It was Jamie Barria’s turn to shine as he was brought up to start today. It looked to be a disaster as he allowed back to back jacks to the first 2 batters he faced. But after that, he pitched solidly well, going a full 7 with just those 2 ER. The up and down spot starter showed off today, pitching to the defense and being effective. He could have gone 8, really. The offense was more alive this game, although waiting until the 9th to really show up beyond a few guys.
Recap
Jaime Barria the Stud
Ohtani got an infield single, and after some trickery from Simba, almost got doubled up on a fly ball. He then got caught stealing second anyway. Jaime Barria did not start things off well as the Twins hit a leadoff home run against him. Then they went back to back. 2-0 Twins after 1.
Marsh worked a 2 out walk and Max Stassi hit a triple to send him home! 2-1 Twins. Things went much better for Barria in the 2nd, putting down the Twins in order.
Angels got nothing in the 3rd. Jaime had some trouble in the 3rd, but got out of it unscathed. Still 2-1 Twins after 3.
The Angels went down in order in the 4th as well. Barria continued to put that first inning behind him and pitch well. Still 2-1 Twins after 4.
Max Stassi came through in the 5th, hitting a home run to tie the game!
Barria appreciated it, and kept the game tied in his half inning. 2-2 score through 5.
Shohei Ohtani has his swing back and launched one over the wall to give the Angels the lead!
With a lead for the first time, Barria was confident and pitched to his defense, even if Fletcher botched one. That did not matter, as he got out of it with a 3-2 lead after 6.
Angels did not add on in the 7th, but what was more surprising was that Barria went back out there in the bottom half. Joe Maddon had confidence in him and was greatly rewarded. Still 3-2 Angels after 7.
Despite getting 2 on, the Angels failed to score in the 8th, even though Ohtani got a stolen base after being IBB-ed.
Oh no, Bullpen Time
With a 1 run lead and 6 outs to go, Joe Maddon went to the bullpen, this was divisive to say the least. Steve Cishek got the call, as he was Joe’s favorite after all. After 2 quick outs, a walk made the fans panic, but he got out of it with the lead intact.
Top of the 9th saw Churches get a single, and Marsh double him home for an insurance run. Stassi singled Marsh home for another run! A missed double play kept the inning alive and Eaton stole second which set up another run as Mayfield doubled him in! 6-2 Angels going into the bottom of the 9th!
Now with a much more comfortable lead, it was Watson’s turn to finish the game. It was not a save situation, and that was fine by the fans. He did his job and secured the win, bringing the Angels back to .500.
Upcoming
Next for the Angels is a Rockies series. Another must win series in the easiest part of the schedule for the rest of the season. The time is now. Drink responsibly.
I’ve got some trade thoughts but I’m too GA at almost 11 pm to do some needed research. I’ll get to it Monday.
The gist is not to look at Heaney and see what we can get for him but rather decide what we need, who might have that, look at what they need and then see if we have a match. So our player, Heaney or anyone, wouldn’t even be identified until we’d gone through three earlier steps.
We just saw what Adam Frazier cost the Padres so I am not sure Heaney will get us too much. I guess, I would take 2-3 lower level prospects for him; positional or pitchers. Position wise, catcher and the infield corners are needed.
Perry’s draft strategy is in full display now by taking 20 pitchers in 20 rounds and signing most all of these pitchers. This draft was unique and complex due to the fact that last years draft was only 5 rounds (4 for the Angels because of Rendone) so there were a lot of college pitchers available due to the pandemic. The Angels draft strategy was to target a college pitcher with great stuff in the first round (Sam Bachman) but also willing to sign below slot so that they could also target a specific high school pitcher (Mason Albright) with their pool savings in later rounds. It looks like mission accomplished even though a consensus higher ranked draftee was available to them in the first round (Kumar Rocker) but would have used up all of their slot value plus $1M thereby preventing them in signing the high schooler and forcing to take players of lesser values in rounds 2-10 who would sign for a collective $500,000 below slot .
Time will tell whether this was the right strategy but its a binary analysis. Rocker and below slot signees everywhere else or Bachman and the High school kid Albright along with every other target to be at or a little above slot value. In the upcoming years we will know the answer to what was the correct pathway to have been taken but I can’t fault Perry for this year’s strategy
Like it not, Perry had a plan and stuck with it. They most likely did not even scout position players, cut their work in half. Looks as if they were taking Bachman all along. Would have been interesting had Jobe dropped to 9.
I was sure we’d take Rocker if he were still on the board but I’m good with this draft, especially because Rocker didn’t shine at the CWS.
Yeah, that is one we will certainly monitor and second guess as their careers progress. I might have let his post season swoon take over my thought process.
At $6m plus to sign him – it’s too much of a crap shoot. The big names often fizzle. It’s some guy from the 4th or 5th round that develops that everyone missed.
The problem with giving Rocker that much is you don’t have the $$$$ to sign the 4th and 5th rounders.
Rocker would only have been a prestige signing that might have pleased the pundits. There is nothing that predicts his ultimate success over anyone else. It’s a pure prestige play. Angels need quantity so that it increases the odds of success.
Based upon the depth of our pitching need it seems like the right the thing. Since one guy (Rocker) would not solve our problem we needed to find a way to pull 3-4 high end serviceable arms out of this draft.
If we hit on Bachman and Ky Bush that means we only need to hit on two of the other 18 to make it a productive draft. I like our odds.
I don’t see Albright as the reason for the way Perry draft picks were made as there is no way of knowing that he would fall to #12
They may have had a few such players in mind, and this was a deliberate strategy to put some high-risk/high-ceiling HS talent into the draft as well.
DRIVE HOME SAFELY. USA 2-1 over Japan walk off home run.
USA finished pool play 5-0, Japan 4-1. USA will be home team vs. Japan in the gold medal game.
Great game for both teams. Japan flashed great D but I like our chances with Monica Abbot on the mound. She’s got great stuff and the demeanor to match.
Abbott
With that last name a gold medal is guaranteed
Was such a great game
OT, but 1-1 USA vs Japan middle 7, Olympic softball.
So I have been trying to read between the lines of the available info re Trout and Rendon. There is not much to go on but this is what I believe is most likely based on the info that is out there.
Trout – reportedly felt some pain in his calf. I’m presuming this was after swinging the bat since that is where he would progress to after running the bases. If he felt calf pain swinging – that would likely mean the twist and torque aggravated his pain. That is bad news as it would likely mean he is still weeks away from a rehab assignment which brings us to late Aug. it’s possible Trout returns in late Aug or early Sept but my guess is they just lock him down for the season at that point unless the team is somehow competing for a playoff spot
Rendon – I feel deep down that the current situation began with the foul ball that caused his kneecap to almost dislodge. I am currently dealing with a minor knee cap injury and it affects everything – including how I move. I’m guessing his kneecap was still in pain (how could it not be) and he came back too early and played through pain – compensating for it causing other injuries over time. I’m guessing he is at least two weeks from returning as there is almost no information on him. It’s quite possible he could be shut down for the season.
I am trying not to be pessimistic but I just do not see a basis for any real optimism with regard to the return of these two players.
That sounds like a pretty accurate pair of scenarios. Watching Rendon foul that ball off his knee, you knew it was pretty nasty. Gotta admit, I’m kind of mystified by Trout’s issue. That didn’t look like it was that big of a deal when he pulled up a little gimpy. Both of them need to take as much time as they need to get right. This team kind of has its ticket punched for early October golf reservations, I’m afraid.
My former jobs head of HR and Safety, doesn’t think you can just get hurt.
Mike did.
What might have happened is that his body got out of sync. His muscles wanted to extend, and his tendons wanted to also extend, vice versa, or some kind of combination of things. It’s happened to me when I lift things. Sometimes my back, or hips, will do this.
Sure. My back still hurts two weeks after jumping up to dust a cobweb that was over a door frame. I landed like I would would and felt something weird in my lower back. Hey, remember Joe Beckwith? He ducked to avoid a batted ball and somehow that gave him double vision and sidelined his career for a couple of years.
So, 2023 return?
I think so!
I’m not sure Trout ever ran the bases at 100%. Unfortunately due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, Access to the players by the beat writers is extremely limited so we have to rely upon Dr Joe Mengele’s err Maddon’s zoom quotes for our medical up dates:
“He just feels it a little bit in that area, when he really tries to move quickly,” Maddon said on Sunday morning. “It doesn’t hurt. It’s just anybody that’s ever pulled a muscle in the leg, that’s when you get to that final point of healing.
“There’s that there’s also a mental adhesion that you have to break in the back of your mind to try to push through that point, because you don’t want to hurt it again, we don’t want him to hurt it again. So you really want to make sure that it’s totally healed before you push it to that level.
“He definitely feels something but not all the time. And that could just be normal routine stuff. And that’s we’re waiting to hear from the doc.”
Stay tuned we may prepping the E.R. for Thursday
So he either needs a nice massage…. or a heart transplant.
Why not both?
I tore my calf muscle some 20 years ago. I was a drunk at the time, so my wife accused me of faking it. too lazy to work. I was living in Japan at the time. I was not going to see a quack. Most doctors in japan, are doctors because they are doctors.
After a few days of calling in sick, she was watching me crawl up the stairs when I was going to bed. “Why is your leg all black, don’t you know how to wash it?” I explained to her about my leg, again. “Oh. It must be getting better then.” I went back to work the next day. I forgot about the hurt leg in about six months. Maybe my wife should examine Mike’s leg.
I hope this isn’t your wife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLdY8hSl1yc&list=PLA7B4514606308FCE&index=5
Much tame compared to mine
So We Will Win Some Games?
Not in all caps, so, original meaning applies
It’s just a real shame. With the great years thus far from Ohtani and Walsh, we are robbed in seeing them all in the lineup and pounding baseballs together. There is just no need to push Mike and Anthony. At this point.
To help offset the disappointment, hoping Marsh can settle in, get comfortable in the bigs and blossom before our eyes. He certainly brings aggressiveness out on the base paths which is an added benefit. Just don’t want him to get hurt too.
Yeah, I thought the Marsh call-up signaled Trout was not returning until mid-August at the earliest.
Nice weekend, winning 3 out of 4 with good starting pitching from all 4 starters.
The only loss was when the starter only went 5 innings and we had the usual bullpen fail.
Damn you blister.
2021 World Series preview on Sunday Night Baseball tonight
Milwaukee Brewers vs the Chicago White Sox 💪 👍
I just can’t see the Brewers making it to the World Series when their best player (Yelich) is having the kind of season that he is. In fact, it is quite miraculous that they are as good as they are with his underachieving and frankly stinking it up.
It speaks to how good their pitching has been. But without him at his best I can’t see it.
Yeah it is all about pitching. Might recall the 2010 Giants had a nasty pitching staff, got them a championship w/ a prolific offense. I see similarities here. Willy Adames was a good pickup and their GM makes some good deadline acquisitions, not afraid to go for it. Brew Crew will be a tough out.
Don’t forget, the other teams in the playoffs will have great pitching just like the Brewers, be it the Giants, the Dodgers (though thin right now), or the Padres.
He’s dogging it now, saving it for the postseason
You know one doesn’t have to be an All Star to make solid contributions to the deal. Captain Jack, for instance, is an infielder (and can pick it) and Eaton is an outfielder AND they are actually playing their actual positions. Seems to work better that way.
It’s a couple of nice wins and everything, but at the end of the day I just don’t see this is as anything but a .500 team.
That’s an improvement, honestly
Last year we were on a 70 win course if we’d played 162
Say we win 82…. I will totally take a 12 game improvement as long as it leads to more.
I missed another Sunday game and what a miss it was. Great stories with Barria and Ohtani and even Stassi. Go Angels!
Hell yeah! Gold!
Silver!
Oh crap, the system duped me. 2002 must have just posted this, when I saw it it was just a blank, nameless fantasy player avatar. It must not have loaded the actual image of “guy we should have gotten who was not available accept for back when there were 1000 vague players available.” I thought he was making a funny since there wasn’t much to bitch about post game and I was stoked cause it was actually funny.
But no. He still sucks.
I saw, and thought, the same thing
4th rd 2016 mlb draft corbin burnes
11th rd 2014 mlb draft brandon woodruff……… 😪 😫
plus we cooda had shane bieber too in the same 2016 mlb draft!! so imajin a rotashin of Bieber, Woodruff, Ohtani and Burns today. But nobody’s that good at scouting and player development.
39th round of the 2015 MLB Draft
You will trigger gitch doing this
Thats it. Release the Gitcho Kraken!
I have a total man crush on Walsh. He makes me happy.
How do you know who that is? No name posted.
Because, when I dream at night, I basically dream the plot of Universal Soldiers…. but it’s me and Walsh instead of Van Dam and Dolph.
I’m afraid to ask who is who ?
“You’ve been discharged sarge”
Also, Fletcher taken in the 6th round, the very last pick.
DFA’d anytime soon. 0 fer five barely hitting .300 time for a waivers change
Ugggh – dude you are so annoying. Let’s look back to every draft and the woodas, couldas, shouldas. Look at any team in the league and you could do it over and over.
19th rd 2012 mlb draft
You might need professional help.
What is the point of these posts? Are you just trying to be a pain?
I think he thinks he’s “subversive”.
It’s a puzzle. At the end of the season, you will need to give the answer to win stuff, things, yes.
He’s playing “Mystery Date”
Why didn’t the Angels draft Max Scherzer in 2003 instead of Brandon Wood?! Our problems would be over!
Just think of all the Dominican, Mexican and Venezuelan pitchers we didn’t sign.
Since Grandpa’s “breakout” 2 HR game connecting against a lowly DBack Left hander and RF Josh Reddick, he’s batting .182 with a .364 OPS
my original prediction was he’d be released by the Dodgers, picked up by the Tigers, then dropped in the last week so he could sign a one day deal with St. Louis. Now I think he might skip that Detroit part and go right to the Cardinals
I’m with you, Eric.
The Boston Braves will sign him because he wasn’t asked to manage the Redbirds
But he only hit 2 HR’s in his last game not 3
Hey, but he is having fun and his teammates love him.
Nice win. What’s the word on rendon?
Our top story tonight: Anthony “Rendone” Rendon is still hurt
Wally Pipp, meet Tony RenDone.
So Jack Mayfield is Lou Gehrig?
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
Make or break week. A’s play the Padres and Us. Literally have the chance to pick up some games! Will probably disappoint BUT gives me something to be pumped about…on the brightside if they crash and burn we can sell anything of value and prep for next year…🤷🏽♂️
gotta decide quickly. 6 days left.
We’re going to sell and buy. Perry is playing for 2022 and beyond.
Speaking of next year. Is anyone else excited about our everyday lineup of Fletch, Trout, Ohtani, Rendon, Walsh, Upton, Stassi, Iglesias, Marsh. That’s a deep, potent lineup.
“There’s a Story missing in there somewhere” – Arte
Come and listen to my STORY about a man named
JedArtA poor billboard salesman, barely kept his teams fed,
https://images.app.goo.gl/jKLm5NQcC3eUF4XE9
Would PTP go with some night moves instead to acquire a shortstop ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH7cSSKnkL4
Well, it is the sweet summertime…
Did I miss the Iglesias extension announcement?
Sorry forgot Iglesias has expiring contract. Probably a good year to need a SS with many really good ones hitting the open market. I do love Iggy’s enthusiasm. He seems to be a really great teammate.
I don’t believe paying for a big name SS is what we really need.
If Iggy plays to his potential we’d be fine with him. I like him.
That’s a good right/left lineup. Upton is the weak link and Iggy will probably be replaced by another 1-yr FA SS.
Who else could we target at that price range? I would rather re-sign Iglesias and spend on pitching, no?
Agree.
Well Alright! Apparently Dumpster cuisine and living under the stars wasn’t too much of a deterrent.
https://twitter.com/TaylorBlakeWard/status/1419412961072877570
Nice!
We need to set up a GoFundMe page so we can feed these guys
That would be awesome. It would give anyone who really wants to show Arte up a tangible chance to do it. Just think, they could do something other than rage type for once! I’m not kidding, if even a semi-large amount of money came in, say enough to buy all our MiLB players a good meal each…. or a $50 Trader Joe’s card each… that would probably actually get some media attention and burn Arte.
For our minor league players.
Loaf of white bread, pack of store brand sliced cheese, some things that may be vegetables. What is that, fitty cents per team per week, count me in for .75.
How are they going to get their cigarettes though?
From the curb like the rest of us. If they have no time to hunt, they can gather.
“I’m just a gigolo and everywhere I go, people know the part I’m playing…”
Wow, color me surprised, I thought Albright would go to college for two years. I thought he was committed to Miss St., but I now see at the perfect game site he was committed to V Tech. Didn’t they say Miss State during the draft?
A million dollars is life changing
Could have sworn they said Miss State too.
Well hes going to be missing from State for at least 4 years now.
The way this team functions, going to state for a few wouldn’t surprise me at all.
the wins do cut down on the bad news about the living conditions for the minor leaguers
Especially once Arte starts banishing the whistleblowers to the Taliban.
Nah. As embarrassing and deflating as this issue is, I am taking solacing in the belief that the Angels will fix this. They have no choice. As woke as MLB is now ( at least the perception that they are), Arte will fix this or get run out of the league.
Nah. If host families have really been banned via Covid then this issue probably exists in 80% of teams and their non-bonus players. They won’t run him out.
Three different pitchers went a full 7 innings this series. Wow! We can pitch!
*except for the bullpen.
Good win against a really bad team, now let’s sweep the Rox.
Let’s not underestimate Colorado. Their record is bad but they’ve been playing better lately, having beaten the Dodgers on Friday (and they are winning today). Blackmon started slowly this season but has been very hot lately.
I don’t take anything for granted. We will have to earn any win we get against them.
We’re the Angels. Nothing is ever easy.
Jon Gray motivated start in his last audition.
Marquez is pitching tomorrow too, so if Shohei is not sharp we could easily lose the first game which is the start of losing the series itself.
It’s not Shohei I’m worried abut tomorrow
Yes, I would agree. What I meant was he might have to be flawless.
If Marquez shuts us down and Shohei gives up 3 runs over 7 innings we might still lose 3-2.
Or he gives up no runs and we still lose 3-2
That too. The bullpen could easily blow a 2-0 lead.
BATTLE OF THE BEARDS
You might wanna rethink your opinion about the rain & mold mariners.
TB and MILW also have lousy hitting. MILW is in first in the NL Central and the AL East 2nd place finisher will be the top ranked WC team. The Nationals have the best hitting in the NL BTW and they still have a losing record. Good pitching, good fielding, and a good bullpen do wonders. 8 games over .500 as of today.
2002 and DiPoto sitting in a tree…..
defense and pitching are important……mmmkay
Hey 2002:
BULLPEN BULLPEN BULLPEN BULLPEN BULLPEN BULLPEN BULLPEN
That is all.
The Rays have some pretty good bats in that lineup; Arozarena, Meadows, and Brandon Lowe to name a few. That is more than the Mariners have.
love these videos, JHW!
Thanks. I try to make these articles visually appealing