The Angels selected outfielder Aaron Whitefield. He’s an Aussie so cue the shrimp on the barbie jokes. Seriously, he’s been playing great for the Trash Pandas so maybe this is his big chance while Jo Adell percolates down in triple-A. Of course, Kyle Barraclough and Chad Wallach were also selected. Patrick Sandoval’s changeup is still getting rave reviews. What do you think? Is Brandon Marsh special? Happy Mothers’ Day.
Ramon Laureano is back from his 80 game PED suspension. Speaking of PED suspensions, Robinson Cano was released by the Mets over the weekend.
Zach Wheeler is on the COVID list. Umpire Dan Bellino says he’s sorry about the Madison Bumgarner incident.
Here is a random video of a European cricket game. It looks like this was more of an homage to Erick Aybar than to Jose Altuve.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Our line up appears a bit weak, but we have Thor starting and our best late inning relievers all rested. (Except Ortega? And Barria???)
Tampa is a lot tougher than a lot of our recent competition, but I’m feeling a win tonight! Hoping we also tax their bullpen, which would be very helpful the next two games. Go Halos!
This is somewhat of a test for us in that these Rays are from a tough division and have 18 wins. They excel at everything with no big names, but they have a SS Franco who is working at becoming a Super-Star. Margot is currently hot as a cob with the bat and G-Man is doing well.
Ward not in tonight so we need Marsh to come through big tonight against the Rays.
We win tonight and take 2 out of 3 in the series.
Pre-game show, Gubi returns and lost some weight while being out being sick. Trios is great today with Langer, Gubi, Frenchy.
Couple of blasts from the past- listening to MLB Network on SiriusXM yesterday. Daron Sutton is doing a show there now. Just for the hell of it, went over to Halos Heaven. Most recent post on there was from the end of March. Bleak. Barren. Devoid of life.
Speedy recovery Fletch, you are needed when healthy to get us to the top.
Great now our hottest hitter may have a detached leg.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1523789077601865728
Porcine Tommy Hamstring replacement surgery.
That line up looks like Joe has lost his mind, but I know we can win with it because Professor Joe says so.
Noah gonna put the team on his back
News like this makes me appreciate the signing of the GG to a minor league contract yesterday.
Wallach? Who’s he?
Tim’s son
Seriously?
Yes
Wallach was the Ugly.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1523780886600200193?s=20&t=0_ASUH0Zce4eP20RljsSRA
Will believe when seen. Good luck Griff
I too will be a believer after he spends 3 or 4 starts in AA, then AAA and proves himself to be a MLB starter again.
And let’s replace him with an infielder instead the 4th outfielder we brought up
Duffy returning soon? When he does maybe go with one less bull pen pitcher for a while, send down Elvis…when we need an extra arm, ship one over next day air on the Salt Lake Shuttle and stash Rengifo or Mayfield at the airport. The Fletch injury uncertainty isn’t helping. Like to see Velazquez used as a late inning defensive replacement instead of starting, get a better bat in there a few times a week.
I wouldn’t count on Fletcher much this year. He’s in a lot of pain right now, has been since Spring Training, and in a part of the body that is critical in all facets of the game.
Ask Rendon about hip surgeries. I’m guessing he’s done for the year. I hope this isn’t career threatening.
Or the secret police though he recovered nicely.
You know Fletch played a Dr. in the movies.
https://youtu.be/OeUe-gKhEbY?t=14
Time to start thinking trades for a middle infielder..
Boegarts would be a nice half season rental should he become available down the line.
Makes you wonder if the FO knew/expected something given the collection of middle IF’s during the off-season.
I’m confident he got hurt in Spring Training. I know more than I can let on right now. Let’s just say that.
Was he “washing his truck” Jeff?
Isn’t that what Jeff Kent said way back when ?
I think he really got hurt either riding his motorcycle or an ORV.
He tried to play “Head Games’ with the Giant front office..
Lied about getting injured riding his motorcycle while listening to Foreigner on his Walkman.
Kent lied because he was afraid the Giants would institute the restricted activities clause in his contract and not pay him while he was on the DL.
Whoa! Jeff, you are like E.F. Hutton. When you speak, people on this board listen. Was he on the back of Tatis’s scooter?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7A-hbeIYfk
Totally agree with you about the hip/s Jeff. It is nearly impossible to do any sport well without full range of movement in the hips.
The Duffman has had the COVID since May1st. I would think that he’d be over that any day now but who knows?
I am not sure why it would matter if he was still positive really…
I’ve watched the Ohtani double and Rendon single a few more times today
Oh my gosh the cricket link, I’m ded 🤣
poor Singh!
Great link. The commentary is awesome. Like we’re all thinking about it but to say it on air is epic.
Spanning the globe to bring you the finest in intellectual sports content.
Alex recovery and reconstructive surgery after the Weaver explosion has been absolutely stunning . https://twitter.com/Alex_Curry/status/1522258940938969089
I miss her. She had an energy and an obvious joy that brightened up the broadcasts. Plus she is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Great with my son.
Glad she’s doing well, though.
Her dad and sisters were really nice too. But Like Mike Trout, the Talent fairy gave them both a double extra sprinkle at birth versus the other family members.
Now she’s stuck in a studio with Colin Cowherd and Clay Travis.
Poor woman.
Yeah, Colin Cowherd is such a joke.
He’s thinks he’s some sort of sociologist, lol.
I wonder if it’s possible to sit in front of a mic for decades, giving just your opinions, with millions listening to you, and not develop some sort of god complex.
It’s crazy what modern medicine can do these days.
Bumgarner has a long-standing rep of being a belligerent individual —
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2019/6/10/18659277/rank-every-time-madison-bumgarner-got-angry-about-giving-up-a-home-run
It’s standard operating procedure that umpires can make as many bad calls as they want and the players are just supposed to eat it. So Bumgarner did what Bumgarner does giving the ump an earful during the inning to which the ump retaliated with the death stare and the extra-long inspection, leading to Bumgarner’s F Bomb and his ejection. Seems like normal ump stuff, but Bumgarner gets butt hurt and gets his apology. That’s fine, but the root cause of the problem is lousy umping. I’d like to see some apologies to us for all the bad calls we get, and no histrionics by us.
Umpiring is bad, especially this season, agreed. Bumgarner has a history of giving Umpires, who we agree are bad, an earful, so he gets “butt hurt” and gives the Umpire, who we agree is bad, an earful. Do you think he just rollover and not say anything? Umpires and their union are making things worse for the Game, themselves and the fans by not doing what needs to be done and that is getting better. Go Bum and all of Baseball, get after the Blue to make the game better.
I just find it surprising in an era of one umping atrocity after another, this is the one that gets the apology.
Atrocity might be too harsh of a word. I’m not aware of any crimes being committed by umpires lately. Well, except, of course, by Angel Hernandez trying to impersonate one.
Umpires won’t apologize for bad calls, no matter how atrocious. This, however, was an umpire staring down a player in order to manufacture a situation so he could eject the player. That’s not an umpire calling the game, that’s an umpire interfering with the game, which isn’t allowed.
At least the umpire apologized. The amount of verbal assaults these umps get from whiny millionaires can lead to doing something regretful. He did it and owned up to it even if it was his boss telling him to do so.
What impressed me was that it was a real apology, not the half-assed ones you usually see.
What does the players’ salary have to do with them griping about bad calls? Are you saying that since they’re well compensated as the main attractions for a sport that generates untold amounts of money, they should be ok with bad umpiring and keep their mouths shut?
People bitch about bad umpiring in every level of the game. Me and other parents were griping just last week about some bad calls during my daughter’s softball game. Are our gripes more acceptable because we don’t make millions, even though we aren’t even playing the game?
Tampa Bay is 7-3 for their last ten. They are coming off a loss but they have overtaken Toronto. This could be a tough series. Go Syndergaard!
We will win some games
So, at least 1-2, and hopefully 2-1 or even 3-0?
Tampa seems to pretty much own us lately, too. There was that awesome 4 game sweep here last season about this time. That was when Pujols got pissed off about not playing and got cut.
MLB rankings.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1523707510963662848?s=20&t=dPpdT4Cy0ACE18HE-lj1ZQ
This is probably the worst first place team ever because I have feelings and I say so.
Angels still missing additional bullpen depth. Elvis is an imposter and Halloween got hit hit hard in the 2 batters he faced. While Barria was a pleasant surprise yesterday we will need more than him, Iggy, Loup, Tepera & Ollie. That means 3 spots will need to be established by the end of the month when our bullpen pitching roster cannot exceed 8 or we will end up burning out the core. It would appear that Ty has hit a road block in his recovery and we are sorely missing the Riverdale king and Austin Warren and his damaged beak. Since we’re stuck with the scary thought of keeping Mayers (Would Perry pull the trigger on a DFA?), that will leave only 2 bullpen spots with options (including Ortega) when Bradley gets back and rosters are trimmed. With an 8 man pen no-one can hide. We will need viable contributions from everyone out there.
I agree about Elvis. Even comparee to Mayers I would rather have Halloween come in the middle inning games when we are down by 1 run (like Saturday night) and try to keep it close. At least with him I feel that there is potential to recover a prior form which was good. Elvis has shown me nothing.
As far as Buttrey’s “roadblock,” I wonder what that is? I have not followed his numbers lately… Did he have another subpar outing after the one where he gave up four singles?
But…but…..but it’s Elvis.
I dont think Elvis or Mayers is part of the answer. I’m not sure those bullpen arms are currently on the 40 Man Roster as we ain’t seen nothing yet.
Oh BTW I forgot the Hurdy Gurdy Man. But I’m Not sure if he’s a long term solution either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHxfOZH8cew
I’ve been saying this for a couple days now but I’ll say it again
I dont get all the Mayers hate on here. Last 10 innings just 1 ER.
Fools gold baby. He wasn’t fooling anyone yesterday.
I believe he is worth keeping at this point.
That’s alot of fools good then!!
Yep At $2,150,000 this year it sure is.
Well as long as he keeps it up .. he can bring in all the fools gold in the entire mine 😀
Well Lets hope this doesn’t turn into The Fools Overture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBefDWSMNaQ
Because, you either have to be 100% elite 100% of the time, named Ohtani/Trout, or be a diminutive stubbly white guy that makes people believe that they too had a shot at the bigs when they were young or there’s gonna be someone complaining about you.
But if you’re Ohtani you can spend two months sticking your ass out on bad swings that a ten year old wouldn’t make, then get one big hit and everyone larvs yer dode.
I still think Luke Murphy is part of the bullpen by the end of the year. And bullpen arms are usually pretty easy to acquire at the trade deadline.
That said, from now until then it looks tough. Iggy, Loup, Tepera is a nice 3 headed monster. Hopefully Bradley can shore up some middle innings. I have absolutely no faith left in Halloween.
I do trust Halloween most nights as a “mop up – maintain a larger lead guy”. I don’t even think this offense is clicking yet, we will score runs, many night he can eat innings in the 7th 8th and 9th holding that 7-3 lead, he can do that. Added plus he been used in higher leverage before, if he’s throwing well use him in that roll if needed once in a while.
Agree, need at least 2 more capable arms.
A bullpen game for the Rays.
At least it appears as such.
Jeffrey Springs (L) first up.
https://www.mlb.com/player/jeffrey-springs-605488
Win 3 of 5 is the pace – ie 6-4 every 10
Do that and win 97 games
That is all
I don’t think we have a deep enough lineup or bullpen to win 97 games. Perry is going to need to add help.
Are we deep enough to win 6 games of every 10? I think we are – even if we are quibbling about who the 8th bullpen piece is, or who fills in as the 6th starter if someone has ‘IBS’ again.
What about the lineup though? 7-9 are pretty much automatic outs right now.
Well, first I don’t buy that. Looking at OPS and most of our lineup is hitting about the same. Only Velasquez is hitting very badly right now (Fletch is on the IL, but was hitting poorly).
Secondly, even if that is the case, we are still winning. Even with Rendon barely batting .200, and Ohtani batting significantly less well than he can (see last season) and with Marsh having a mini-slump. I think we still win more than we lose moving forward.
Fair enough. Maybe the recent offensive struggles are clouding my optimism a bit. Still waiting for that barrage of homers from Ohtani!
This year feels different because it isn’t one player that needs to carry the load. Everyone will have a slump or mini spell that they aren’t producing at the plate, but these guys are finding a way to win. Pitching has been the backbone for now. Think if the offense wakes up, they can take the brunt for a bit if the bullpen is blowing. We are maybe a piece or two away from a really solid year. We might be able to find those pieces in the minors so time to keep an eye on the farm!
Agreed! I wonder when Chase Silseth is going to start getting some love. Dude is killing it in AA.
The lack of consistent offense is actually making me more optimistic. I went into the year figuring the offense would be hit or miss due to having two youngsters in the outfield (Adell and Marsh) to go along with a litany of meh middle infielders.
Instead it has been hit or miss because the guys I expected to crush it haven’t yet.
There’s a good chance that Ohtani and Rendon come back to form right about the time some over achievers head back to Earth.
We are if everyone stays in one piece–which hardly ever happens. So a few periods of sub-.600 winning pcts are to be expected. We can only hope, for now, that they will be short and/or we have backup plans (or, can afford them).
Adding another bullpen piece would be helpful for sure. That said I think the team as built, if it stays healthy, has a chance to win 6 of 10 over a whole season. The pitching (at least this far) seems remarkably improved
Well, the one thing that concerns me is that the bullpen has performed so well, and probability would say they are due for a downturn or slump. Now, of course they could then recover. The point is that there are alot of ups and downs for players in a season, and it is rare that a player maintains a high level of performance over a full season. It almost never happens. So, I don’t buy the 6 out of 10 the rest of the way for that reason. But if we can get close to that it would not be bad…
Agreed. It is hard to maintain that level of performance over 162. But anywhere close would be awesome.
That’s a big IF. I’m knocking on any and every thing made of wood these days.
Ha! Me too!
Wow, that’s rare. Not only did Bellino apologize, it wasn’t a half-assed “I’m sorry if someone’s feelings were hurt” thing. It was “I messed up. I was wrong”. A real apology.
I don’t remember an umpire ever apologizing before. Its probably happened and I just forgot, but this is a nice change.
can Joe West apologize for his entire career?
This smells like Torre lit him and the union up for this one.
I’d rather have Doug F***ing Eddings apologize for the 2005 ALCS.
Now that is the one that deserves an apology, not that is anywhere near enough to repair that damage.
I remember just dying inside watching it on my honeymoon. Just absolutely brutal. Thanks for nothing chump. That bleeping call will never be erased from memory.
Me too. I won’t ever forget. Ranks right with the Donnie Moore game in ‘86, and that one stings a little extra because I was there.
Doug Eddings was bad. Even worse of a call was not getting a double play called in the playoffs vs the Yankees when we had 2 outs at third base. That deserved an apology.
Agreed. And, of course that little faux pas just HAPPENED to help the MFY get to the WS and win their ill-deserved title.
Must be that International Umpire Conspiracy to **ONLY** Screw the Angels
Just because you tag players not standing on the base, doesn’t mean they are out.
True. That’s the MFY rule.
Rule 6.17.a.7: If a player is tagged while off the base, and the ball is not dead, and the player is a member of the New York Yankees, the umpire may, at his discretion, rule the player safe.
See also the old site:
https://www.halosheaven.com/2009/10/22/1096316/conspiracy-theory
I guess he is feeling a bit Blue.
So Ward has pretty much met his projection for WAR this year, the rest is gravy!
I love to see stories like Ward’s. 2018 – bad, 2019 – bad, 2020 last chance – about average, 2021 – starting to show some power, 2022 – hitting machine with defense to boot. Go Ward!
It’s been fun watching these guys finally play like a TEAM. This could be a special season….