Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
A Little Bit of Angels News
Welcome to the 300 homer club, Justin Upton. Patrick Sandoval got sent to the minors in exchange for Luke Bard who was called up. About the bullpen implosion, Joe Maddon says, “It’s not going to be an oil painting every night.” Mike Trout is on paternity leave. Baby Trout doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo….
General Baseball News
The Commissioner can punish players for sign stealing and a bunch of other common sense rules have been implemented governing the use of electronic media in the ballpark. Moreover, now MLB teams will be hiring coronavirus compliance officers in the wake of the outbreak on the Marlins. Oh! What is this, little league? Maybe they should implement the mercy rule as well. The powers that be are now reportedly considering seven inning games for double headers.
There is a minor outbreak of Tommy John surgeries. First, there is Seranthony Dominguez. Second, there is Colin Poche. Amazingly, Mike Foltynewicz cleared waivers. Billy Eppler passed on him. Beyond the Box Score can’t figure out what happened to him. Here is a little intel on the enemy (Seattle) in the form of an interview with their Director of Player Development.
The Phillies canceled workouts after two members of their staff tested positive for coronavirus. Also, a 17th member of the Marlins tested positive. The Phillies series with the Blue Jays is postponed. Joe West got brained by an errant bat swing.
George Springer, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman were 0 for 21 in the two game Dodger series. Says Orel Hershiser about a Jose Altuve strikeout: “Guessing is harder than knowing.” The Joe Kelly parody Instagram account is here. Dr. Anthony Fauci has a detailed explanation for that wild first pitch he threw. Finally, David Ortiz allegedly didn’t know Dustin Pedroia’s first name for nine seasons.
Let’s welcome little “Wynn” Trout to the world
Well now another game has been postponed because of the virus, l know you are all surprised. l propose 3 games a day at 5 innings each and starting the 4th with bases loaded. Boy oh boy, l’d make a great Commish. To speed up the game two strike per out to go along with 5 balls to get a BB. Move the pitchers mound up to 50 feet 6 inches. This season will not be completed and next years draft will be all about a a blind fold dart game, nobody has played other than Manfred’s funnies.
At least, save Ohtani, the starting pitching has been strong.
I was annoyed with many of the post-game write-ups around the Halosphere that tried to pin last night’s loss on Bundy, who went six innings and struck out 8.
We’re only two starts in, but did anyone expect this line from Dylan Bundy?
2.84 ERA / 2.44 FIP / 3.27 xFIP
10.66 K/9 / 1.42 BB/9 / 0.71 HR/9
At least six IP in each start
That may not be 2020 Shane Bieber, but that’s frontline stuff.
We relied on a couple of starters last year who doubled that ERA. I had come to believe that 4.50 and above was the new normal for the Angels.
Oh boy, yesterday curious enough Bundy was right at 4.50 era…..funny stuff
He’s been stupendous, and a terrific pickup. A lot has been written about him this winter, including several from Brent lauding his underlying skills that haven’t materialized into numbers.
Turk understand that there is a lot of residual disappointment going on now.
If I’m Mike Trout, I’m sitting out the rest of the season. The team stinks anyway
Depends how interested he is in building his legend for the record books. Playing ~40 games in a season while in his prime is better for career stats than playing 6.
He wouldn’t have been openly flirting with opting out if legend was his priority this year. If the Cardinals or Twins or someone ends up having some cases in the coming days I expect Trout to stay home in anticipation of the season getting cancelled.
So… the Angels currently have the worst record in the AL and are tied for worst in MLB. Sure, 7 games in but that’s a big deal in a short season. Who feels good about them making it to the playoffs at this point?
A couple games against the Astros without Mike Trout and they will probably collapse through the subfloor like Rumplestiltskin.
yet in order to be fully buttercupped we’ll probably do well against the Cheatin’ Astros.
Not happening with this pen.
I’m pretty excited for a top five draft pick though, given we’d only have to suffer for 53 more games in a race to the bottom.
Kumar Rocker or Jack Leiter, anyone?
Those names sound like main characters from a stoner movie.
Hold your Leiter in the air for the Rocker.
Slightly OT, but not really: I took a covid test this morning. It was a short nasal swab test and tickled my nose, probably going halfway up my nasal cavity. It hurt a little in the left nostril but not my right, fwiw.
I had one yesterday. It tickled like crazy! It was more super annoying than painful but made my cry/tear up. They did a back of throat swap + one in each nostril. My nose was pretty irritated for a few hours after.
Were either of you having symptoms or did you have contact with someone who tested positive?
Nope, I wasn’t. I am an essential worker and had seen a couple friends over the previous week, though, so I was curious to see if I had it and if I was asymptomatic.
Oof! On the bright side, it sounds like your test will be more accurate.
As long as the CCO brings orange slices, grapes are good too, juice(drinking type) boxes, for them during the game refreshments, and frozen GoGurt for, win or lose we need our calcium, after game treats. Bring on another unqualified employee for a made-up position that has no power but to be just basically a snitch. Let’s see who gets turned in.
So Joe West is in the East, We have Doug F***ing Eddings in the West. Who won the booby prize lottery and got Angel Hernandez?
He is also out East
Sooner or later Stassi will revert. These other guys need to figure it out.
Just enjoy it while it lasts buddy
Watching the game last night, one of the things that jumped out to me was Albert Pujols movement/walk. He seems to have THAT walk, yes the walk that tells me his feet are once again jacked up. Not surprised at all that he didn’t run to first.
He gave up? He needs to get suspended for not holding up the integrity of the game. I could have had lost money on that lazy assed play. Shit plays like that with no repercussions can bring down a team, and a season.
Positive tests in St Louis, per MLBTR, and the league still thinks they can still play if the rest of roster test negative…
(https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/07/brewers-cardinals-game-postponed-covid-19.html)
I don’t think that’s a good idea and it looks increasingly like the protocols are failing. Can’t we cancel this season now?
The owners and their poker faces vs insurance money. We all know this season should not be happening.
The protocols of trusting a bunch of young men used to going out all the time to stay at home aren’t working? I’m shocked.
Sending down Sandoval after such a great game pitched is typical of Billy, thinking he is clever as opposed to it showing that once again he is clueless. “So GrandpaBaseball tell us what would you have done?”. l would have cut Mike Myers and held on to Sandoval. Now moving on, 7 inning games is not only not real Baseball but it makes MLB look clueless just like most decisions that come out of New York and inept Manfred and his cronies. Change the Game mindset is to make it new again.
So surprised that a steroid fueled brain cannot remember the name Dustin. Fans have selective memories when it comes down to players Morals and the respect some have shown for the game. In New York city fans still love ARod even though he could never get it straight on which weekly story he had about his steroid use. As for the rest of America ARod is not so popular. In the Bay Area Bonds is held in high regard, yet everywhere he unwelcome. Localily Troy Glaus is the best 3rd basemen the Angels ever had to most fans. No surprise Boston fans still love Ortiz and Manny. Basically if one of yours did cheat then it must be ok.
Joe Kelly hits no one with a thrown baseball during a game, why he is not even tossed from the game, but Manfred says an 8 game suspension is in order. Yup makes about as much sense as not laying suspensions on the individual players who cheated to win not one, but 2 World Series. Manfred is so much of a joke that he sometimes replaces the president on nightly late shows as the butt of their jokes. How embarrassing, but bad publicity is good publicity it’s been said.
And lastly, where are our cutouts during the games, let’s have some fun with this Angels, you are missing out on the fun and laughs of this.
Here’s to a safe and healthy baby Trouty and may Daddy return to us soon. Now on to the weekend of games.
#FireManfred
He is just the stooge, but getting rid of him wouldn’t be half bad. The owners are the wrecking balls here. They all think they got a grip on how to improve this game, and they are the greaterest of ideas.
Where are all of the big baseball fans now? James, Angell, Gammons, Costas, Burns, and more. We read stuff on baseball every day, and I don’t recall them saying anything to protect the game that really stuck in my brain like “they are right”. They might burp something out, but nothing that the owners, and MLB, think stinks. All I have seen the past six months was, that they will be testing the new rules until they were not, and because of COVID they will use them for “this season”. What were the writers talking about then? “I miss the game” “Let’s get things rolling” “I hate staying home with nothing to do, nothing to watch on TV” while the owners just changed things. So here we are.
Ramble on friends. I might be late for work.
Give BigPapi a break, “Tiny Ass Rat Faced Bastard Peedroia” just rolls off the tongue so smoothly. Actually, Dustin was a raged out freak too, and they just knew each other as “Buddy” when they started to feel nice, as in “Hey Buddy, you gotta fix?” “Sure Pal”.