dead moment because the Reds outfielders were playing like dogshit.
Anybody noticing a theme?
In between all that, we had Luis Rengifo clocked a 3-run home run himself in the second inning.
On the pitching side, Andrew Heaney scrambled through 5 1⁄3 innings as he gave up 5 hits and 4 walks but escaped with only 1 run surrendered, to Joey Votto as the second batter of the game.
So that was the side show, with the Angels winning 5-1. But in the main event, the headline act that brings in all the crowds, Mike Trout at the plate was a pretty dull affair. 1 single in 4 tries.
On we go with Everybody-Bleeds-Red-HaloLinks:
A Little Bit Of Angels News
You probably forgot that we had a pitcher in our system who gave us 13 starts just months ago and had an ERA+ rating of 114. That guy was Alex Meyer. Yet another member of The Lost Arm Tribe of Anaheim. Young Mr. Meyer has called off his journey back to MLB and has chosen to retire. “Although Meyer’s time in pro baseball didn’t go the way he wanted, he still ended on a high note. In the final appearance of his career July 19, 2017, Meyer tossed seven innings of shutout, one-hit ball with seven strikeouts against one walk in a 7-0 win over his first team, the Nationals.”...........
Trout Porn: Since all the Mike Trout will sign with the Phillies chatter has officially and permanently been retired, we can relax and admire Mike the Good Guy. There is cool stuff in there about Trout and parts of it will really melt your heart. (By the way, IMHO that cover art looks more like a cross between Trout and Darin Erstad, with a touch of Robb Quinlan thrown in.)..........
You noticed that Albert Pujols was way down in the 6 slot last night, didn’t you? That broke a career streak. I guess that now that the STL party hangover has lapsed, it’s a brand new day..........
(h/t reddit) Back to the Buyers versus Sellers arguments as they pertain to the 2019 Angels. One angle that hits me while reading this article is that Tyler Skaggs is a non-tender candidate this offseason. As such, he is a good option for trying to nab a return while he is on our pocket. Which would be more tasty if Skipper Brad would stop yanking him while he is dialed in..........
The good news is that JC Ramirez is almost back from TJ surgery! The bad news is that JC Ramirez is almost back..........
Andrelton Simmons did another rehab stint with the IE 66’ers last night (1 for 3 with a walk). So he should be back this week...........
But Zack Cozart ain’t progressing, which I find odd.............
Shohei Ohtani is about to throw off the mound for the first time, which should be filmed, dammit!...........
I am seeing rumors that Jo Adell is on fire. We need a prospect update around these parts..........
Luis Rengifo is having his moments. Last night certainly was one of those. But to declare now that he is the 2B of the future for the Halos...well...hasn’t Billy Eppler been locking up the market on middle infielders of late?..........
Somebody had to do it. Glad it wasn’t me..........
It’s Christmas in June time for the Angels, so if you are in the area, there are ways to participate..........Here is the larger list of homestand activities..........
The Angels PR department is getting into my act. Here they link to the induction of Huston Street and Eddie Bane into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame. And here they link to a baseball Digest article naming Albert Pujols, then Mike Trout, as future inductees to the National Baseball Hall of Fame..........
Please take a moment to send positive vibes to the entire Rojas family, and don’t be afraid to reach out and wish Kim Rojas all the best..........
Everywhere In Baseball
Here is your EastSPiN review of how to vote every Yankee not named Mike Trout onto the All-Star team............
And the Yankees are making eastern sports journalism drool again, as they look to pad their roster for what they feel is a true run at the 2019 Dodgers by going hard at top-shelf starting pitching before the trade window closes.....Of those names, Marcus Stroman is lobbying to be first pick. Hey, it works for elementary school dodgeball team building.............
Hey! I want partial credit for the Angels in this tracking of WHICH TEAMS ARE BEST AT DRAFTING, DEVELOPING AND DISPLAYING DRS. The Cardinals rank at the top, but a good bit of that comes from the value of Yadier Molina. If it were not for the Angels and the good work they did bringing Benjie and then Jose into the limelight, who is to say that St. Louis would have even known about Yadier?..........
Another scribe pulling for Mickey Callaway to get fired for scribe-bashing. One would think that if Callaway would get fired, it would be because he is in over his head as an MLB manager. But why face facts when there is a chance for a writer to put the emphasis on writers?.........(In fairness, Buster Olney has a completely different take.)..........But the mets, well, Mickey Callaway may be the face but the problem? It’s institutional..........
And we have more mess, this time a mess still under construction. Down in Tampa, owner Stu Sternberg spoke to the press about his grand vision for doing the improbable, where legal strictures render his ideas impossible. It won’t work. It’s a dumb idea. The players union should not agree to it. And there is a possibility that he has already violated his agreement with St. Petersburg. So, sure, double down and come right out and say that 81 games at The Trop ain’t going to happen in the future.........
Kendrys Morales was DFA’d by the Yankees. Makes sense, what with MFY players coming back from the IL. But Morales was particularly unproductive regardless. His clock is nearing midnight..........Once he retires, there are other careers out there worth pursuing. Maybe, like ex-Red Sox manager John Farrell, he can try his had at lobstering.....Or maybe, like the god of walks Kevin Youkilis, you can start a micro brewery..........
Something to do with my next lifetime, since my current one is already too full. Spend my fun time building perfect scale models of baseball stadiums and facilities like this lucky guy. Don’t even think I lack the mad skills to do this..........
Once upon a time Major League Baseball had to compete for labor. This was, of course, before Free Agency. So they had to recruit. Which means they had to promote and advertise. And the promotional product that they came up with is a beaut............
Using the current J.D. Martinez/agency lawsuit to get a rare glimpse into the biz of baseball...........
We are now at the point where the baseball tech revolution has taken over the college level. That means we are just a couple years away from reaching grade school ages. Bummer..........
($$) - My son is an astrophysicist. I know what goes the head of a living astrophysicist. To them, a baseball is a silly, even trivial thing. All too easy to pluck apart and explain the surge in home runs. But Rob Manfred never studied graduate level physics so all this we do not get to know..........
While Philadelphia is still on the docket of links today, how are things going with Bryce Harper and the Phillies? Not well. Not nearly well enough. (Harper with 0.9 bWAR, tied for 5th worst in all of MLB for K’s, but Philly fans can overlook that, since you can’t have home runs without having strikeouts)..........
Yeonis Cespedes’ little brother, Yoelkis, has defected from Cuba and intends to sign on with MLB..........
Craig Kimbrel is prepping in Minor League ball, almost ready to be seen in Wrigley Field. Craig Kimbrel even in Minor League ball still prepares to pitch looking like a dork.............
In the College World Series, Vanderbilt defeated Michigan 4-1 to force the deciding, fateful Game 3 at 4PM today............
This was destiny. When Sinclair Broadcasting won the bidding for the RSN’s, sports broadcasting became political fodder for the upcoming Presidential debate circuit..........
The Duffle Bag
Not baseball related, but how can I ignore Florida being Florida?............Just what you did not know that you badly needed: sabremetrics for Congressional baseball players..........Cody Bellinger just cannot stay safe from the ladies..........:The Cubs, man. Bases loaded, 1 out, ka-boom!!...end of inning. And Joe Maddon reaches for his secret container of vodka in disbelief...........Because we haven’t had a Country Joe West moment in a long time............