A’s 5, Angels 3
Before the Angels even took the field Friday evening, there was a welcome result for their fans: Pittsburgh had won, just their fifth win on the young year. With Seattle and Boston both leading (and eventually holding on to win), the path was clear: a loss against Mike Fiers and the Oakland A’s would the Angels second in the worst record column, only a half game “behind” Pittsburgh.
(Disclaimer: we still don’t know how the 2021 draft order will be determined, because Rob Manfred has the power to unilaterally decide how it will go. But we should find out soon for fairness, right Rob? Right?
In any case, the tank got off to a great start, as Marcus Semien homered on the second pitch from Andrew Heaney.
There’s “loud contact” and then there’s “Might get a noise complaint” loud contact π₯#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/T317kUGj0D
β Oakland A’s (@Athletics) August 22, 2020
Later that inning, Stephen Piscotty doubled in two, and it seemed like the game was already out of reach. Heaney would eventually labor his way through 4.2 mediocre innings of five-run ball, throwing 97 pitches, allowing six hits and striking out six. The latter two runs, allowed in the fifth, proved a knockout blow (Mike Mayers did the honors by allowing one of Heaney’s runners to score).
Meanwhile, the Angels offense was doing their usual unclutch heroics. Despite loading the bases in the fourth inning, Andrelton Simmons (who acquitted himself quite finely with two hits in his return) flied out, and the Angels side of things remained scoreless.
In the fifth, this happened:
Every pitch is the ideal pitch for David Fletcher. pic.twitter.com/OEdImlASl6
β Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 22, 2020
I don’t even know how this happened. It’s indescribable, and it’s beautiful. It’s David Fletcher in a nutshell.
Anyway, he came around to score on an Anthony Rendon single, but that was all the Angels got in the fifth. Rendon had himself a four-hit game.
Mike Trout would later single in two runs on an infield nubber that Matt Olson flubbed, but that would be all the offense for the game. Trout had another opportunity in the eighth inning, but Joakim Soria froze him:
Caught him right on the hook π£#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/QtyfVUP5Vi
β Oakland A’s (@Athletics) August 22, 2020
If you’re into that kind of thing, enjoy the tank! If you’re not, well…there’s always next year. π
Arte and this front office should be embarrassed. A major market team with the best player of the generation and one of the top budgets in baseball and we get years of futility and Trout just getting older. It’s probably true that my assumption all along is Arte only cares about dollars and not a trophy but sooner or later he has to realize the harm he’s doing by putting such a shitty team on the field, right??
I just can’t believe anyone buys a professional sports team without hoping, dreaming, working to win. There are tons of ways to make money, but pro sports are a prestige, luxury investment, kind of like horse racing. Whatever Arte may project in public, the dude is pulling his hair out in private. Either that, or he’s a robot.
But he did win, in 2002. It is now, and since 2002, business time.
Arte did not win in 2002. Team was owned by Disney when it won the WS. Arte purchased after that.
I think eyespy knows that, Arte won when he bought the team then, it has since grown demonstrably in value.
Yes…….I’m gonna propose this guy who I believe will be hired by the Mets if we don’t act fast.
With rules and stipulations to abide by as if he were working for the St Louis Cardinals again. This guy gives our organization and fanbase hope and credibility because he’s won already ( no cheating and no bringing in players of questionable and sketchy character issues ( Bernardo Osuna ). It’s time to quit being a pathetic feckless little fool in this town with the Big Blue and White Giant up the 5 FWY. I thought we’re a nation of second chances BTW.
No!
The day they hire that man is the day I stop watching Angels baseball.
Why not fire Joe and bring Hinch in as well? Alex Cora is probably sitting home waiting for a call, too!
Impeccable track record, those three. True winners.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Joe steps down. I’m sure he knew the pitching was going to be a disaster before the season even started. Then Arte will have go back to hiring low budget, low profile skippers like Brad Ausmus again. Honestly, I seriously doubt Joe would have a problem with working with Jeff Luhnow as long he stays on the straight and narrow and never cheats again. The fact is Jeff Luhnow is a outstanding baseball man and knows what he’s doing when it comes to scouting and player development…….period and that’s just not debatable….
Who leaves four years of free money on the table? Vernon? Albert? I don’t see Joe quitting.
so who do you faithful propose to fix our obviously broken scouting and player development joke of a system?
Maybe the late Fred Rogers would be nice if he knew baseball player development. I don’t want see us keep hiring inept and incompetent nice guys. Maybe the Astros don’t win the 2017 WS without cheating, but he still had to draft Jose Altuve, Carlos Corea, Alex Bregman and George Springer without cheating as opposed to Matt Thaiss and Will Wilson. BTW Billy Eppler is a analytics fool too and that hasn’t helped him do a better job ( Matt Thaiss take a bow ). We need someone who’s going to come in and fix this broken baseball ops dept and not just another Arte sycophant.ο»Ώ π ο»Ώ.
Is Stoneman available?
Stoneman is 75 yrs old and overrated
Stoneman inherited the 2002 team from Bill Bavasi and Bob Fontaine Jr.
We need somebody who can come in and fix this trainwreck disaster of a farm system.
We’re not at rock bottom. Yet.
Get rid of Arte, that would fix things right away.
Just another gloom and doom thot.
What if “Quirky Joe” decides to step down and resign? Another Jedi situation all over again ( that would be pretty ugly BTW and a total PR debacle. ) and this time it would be over Justin Upton and the bad state of the farm system and the pitching.
Bregman and Correa were the result of serious tanking, before other clubs caught on.
….and to think we lambasted those who were saying that the Angels βwere wasting Mike Troutβs best yearsβ.
They were absolutely correct.
Deep down we have always known it was true. Mike is gonna be in his thirties before we know it, and i see no path to winning anytime soon.
Honestly, I donβt get why people are excited about trying to get the Number 1 Draft Pick as opposed to the Number 2 or 3 or 5.
I donβt follow the baseball draft like I do football and I understand the excitement there. Can someone explain this to me? There canβt be much difference between pick number 1 and pick number 4 is there?
It is a chance to snag one of the two best pitching prospects in the draft, and in case you have not noticed, since 2015, actually even before that, this team has lacked pitching. Although I guess when this team drafts an unheard of catcher from Wasco or Weed CA, who isn’t on anyone’s draft board, so they can sign him under slot, then wait for their next pick in the 2nd round to pick a ” toolsy, best athlete available” high school kid, it really doesn’t matter.
Be wary of them awesome college arms, Canning, and our medical staff.
Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are a cut above everyone else. And they are pitchers, whom we so desperately need.
Two elite pitchers, plus the stigma of being able to say “we were the WORST!”
Hey Eppler, Arte, Upton, Heaney, bullpen (and I mean all of you), player development system, coaching staff, scouting and others who have created this black hole just prior to Trout turning 30.
FTFY
what happened?
So this is quite interesting. We see the impact of a great GM Billy Beane. Building a balanced and very good team with 1/2 the payroll as the Angels. He doesnβt make mistakes you canβt recover from like Hamilton, Upton and Pujols. He is a great evaluator of pitching talent which is why the Aβs can always pitch. Their player development is upper echelon. The Aβs are an example of a great system led by a superlative GM. Letβs not forget that in 2002, the Aβs won over 100 games and the division. Beane is a genius.
In LA (Dodgers) another great baseball executive-Andrew Friedman -President of baseball operations making $7m per year.
There just is no comparison with regard to the Angels GM and player development personnel as compared to the top teams. Accordingly, if afraid nothing is going to matter until Arte fires Carpino, Epplervand other sycophants and finally turns over baseball operations ti a highly competent crew. Also he needs to invest heavily in player development.
Until that time, it doesnβt matter how much is sent on players. The team will still suck.
If Billy beane was our GM we would be even worse than we are … It’s just our bad luck. Trust me on this.
BURN THE TEAM?
Oh I donβt know about that (maybe you are being sarcastic). Billy knows pitching talent and how to construct a team. Also the Aβs develop players as well as anyone. Iβd take Beane in a second. He will never leave his beloved Oakland though.
You have fallen into the sar-chasm.
I’ve said it before, but we really need to hire someone from Friedman’s “tree.” Look at the Giants – they Giants were in arguably a worse position than us 2 years ago. No farm, tons of huge, immoveable contracts. They had Posey, Bumgarner, and that was basically it.
Zaidi was hired, and now they have guys like Yaz, Solano, Slater, and a much, much better farm system. The big contracts are almost all gone now. They will likely be ready to go next year possibly, but if not then, by 2022.
We need someone like that. Nothing against Eppler, who I think is maybe average or so, but we really need a top-level executive to take over and runt his team. Someone who has worked alongside Friedman for awhile and has the same vision of player development that we are sorely, sorely lacking.
We have talented players who are, rather consistently, underperforming.
You are correct, βrunt this teamβ is exactly what we need.
Your typo was perfection.
I dunno, getting rid of Bochy is favor of Kapler seems like a really weird move
I donβt disagree but it needs to be system wide. There needs to be an investment in player development etc. The Angels require a complete overhaul in their management, scouting and player development infrastructure.
Arte does not go into the luxury tax zone, Arte does not rebuild. Arte is THE problem. I donβt care who is the manager, GM, Director of Player Personnel, it. does. not. matter. Arteβs will be done, and this my friends is as good as it gets.
Dancing our way to first place in Tankathon!
Watched the Padres today because we needed a break from the Angels. My wife said the Dads were more exciting. But even at the end we both missed our Angels. Probably still watch SD for a bit to see if they can keep the Trashtros down, but still won’t give up on the Halos. We’ve seen stranger things! Maybe Pujols will retire. Maybe Upton will find the psychologist who can help him. Maybe all the 1 year contract pitchers next year turn out to be all-stars!
I’ve always liked the Pads. Nice to see them playing well. An exciting, young team. Very welcome to watch instead of the torture fest in Anaheim.
Toronto is now the 8th team in the league and if they play at their pace they’ll win 32.
So we’d need to win 24 while losing only 9. That’s all!
Weβre closely approaching last place in order to get that #1 pick. This team has no chance at making the playoffs so I hope they lose every single game going forward to get Kumar Rocker. So far they are accomplishing this. We might be good at tanking for once!
Very good post game recap especially Fletcher’s hit. As for the Manfreddie doing the proper thing that is questionable. But l guess l fall in the wait ’til next year crowd but can easily be convinced to switch rather than fight ( a weak ply on a Taryton commercial from 50 years ago of ‘l’d rather fight than switch”). Seriously when you have Fletch and Rendon hitting like they are how do we not score more.
11 game winning streak and weβre right back in the hunt. This is fine.
We got them right where we want ’em. Yikees
Send help
Team is bad
Is there anything left to say at this point?
Manfred was a genius limiting the season to 60 games
In the long run yes, but ManBearFred played the short con on us.
Three batter minimum, makes our games run loooooooong
Runner on second in overtime equals looooooooong running games.
Can’t wait for a seven inning double dip of loooooong running games in one day.
Fun times.