David Fletcher had three doubles and five RBIs, Alex Cobb took over the Number Two spot in the pitching rotation with a great performance and guys like Taylor Ward and Jack Mayfield stepped up with homers on a night where Shohei Ohtani had the Platinum Sombrero with four strikeouts on an 0 for 5 performance.
Worse than that we had to burn a Raisel appearance when Alex Claudio gave up a three-run homerun in the top of the ninth inning in a 9-1 ballgame, but why fixate on the negatives when so much good peppered the Los Angeles Big Salami of Anaheim tonight?!?!
Light it up and get some shut eye for the afternoon delight maƱana…
Final Score: Angels 9, Mariners 4 (but it wasn’t even really that close) at the Stadium in Anaheim where the Halo is safely lit.
Photo of Fletcher by REX FREGOSI.
No matter how he does from here on out, the first Twenty-six
so youāre telling me thereās a chance!
ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ , but the comparison between the two, no wonder MSM is so quite as to not disturb the Pinstriped GODS.
Interesting shit to look at. Fun to watch no matter whatā¦love to see him get another 10 and really get some attention.
If he gets to the big 30 I will be satisfied…
Ohtani is human after all?
HH regular user name in reference to a Plymouth Barracuda muscle car and it’s engine.ļ»æ š ļ»æ
Your love of negativity and the joy you take in rubbing it in otherās faces is astonishing. Who hurt you?
The Cleveland Browns thatās whoā¦.I believe heās a Browns fan? So Iām I.
The pain involving that is life changing. Some Psychologist have stated, being a Browns fan the last 20 years is the equivalent of a child never shown love, never taken out of the crib, never gone outside. Only after years of therapy have I over come this debilitating diseaseā¦ā¦Lucky for us the Browns will win a Super Bowl sooner than laterā¦..Go Angels! Go Browns! Fuck (November) the Steelers, Ravens, Aāss, Asstros, Mariners!
Can we get a pool together to get 2002 some Browns therapy?
That’s just plain harassment. Not good bro.
Todays guess at the starting lineup:
Fletcher
Ohtani
Walsh
Stassi
Ward
Iglesius
Eaton
Lagares
Wong.
I think there is a very good chance Joe sits Ohtani today, especially since he is pitching tomorrow.
I say 50/50.
It’s up to Ippe to decide when is allowed Ohtani to sit.
You could be Wong, you could be rightā¦ā¦.The cost so high the gain so low
Rise – PIL
When the pitching is good, weāre good.
Regarding the mess in DC… I just found out that Miss UCSD had planned to go to that game, but couldn’t for some reason. You can NOT imagine my relief.
Glad sheās okay!
We are still. Hanging Around. Win the series tomorrow.
https://youtu.be/d4piHt4jvG4
The Stranglers will always get a Rev from me.
Rec
But does Rev Rec?
Live in Texas, but am at home visiting. Went to my first game since 2017. We picked a good one!
Got tickets for tomorrow right. Right?
Unfortunately, no. Gonna hit the beach
Before or after the game?
Probably before
See you at the game then..
All you can quaff Crown and Cokes are on Tom
10 second Tom?
What section is everyone baking in today?
The Sunday game is going to be a humid one.
Great time seeing The Whoās and huhās stepping up.
I’m a simple man. I enjoy watching David Fletcher play.
‘Skynyyrrrrd!’
Victor: Great Fuckin Song!
I’m glad Maddon trusts his players and never lost faith in Ward…love to see it!..š¤ Good win boys!
I have never lost faith in Wardās ability to hit. I have no faith in his ability to field.
I have no faith in his ability to run the bases
We’re winners! 46-45
I would have to see it, really I can’t, to believe it.
Cobb has really settled into a good groove. Now Sandy has to have a good game tomorrow and I might start feeling semi-optimistic about starting pitching. Now we need to replace Claudio and Bundy in the bullpen.
And how about that Fletcher? Holy crap, he is on a seriously historic tear. Three more to tie GA for the team record, anybody see that one coming? I mean, I figured he’d be picking up from last year, but this is flat amazing.
Also kind of think Shohei needs a day off tomorrow, before he pitches on Monday. He’s had two days in a row of out-of-sync hitting.
Home cooking is to blame. He still lives at home right?
Why yes, yes he does and is very comfy in his his thatched roof home.
Granted, he has not looked Ohtanish, but he did already have Wednesday and Thursday off. 2nd thought, yes. We need that Monday win more than the Sunday win.
ALL wins matter!
What else is there in competition? I like losing?
This game matters more than most….
Disagree. This Sunday game vs. the Mariners is one of the biggest games of the year, if not the biggest. Not only is it the rubber game of the series, but it is a key divisional rival who is immediately ahead of us in the standings….
Plus, they beat us two games to one in last weekend’s series. We really HAVE to win this game.
If we have any hope of moving up in the standings and by extension of making a possible playoff push this game is a true must win. It might as well be Game 5 of a five game playoff series….
My nightmare is that it is tied or a one run game going into the 7th and 8th and we get into a bullpen game. I can see a one or two run loss, like 3-2, 4-3 or 4-2.
This game is today is HUGE. Sorry to make folks that nervous, but it is the truth.
Todayās game is the biggest until the next game! š
While I believe that from here on all games are a top priority to win, beating a team ahead of you in your division is most important to win and move up a full game on your own doings. Taking care of Business. (BTO 1974?)
We just drafted that composer
Blame the Homerun Derby!
Tomorrow night the lefties will make noise.
Let’s take the rubber game and send Jerry’s Kids home with rotten eggs in the duffle bags..
And burnt coffee, no that is how they like it up there.
lets hope they don’t wait until tomorrow night. It would be too late.
Oops, I am thinking that you are right on there.
Prior to the 2019 season I said that Fletch would lead the team in Hits, Doubles and Runs Scores and bat lead off. Well lead off took a bit of time because our new manager had no idea of how to use him. Well he lead the team in Hits and Doubles but missed in runs (Trout). Before 2020 I said Hits, Doubles and Runs. Well he did lead in Hits, Doubles and Average but not Runs. So this year I said Average, Hits, Doubles. Prior to 2020 Joe admitted he had no idea of how to use Fletch. This season Fletch started slow but I never waivered and kept saying Fletch would get hot and hit .320+ and well look at tonight 5 RBI and 3 2b’s. I saw someone in his first half season someone play like I taught and coached. He looks to make contact, knows how to go to the opposite field and steal bases. But the best was his instincts and fielding. He can adjust and not just between pitches but during the time of a pitched ball, you can’t teach that. He may just make 200 hit season with 35 – 40 2B, and 100 runs. We’ll see.
I said this when he was Drafted
I really knew nothing from his being drafted to his promotion about him. When we went to a game in July ’18 he made one of his patented fielding plays and had an opposite field hits and then watched him on TV closer until 2 games in September at the Big A and that was sweet and I was hooked. In half a season he had like 18 Doubles too.
I knew he belonged during his first game when he made that defensive play at the plate. When was the last time we had a prospect who arrived with that kind of field awareness & maturity?
https://www.facebook.com/Angels/videos/david-fletchers-mlb-debut-june-13-2018/336953343697635/
Wayte hoo drafted him?
Yes Tony Reagins back at a El Pollo Loco in 2013 or wuzit Chipotle?
I’m shure you’ll find a irror here sumwhere.
gotta go, got family and company over.
His mother pushed him out just the way I coached her and, as his mother anxiously waited to first lay eyes on him, I held him close, wiped the goop off his face, and whispered “You will grow up here and dream of being an Angel. You will drive an old Honda Civic to Cypress High School. You will like Pepsi more than Coke. Then you will go to Layola Marymount and play baseball. You will be drafted in the sixth round by the Angels, be a slow starter, then an underrated prospect, but eventually you will be a solid defender and excellent contact hitter for the Angels. Eventually an old man on the internet will take credit for being almost right about a lot of your statistics and will form a deep one sided attachment with you. Oh…. and your name will be David…. I know your dad wants Kevin, but that’s an admin assistant’s name.” Then I handed him over and look, it all came to pass. I like David Fletcher.
Well… I donated the swimmers and before I did, I told said Swimmers all of this.
I know. I told your dad you would do that before you were born and it all happened just as I coached it to be done via my philosophy and stuff. I also spent a year after college in Middle Earth many dozens years ago developing Fletcher’s swing by training hobbits.
You said all that in italian?
I like how it was a wall. So it blocked my vision from reading it.
Yes. And in a single breath too. I kept almost dropping newborn slicky David because I talk with my hands.
Nice interpretation, but he would rather have an ice cold Coke.
someone needs to explain to me intuitively why he should lead off. like a good, convincing argument. i really would just like to know
he doesn’t really do it from the traditional standpoint (speed, take pitches, steal bases), and he doesn’t really do it from the traditional stat-y standpoint (get on base)
so he just has a ton of hits and looks really cool doing it. and i love him. but only this torrid streak pushed him above Taylor Ward in wOBA (they’re neck-and-neck), and everyone seems to hate ward
When (if) J Up ever comes back Fletch needs to be our clean up hitter . The dude is a madman with runners on base . I mean our current clean up hitter is Gosselin. Seriously. Gosselin.
Yep, when they are forced to throw strikes at Fletcher, that is when he shines.
I’m thinking that low, I’m guessing low, wOBA is due to him only getting hits when players were on base during the beginning of the season slump he had.
As for being lead off. Davie just brings it. He’s a catalyst for the offense. He is just one of the old timey types that were always lead off.
But when JUp returns, he will be placed into another slot.
If you were manager would you move Fletcher from lead off?
Dude we are all managers
ļ»æ š ļ»æļ»æ š ļ»æ
So – hypothetically if Upton returns mid-Aug and Fletch has a 50 game hit streak (again only hypothetically) do you do anything with Fletch other than continue to allow him to bat leadoff? You never mess with a streak in my opinion.
Also – while Upton succeeded in the lead off spot, that was by comparison to Fletchās early season slump. If he continues to hit like he is hitting, itās going to be tough to move Fletch down in the lineup.
Maddon does some strange things with his line up card. I never really thought of the streak when I made that comment but was thinking of the veteranness of JUp, and how they are treated special in these situations.
Then there were the comments that Joe made after that last game concerning the way he was a difficult player to place in the line up. He went from the ninth to the first, did good all over. That just makes me feel that he will use David as a flexible piece in the line up, making way for the more sencitive players. Because the way JUp was producing in the lead off spot compared to anywheres else is just mind boggling.
So yes, I would be willing to move Davie out of the number 1 spot in the batting order, when the streak ends in 2023. Thank you for your questions, you are all doing a good job in these trying times, and once again I will be asking for your help.
Negativity is always paid more attention to.
When I have constipation I care more about it then when I’m regular and empty!!ļ»æ š ļ»æ
I doubt you are ever regular but you are certainly most often empty
I agree 100%!
Ward is a one-sided player: offense only. Fletch is a wizard at the plate and in the field. Thatās the difference.
Fletch is better on the bases too.
Not my point, even though I articulated it poorly. Everyone would be like “WTF” if we hit Ward leadoff, yet most seem happy to hit Fletch there.
Iāll bite – first the Fletcher and Ward stat comparison starts and ends for me with WAR. Fletch is at 2.7 forthe season and very well could be a 5 by the end of the year. Thatās Allstar quality. Ward is having a 0.4 WAR season. You can say ābut for this torrid streakā but in my opinion thatās not a valid argument. A torrid streak is what good players often have during the season along with slumps and less torrid streaks. The bottom line is the chances are low that we will ever see a torrid streak like that from Ward but Fletcher is having one and has been hot before. Making contact is old school baseball and it works. I just donāt think you can fairly compare Fletch and Ward. As an old scout once said – you can see the difference with your own eyes.
Now from a leadoff hitter perspective, I agree that Fletchās .344 is not high enough to be a prototypical lead off hitter. He also doesnāt walk enough for a leadoff hitter (14 all season). However, Upton has a .336 OBP and even Ohtani is only at .354 ONP and he has been walking a lot more. So it raises the issue – if not Fletch than whom if the focus is OBP?
Itās the contact that he makes that changes the analysis for me and there really is no stat that keeps track of that (to my knowledge). The contact he makes raises the probability of success high enough and pressures the defense enough to justify his batting lead off. You want a guy who makes contact coming to the plate as many times in a game as possible – the best way to do that is have him bat leadoff.
Ultimately, your points are well taken – itās not a super clear issue. If there was a Ricky Henderson on the team – well that would be another story. However, as constructed, I think there is a valid basis for keeping a high contact batter who puts constant pressure on the defense at the top of the lineup.
Well put and stated.
But really , what is it good for?
NOTHING
As 1971 said it is in the eyes, all 4000 of thems.
See above as I’m just comparing their offense, and Ward hitting leadoff would be…interesting, to say the least.
Also, to borrow a line…”if the contact he makes raises the probability of success high enough and pressures the defense enough, why doesn’t he hit better?”
And also, to ask who should hit leadoff, it should be Ohtani now, Trout when he comes back. Have always championed this view. If neither of them want it, then Rendon.
Ward will never hit above .270 if he were a regular.
That’s tragic for him…if only he weren’t as valuable a hitter as Fletcher is…
Did we not try Ward at lead off, a minor disaster if I remember right.
He seems like a pretty smart player in the baseball sense, he knows how the game is played, but is very timid in the execution of playing the game. In other words, he thinks too much.
He needs to learn how to field, badly, before anything else can happen. He always brings his glove to the plate.
When Taylor Ward gets comfortable with his game, he will become a good player. Right now he is just okay in flashes, and he should never get ahead of himself.
āAlso, to borrow a lineā¦āif the contact he makes raises the probability of success high enough and pressures the defense enough, why doesnāt he hit better?āā
I think Fletcher hits better than his advanced stats you are focusing on may show. His āweaknessā when it comes to OBP is not walking frequently enough. He hits just fine (as his nearly .320 BA average reflects).
I will add I am not a fan of Ohtani at leadoff nor Trout nor Rendon. Trout is a natural #2, Ohtani #3 and Rendon #4.
When (IF) healthy, I am all in on:
Fletch
Trout
Ohtani
Rendon
Walsh
Upton
Iglesias
Stassi
RF
I like wOBA. It’s basically the best of what we can publicly quantify right now.
Moot argument if you’re not a fan of Ohtani or Trout or Rendon at leadoff, though.
First thing I would try to convince you about Fletch is his OBP is never going to be 40% like Trout’s is because he has never seen a pitch he could not hit. On the other hand even now at the top of the order with Shohei behind him he is ripping off 2 and 3 hits a night and has raised his OBP from 26% to 34% and climbing. Once on base he is much more of a threat than JUp to go from first to third or even score from first. Yes JUp has long ball power compared to Fletcher’s capacity for doubles. But Fletcher will score many more runs.
BTW a Hall of Famer who was a lead off hitter who I believe had an OBP of around 34% was Lou Brock. Once our JUp gets on base he is not as much a threat to go anywhere or to get to third on a base hit.
The arguments to me seem mainly like “we don’t have anyone better”
Which is fine! But def not a leadoff hitter in the idealized version of our lineup, for sure.
If Iām correct, your opinion has always been Fletch hitting 5th. I agree, fine with cleanup too (cowboy, look who Joe has hit 4), for no other reason he has more value at 4 or 5, and others can hit 1ā¦But not putting Ward as the everyday lead off, Ward is not an everyday player, not now. If/when Upton comes back, shared with Ward works. I think Upton does change his mentality at lead off.
If the band ever gets back togetherā¦.
Upton, Sho, Trout, Walsh, Fletch, Rendonā¦..when Wardās in lineup, 9 or 1.
Yes, although I had a discussion with Rick earlier today that has led me to believe that Fletcher should hit 9th when the lineup is fully healthy.
Fletcher is like evolution, he changes towards the environment around him.
-just on memory David was seems to have not gotten qualifying status for batting so seems to be missing from where I am looking, too GA to look harder at 0700-
David started his game as a player who was very good at contact on pitches faced. He would see six pitches and make contact(hit, foul, out) on all six of them. He would also face quite a few pitches on avg per AB.
Then the pitchers and scouting caught up, so Dave evolved into a first pitch animal. He is destroying first pitches at the moment. He still sees his share of pitches in the other ABs but that first pitch swing this season.
In this day and age, what is a typical lead off batter? What was one in the past? Have you looked at the top all time players at that spot. Not much different than Davie, but the stolen bases, and who steals anymore on a regular basis? Why do you want theses guys stealing bases? That is how you get hurt, and shorten careers.
Fletcher is a great lead off batter, because he gets into the head of the competition before the first pitch is tossed.
He gets on base, and is very smart on the bases. He hits the ball anywhere, and is very difficult to defend when there are runners on the bases. At lead off, when the bottom of the order is getting on base, he is the last guy a pitcher wants to face. David Fletcher is not a rally killer, and that is the guy that deserves the most ABs possible in a game.
A typical leadoff hitter nowadays to me is one of the three best hitters on the team =)
Well, Fletcher is your best hitter.
š¤·š»āāļø
Walking only once in every 20 PA’s ain’t getting it done as a leadoff hitter
Tied for 3rd in AL hitting. En Fuego Senor Fletcher!
What a dude. LTBU!
Kool.
He is super dude. I bet he’s fun at a BBQ.
with or without a mask?
Yes
LTBU!
PotG Cobb. BotG Claudio.
I go with Fletch as Panther.
Though Cobb was a close second.
You are where I am thinking, but PANTHER goes to Ward.
Cobb did what he is supposed to do. Fletch had a game for the ages but it is what he does x2, but Taylor Ward, come on, whoduhthunk?
Using that metric, you could go for Mayfield
You don’t know Jack
It’s a toss-up, and this is not an award that we are always supposed to agree on. That is the beauty of the PANTHER, it’s all you baby.
Are there any rules to awarding this?
One guy throws it out there. If it doesn’t get countered, it stands
Fletch drove in the first runs of the game. I tend to value that highly. Whoever breaks the seal offensively (especially if he ALSO contributes offensively in other spots) deserves the most credit in my book.