The Angels entered Thursday’s day game with an 0-5 record at the new Rangers ballpark in Arlington this season. With teams in front of them scuffling, LA would need a solid performance from staff ace Dylan Bundy to “get back” into the postseason race. With Oakland wrapping up a neat win over Houston in just over two hours, the Angels could move to within four games of a postseason berth with a victory.
Bundy delivered. With the Rangers susceptible to chase, Bundy had a field day, carving up the lineup. He got swings and misses out of the zone and bamboozled hitters into taking called third strikes inside the zone. After a first inning run, Bundy allowed nothing but zeroes until the eighth inning. He finished with 7.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs, walking one and striking out twelve.
Dylan Bundy’s final line:
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) September 10, 2020
7 1/3 innings
4 hits
2 runs
12 strikeouts
1 walk
21 swinging strikes #Angels
The Angels attempted to do the whole “aggressive baserunning to a fault” thing. Taylor Ward stole a base (that he should have been caught stealing), Matt Thaiss drifted well off first base and was doubled up on a Mike Trout flyout, and Jared Walsh was out at home on the contact play.
No matter. All the Angels needed to do was play some good ol’ fashioned long ball.
425 ft for number 2️⃣5️⃣ 💪 pic.twitter.com/lCIXmp8gkn
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 10, 2020
This is giving us Mike Trout at Topgolf vibes 🏌️ pic.twitter.com/6ZDA0BPYYO
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 10, 2020
Andrelton Simmons doubled in an extra run and Max Stassi sacrificed in another, and the Angels were in business.
In my mind, the Angels should have a few more wins against the Rangers and a few fewer wins against the A’s, so this whole thing evens out. Just keep winning, I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Go enjoy football season, everyone!
(Screenshot from Fox Sports West)
Winning is fun, but we know that winning today hurts us for the winning down the road in that a top 3 draft choice is very important to start turning this franchise around. But hey, winning is fun. But on the other hand………..
I think “hurt us down the road” is a bit strong. Kumar Rocker is a pretty weak top prospect and the rest of the top 5 are not all time greats either.A top three pick would be nice, sure, but there’s no Strausburg/Price type clear #1 pitcher pick in this draft. Rocker has a fairly good chance of winding up a reliever and there’s almost as good a chance a pitcher like Jaden Hill, Ty Madden, Steve Hajjar, Jon Cannon or Gunnar Hoglund will turn out better. Hell, maybe this is the draft where they go after young talent. If 3B/RHP Brady House is available at our pick they should snap him up even if he is a high school kid and I think Christian Little or Maddox Bruns (among others) wouldn’t be bad HS draft picks. There are a bunch of HS arms that look like they could be better than Rocker/Lieter and the same is true of a bunch of college arms. I actually like Jon Cannon out of Georgia just as much as Rocker. So picking somewhere top 7 will probably mean not drafting a “name” if we get a pitcher, but with scouting so limited this year there are a whole bunch of guys who would have gained a lot of attention who didn’t. We can still do really well, what’s more, in the early round 2 level of the draft there are some good quality arms too.
So we could win AND have fun in the draft.
Disagree in evaluating the strength of the draft in that the top 2 picks are rated very high. High schoolers are good if you have time to wait and if you have a very good development system.
Keep in mind we also don’t have a second round pick this year it goes to Washington.
Huh?
We surrendered our 2020 2nd rounder with the Rendon signing but it doesn’t go directly to the Mats. They got a compensatory pick at the end of the second round.
We won 6-2 and, as of right this minute, we still have a 6.2% chance of making the playoffs.
Coincidence? I think so!
Wait…wha?
Ward is making more consistent contact. Thaiss looks lost. Walsh has great power but doesn’t connect enough. I’d still play the kids and let them sink or swim this year. none are particularly young for prospects.
For sure. I mean it’s time we started to figure out whether these guys can be bonafide MLB players.
Walsh, Thaiss, Ward, Rengifo – they all should be getting fairly regular playing time moving forward, to at least close out the season.
Walsh and Ward definitely deserving the PT. Rengifo looks lost, but has a spot until Fletch is ready. If Thaiss can’t figure it out, he may be a AAAA player. I’d like to see Marsh get a chance in the OF if Upton is done. (only if it doesn’t hurt service time)
Anyone else thinking it’s time to cut the Ohtani as a pitcher and move him to the OF and let him mash.
Pitching aside, anyone opposed to bring back Richards if the price is right?
No. You never take a guy who can pitch and stop pitching him, especially since it’s not like he has been out of the line up when he can’t pitch. But sure, sign Richards.
“never take a guy who can pitch and stop pitching him.” Is this something that is so common that it would hurt his potential to hit? His arm would fall off on a throw from the outfield or he will not be able perform as a fielder or hitter?. Ohtani just might not return to being a pitcher as over 1 in 5 do not return to pitching after TJS. He needs to be able to do more than DH if he is to still be valuable to the team if unable to pitch.
With Ohtani’s stuff and abilities, he should absolutely be given a chance to pitch again.
I do think there is value in having him learn a position – perhaps RF or 1B, depending on what the FO and Maddon feel is in his best interest.
He has a lot of work to do this offseason – his hitting mechanics, his pitching, etc. He is so young and immensely talented that I would bet on him figuring things out, but he definitely has a lot of work ahead.
Yes. If Ohtani is unable to pitch because of TJS troubles then he would no longer be a guy who can pitch. Thus he would be a guy you have stopped using as a pitcher and you can move him to the OF. But they won’t do that unless he is medically unable to pitch, and part time OF just won’t work if he does still pitch.
I agree with all except as I would like to see a lot more playing time for all the subs especially Walsh. Albert is done and maybe a platoon with Walsh would work. Time is now for Marsh to play the last 15 games. I would like to see Ward and Thaiss prove if they are worth holding on to or release. Over the winter it is time to see if Shohei can convert to OF or 1st and be more than a DH. l am at the point that l do not believe that 2 way players are practical as it is 2 different skill sets that need training different ways. While Shohei is having his own issues batting l believe that is the way he should be kept. Richards is a good potential starter, but maybe not for 200 innings.
In truth, if we did really feel that Ohtani should focus on one thing, then I’d just rather it be pitching. His stuff is electric and, “when healthy,” he has SP1/SP2 caliber stuff. Not many guys do, so I’d just focus on him getting healthy and supporting his pitching growth.
That said, he has an interest in being a two-way player, so for now, we should continue to foster that growth until we feel it is no longer an option.
My point anther than at the top of my head is that maybe he will not ever pitch again as he may not ever regain what he once possessed because of TJS.
I’ll take it, good at bats from Ward and Walsh, Trout, rendon, Simmons, and bundy doing their things, if we can keep doing this we might win more often.
Ward’s numbers suddenly look average.
13-2 to finish and we’re in!
12-3
I remember when we were 13-3…
Ha ha ha!