The Angels did not win yesterday but they also didn’t lose. Andrew Heaney will pitch the opening game of the Dodgers series this evening.
It’s time for the eternal discussion about Mike Trout not making it to the postseason despite being a star. This article also discusses Bryce Harper and the Phillies in the same tone. There have been some rumors that Matt Klentak might be on the hot seat, but I think if we exchanged Billy Eppler for Matt Klentak it would be a difference that makes no difference. Klentak is apparently even worse at building bullpens than Eppler is. We have a couple of guys that are in the top five of the American League at getting on base. Offense is not the problem, but I guess we already knew that. Jared Walsh simplified his swing to be more direct to the ball. It works! Go figure. Jared Walsh made the 2020 All Rookie Team.
News From Around Baseball
The injury to Mike Clevinger appeared to be some sort of a biceps strain. He may not be able to play in the postseason. As it turns out he has a sprained elbow. All right! This tweet is supposed to be about Trevor Bauer but I just can’t get over the fact that the batter swung at this pitch. Here is Metallica performing The Star Spangled Banner virtually at a Giants Rockies game.
The American Association and the Pioneer League have joined the Atlantic League as “Partner Leagues” of MLB. $3.7 billion here, $5.1 Billion there, pretty soon it starts to add up to some real money. But remember folks! Baseball is not a particularly profitable industry. The Fangraphs 2021 Free Agent Tracker is here.
I’m expecting Houston loses all three, we win tonight and tomorrow and then something bad happens Sunday.
awful Texas team is putting out a lineup with 4 sub .200 guys. Unfortunately they did that vs us and won too many.
One and done, three and O and we maybe in though. Does that mean that tonight could be the last of Eppler?
They might as well let his contract expire at the end of Sunday’s game and then there is no chance they owe him anything. (presuming the Angels get eliminated from the postseason.)
Edit: I am not sure how his contract reads; whether it is for five years from a certain date or it is for five seasons. They might end up having to fire him I guess.
He will be back, and isn’t only a one year deal at the moment?
Rangers should break out a little sign stealing this series to torpedo the Asterisks. You know, give them a little taste of their own medicine. Texas has nothing to lose and the entire league would forgive them.
So – Angeks cannot catch Toronto and can only tie Houston. So Houston would need to lose 3 and Angeks win 3 to force a one game playoff.
Not thinking it’s looking too promising!
Yeah, really needed Houston to lose that game against Lynn.
Other than Rendon, most of the Angels don’t do squat against Kershaw so today is probably the last day of clinging to hope about the postseason.
Probably. But, maybe not!
There is no tiebreaker game. Angels have the head-to-head tiebreaker record of 6-4, so if they tie, the Angels are in.
un-magical number is 1. Any Houston win ends it for us. I’m keeping my spirits up by telling myself this is game 160 and we’re still alive. Seattle is eliminated now, according to MLB.com even though they, too, can finish 29-31. As I understand it, not that it’ll matter, in a 3 way tie they lose the tie-breaker. I have no idea where that would put us.
Interesting twist to the stadium deal, it could cost the Angels up to $300 million if they leave Anaheim. Language is being added to the purchase deal. It specifically names the team as responsible to it transfers to any new owners (Arte would be over 100 by the time this ends).
Re the Trevor Bauer pitch: Vlad would have hit that for at least a single.
Re: Metallica. Don’t forget to #PayLars for linking to that clip.
A two homerun run, I say
Here is a surveillance video of a guy doing a little freelance grounds keeping at Miller Park. https://twitter.com/Evanryt/status/1309290935155646465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1309290935155646465%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fmlb
that is pretty epic outside of the damage done to the field. Growing up in a small farming town we’d do stuff like that to rival high schools.
What the hell is wrong with this guy? CUBS fan? May explain a bunch of this if so. Why was the front door unlocked like that. Shit is strange in the MILLZ.
Sounds like Houston brought out the trash cans last night
Wow do you have good ears……………lol
Piped in crowd noice from 2017
Prediction; MLB will not look like 2020 in 2021 but similar in that fans will probably be allowed into games as stadiums maybe allowed to fill 25% of the seats. Now that depends of the State and where we are with the virus at that point of time. Even if everyone is vaccinated by say July 4th (optimistic l know) how would you know who is or isn’t?. And does everyone want back in? More Manfred rules coming? And how many so-so fans have lost interest? So all of this leads me to believe that some guys are going to have to sign on the cheap as free agents for a shorter period of time. Boy did Albert come out smelling like a rose, at 41 (?) he will make approx. 29 mil., pro rated maybe.
The market could be kind to the Angels this year. As I’ve previously stated we need one middle infielder to cover the loss of Simba, and that could be Simba.
But where it is really flooded is bullpen arms. Tons of decent arms on the market. Nothing dynamic enough to move the needle in one swoop, but flooded enough that 2 solid arms should be possible. 24 bullpen arms with positive WAR for 2020 are on that list.
Another flooded market is buy low starting pitching. Names like Tanaka, Chatwood, Quintana, Richards. Guys who won’t anchor your staff but could provide some much needed help getting through the rotation. At least one of them should find their way here, hopefully with a frontline caliber guy.
I would be seriously happy with Bauer and maybe Garrett.
Me too. My dream this year has been Stroman and Richards, probably because I’m thinking 2 pieces instead of one.
A creative GM might also trade Adell or Marsh for a quality starter then spend the savings on Semien, Didi, or Realmulto…… Manning, Bundy, Heaney, Canning, Richards with a premier position player added to the fold. Yeah, I’m already working on my offseason GM piece.
What will the title be since you can’t use “If I were Billy”
you caught that. I was about to write “me Eppler piece” and then bailed out for GM.
If I were Banksy
Didi is a questionable fielder and while in any other year except this one he may be a better hitter than Simba but not by as much a difference than the diff in fielding.
Manning is out with a forearm injury…. he’s also not really MLB ready yet. I’d still love to have him, but he’s not slotting into next year’s rotation.
well, yeah, but what are the chances? Last off-season we were talking about Cole (hometown boy!) and maybe Wheeler plus Grandal. Arte has to unlock the purse. Anyway, yes, those two you mention.
It is true that the Angels would be much improved by keeping Bundy, signing 2 solid pen arms, and then adding a couple Richards/Quintana type starters. But that doesn’t matter. Even this year, with the pitchers we picked up last winter, the Angels have moved up seven spots in over all WHIP for our pitching staff. In the mix with teams like Hou/SF/Atl. Doesn’t matter.
The moves you’re talking about could get us well into the top ten. Who cares? None of those moves indicate that Arte is as emotional and committed to yarrr as far as yaarrrr are and he needs to get all sass face and spend money on pitching even if no top pitchers will sign here or else he needs to come out in public and cut his own belly open while Ersty waits with a big sword and cuts of his head at a signal to do so. Only then will the harr yarr hurr derr the murder blurrrr. You need more angry tharrr.
Bundy is a 3/2 in my book. We need to get two more on the top side of the rotation to compete for that piece of metal. Some bullpen help is what we should look for RIGHT AWAY. Make that the priority this off season.
I will make my Arte comments off line, thank you.
Congrats to Mr. Walsh for making the all Rookie Team, most unexpected but a very pleasant surprise for him and Angel Fans.
Interestingly looking at the future free agents of 20-21 is one that my eyes keep coming back to and l just do not think that we would get him, Realmuto, a catcher that can field and hit. That is a rare find.
That free agent tracker can be hard to look at. Trevor Cahill put up 0.4 WAR this year.
Pitchers who are marginal talent seem to have almost always be hit or miss every other year and there is no telling which year you will get.
Speaking of which, Ol’ Shoey is a free agent after this season.
We need his beard, even if he spends his entire season on the bench. The beard provides some badly needed manliness!
Shoe is just so injury prone, but boy could he pitch when healthy.
I was starting to miss having 3 or 4 starters hurt at a time. We should bring him back.
Isn’t GRich going to be let free this off season?
Yep. Sign G Rich, Shoey and Kluber…. bring back Ohtani…. we’ll have a regular ambulance fire for a staff again!
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Toronto clinched their playoff spot. Now it is down to the question of whether the Angels can catch Houston.
Not with them playing Texas
And the Dodgers have tapped Kershaw to start the game tonight.
I think they want to put us out of our misery forthwith.
We beat Claton, the stRangers beat the Asstros, and we buttercupped it.