Rays 4, Angels 3
One thousand years from now, I don’t know how historians will work to piece together the story of today, but if they simply dig up one short video clip, it will definitely not be able to tell the story of the Los Angeles Angels.
Friday night, the Angels soared to the highest of highs and suffered the lowest of lows. A fancier way of describing this phenomenon would actually encapsulate this team, but such a phrase eludes my mind at the moment.
Regardless, we are trudging up an endless hill at the moment, and Shohei Ohtani is the main light keeping us moving right now. I was fortunate enough to be in front of a TV to start the game (rarely happens nowadays), and the sound off the bat is tremendous.
(Title picture a screenshot from this video.)
He later added a bunt single, for good measure.
Joe Maddon stated pregame that he wanted Ohtani and Walsh at one and three in the lineup because the Tampa Bay Rays were using a right-handed opener in Andrew Kittredge before turning to the left-handed Josh Fleming, and he wanted to guarantee both an AB off Kittredge. The strategy worked. Ohtani homered, and Anthony Rendon homered later in the inning.
Yet the Angels outfield continued to show problems defensively. Tonight it was Taylor Ward. In the first inning alone, he failed to properly track a baseball, and then he let another one bounce over his head.
He later allowed another catchable ball to drop next to two of his fellow defenders.
Angels defensive miscues led to at least two runs, which is at least a tad important when you consider the final margin was one.
Griffin Canning wasn’t sharp, but he was both facing a talented offense and as aforementioned didn’t get help from Ward. He allowed three runs in the first, two earned, but worked out of the jam without further damage. My opinion of Canning was that it was a pretty typical start for him, with some pitches that got away from, but he did locate well at times and the Rays were still able to hit him. Canning still has an elite arsenal of pickoff moves.
In the seventh, José Suárez walked two and allowed a third to reach on the “single,” and then Steve Cishek hit a batter. It was the winning run.
The outlook on the Angels is…not good right now!
My question- are the Angels buyers or sellers or is it still too early to decide?
yes no maybeWe are never buyers, we are never sellers, so there is never anything to decide.
Is there a dumpster nearby? Take a look inside, and there is our answer to our desires.
2-weeks after All Star break the flag will go up.
We should be sellers, but we’ll dither and do nothing.
Okay this will be my little rant.
1st why is it that when we have an OF’er go down they call up an IF’er?
2nd Do they not have an OF’er on the taxi squad?
3rd did we get rid of Schebler since they don’t ever mention him as an option.
I forgot but why does Ward take 2 pitches down the middle and then swings at strike 3 way out of the zone
Actually this roster move was an upgrade. I really thought we were going to bring up another pitcher named Jose
So your saying that Wong is a better OF’er than Schebler
But you are also right about how with a short bench they tend to replace position players with pitching that they will return to AAA without throwing a single pitch
It is odd the Halos bring up IFs to play OFs. Rengifo, Rojas and Wong. It’s hard for me to see why Schebler is not given another opportunity. Granted, Scott was not lighting it up earlier but he is an OF.
Run Prevention Perry, hello?
Do we have an actual “reserve outfielder” who’s not a “prospect” in the system any more?
Schebler and his minor league number aren’t bad 8 HR hitting .281
In the Scheb’s last 50 PA’s in the hitter haven PCL West his splits are (.156/.224/.311) So yeah it ain’t happening.
Bad Luck is an oxymoron but it certainly applies to Sea Shells, hitting a batter on a first pitch and forcing home the winning run. Maybe with that out of the way we will win today.
The team played good enough to win or lose, and played bad enough to lose or win. It would seem probable that one of those outcomes will occur.
We will win some games.
Interesting that the RAYS usually win those kinds of games and we usually lose them.
Ward probably won’t go down to AAA until Upton is back. Agree with the estimable Red Floyd, Maddon needs to have his hands slapped and his Cishek taken away permanently. With the right coaching, I think Canning could be a lot better than he is. Halos never seem to get the fact that elite pitching coaches could actually help this staff.
Vetting issues aside, they certainly tried to do so with Callaway…
Does Bud Black ( former pitching coach up until 2006 ) ring a bell. 😫 💩
Bringing in Cishek with the bases load is borderline insanity. I clearly understand why Theo cut Maddon loose. He did this recently as well. Cishek has a high walk rate. Dumb.
What a horrible way to lose.
WTF is Joe’s fascination with Cishek? It’s like Soth’s thing for Mathis, but worse. Perry has to take away this toy, and soon.
Even Terry and Mark on the radio were WTFing when Joe brought him in.
Remember the year Scioscia ran Dane DeLa Rosa into the ground? Joe learned from the best.
Prefer Mike over Joe any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Joe…go back to sipping coffee and listening to Crosby Stills and Nash sing…Teach Your Children Well.
I’d been wondering when ppl might start calling for return of Sciocialism. 😉
Tbf, I wasn’t really against Scioscia–thought his role in underperformance of the Angels late in his tenure was a bit exaggerated, but a change is good even if there are few or any improvements.
tatis going off tonight. shohei watching I’m sure
fun but frustrating game to watch.
just booked flights, hotel, and tickets to HR derby and All Star game. I do like the venue change after all 🙂
Didn’t see the game but read the write-up and saw the video (low)lights. Taylor Ward needs to be sent down to AAA to hone his catcher skills. An outfielder he is not.
Sorry MAN, he doesn’t know how to catch either. Did you see his feet the other day. It was like the very first time he put on the gear, and then went behind the dish. Turrible.
Thats ridiculous man. Everyone knows he was one the greatest defensive catchers in NCAA history.
Cue Angels 2015 draft celebration video
I would like to see them get some hitters more averse to striking out. Too many unclutch hitters on the team. So far it’s been a bunch of false hope this year. Nomas Bundy also
Don’t bother me……..wake me when #27 is back!!!! 😖 😰 💩
Frustrating watching this team every night. But watching Ohtani every night is just a great experience.
Also can the Angels PR STFU about Rendon. He’s costing the team games. He even lowered an abysmally low OBP on a day he hit a homer. Can we stop getting guys with no incentive to play well when they are coming off a WS win and you given them a boatload of money.
We fans have seen this before, signing expensive player only to see some issue that comes up. We been taken by both Hitter’s and Pitcher’s, take the money and roll over and pull up the blanket and go to sleep.
He’s the Angels Paul George.
They should…….starring the Angels and would Edward James Olmos be OK as Arte Moreno? LOL!!!! 😆
I would hate for Mr. Olmos to go down remembered as one of the sports’ biggest villains ever.
Maybe Arte could do it hiself, save a few bucks(perk), no real lines to speak of(secrecy), and Arte could get the promotion rights and pay hiself(guaranteed returns on investment, me)
Wait . EJO is playing Rob Manfred?
I don’t know about any of that. I just know that if the story of the 2020 Lakers is ever turned into a film Rob Lowe will be playing Rob Pelinka !!
Terrible team. Moreno you are going to lose all of your fans if you don’t put together a winning season very soon.
yet here we are
I would consider myself a diehard but I find myself watching few Angels games. This team is just too frustrating. Bullpen put together from the waiver wire pitching important innings. Angels pitchers don’t understand the importance of just not walking players. Chris Rodriguez has only gotten coaching form the Angels. He throws 98 with nice movement and when he gets to 3 balls he’s still trying to throw a perfect strike. Angels pitchers don’t challenge guys nearly enough instead they walk too man.
Another losing season. How many more do us fans have to put up with?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-5o2f9wzmw
Yeah – we are not really the fan base bradllee is referencing. He means the less than die-hards. This group of approximately 30 isn’t going anywhere no matter what.
Will the Angeks ever win again?
Well No, why should they? They enjoy finding new ways to lose every night to make it fun.
We would need like the two best players in the world for something like that to happen.
Oh, they are gonna beat up some losing team to butter us up, only to cup us down a few days later.
Taylor Ward is not an OF. He looked like he shouldn’t be anywhere near the OF on 3 plays.
on the pop up that dropped you can see him pause before throwing to 3rd. It’s brief but it probably made the difference between out or safe.
Seems RF is his better corner.
I still think his best corner is the Corner Bakery.