The Angels start spring strong, winning their first game of Spring Training. Due to not being broadcast by Bally, Angels fans had to either listen by radio, watch the Mariners feed on MLB.TV, or do both with muting the Mariners, and thus having the radio feed ahead about 10 seconds or so, depending on how behind your TV stream is. This may become commonplace, if Bally does go under…
Needless to say, it is the first game of the year of change, with quite a few changes to the game. As both the radio and tv make obvious, there is now a pitch clock of 15 seconds that is implemented. There is also a ban on shifting, specifically, no overshift allowed anymore, requiring the SS and 3B to be on their side of the infield. Also, the bases are bigger, slightly.
As for this game, the Angels bats were awake for sure. Pitchers, mostly. Tucker Davidson had 2 shutout innings, striking out 3.
But others weren’t able to finish the shutout.
Highlighted Recap
Jo Adell got the scoring started with a 2 run blast in the 2nd.
2 more runs were scored soon after, making it 4-0 Angels in the 2nd.
Unfortunately, the Angels weren’t able to keep the shutout, as after going up 5-0, the Angels allowed a solo shot in the 5th.
The Angels pitchers almost blew it, loading the bases in the 7th. But they got out of it, thankfully.
Angels win 5-1 in under 2 and a half hours. A nice, and fast, all around game to start the year.
Up Next
Angels play again tomorrow at noon-ish, this time on Bally. Let’s go 2 for 2!
Note to Shohei…
https://sports.yahoo.com/manny-machado-reportedly-signs-11-year-350-million-contract-extension-with-padres-154325036.html
Well that blows up the market place. So a mid contract opt out is now worth $170 Million?
That puts Machado’s total Contract value at $470 Million over 15 years through age 40/41 Even though the AAV is now at $31.33 Million This total Contract amount eclipse’s the GOATS current total contract record $. 426.5 Million.Considering the Big 4 FA SS this winter all got closer to $27 million AAV The Padres definitely over paid.
As it relates to Ohtani, I think Machado’s updated Total Contract Value is more precedent setting. Shohei is almost exactly 2 years younger than Machado so to cover the same playing years his next contract would be 13 seasons But since baseball players are all about setting new records,, I’m sure Establishing the highest AAV AND total Contract amount is more important . Therefore Scherzer is still top dog at $43.3333 Million per year So I would think Arte would have to offer at least 11 years and $495 Million to even get a call back form Nez Balelo.
Rex is going to get to be right in the next three days!!!
He has had a lot of fun with the team this February especially the starting pitching staff. Joking around, etc. He is very comfortable here.
i look at him goofing with Suarez and Sandoval – he’s seeing friends are a lot better than an extra $100 million.
Good for him. Here is a guy who is deserving of one of the larger contracts out there, shows up to play everyday at a key position. You can count on 600+ABs every year with good power numbers. He is their best player and vocal leader on the team.. Dodgers, Mets. and the Yankees would have been in on the bidding had he hit the market.
So I watch a lot of MiLB ball. Admittedly, I liked the clock there. What I saw this weekend, I absolutely hated it at the MLB level. I think it’s because I watch the two games differently. I watch minor league ball more as watching talent. I watch the MLB game more strategically. Now maybe as everyone adjusts, it will have a better feel, but it just had a bad flow. There are pitchers I can’t stand to watch, because they take so long. It drives me nuts. So for those guys, I’ll enjoy it more. Maybe I’m just so conditioned by the old speed, but it actually felt hurried and rushed. Personally, I wish they would just deaden the ball and bring back the value of a base hit. I think it’s the hitters who are going to have the harder time with this, and that’s not what the game needs.
There’s a lot of talk about the SS issue with the Halos this year.
My hope is that Livian Soto can plug this gap.
I was so impressed with him over the 18 or so games in which he played last year.
His minor league BA is around .247.
If he can duplicate that at the big league level and play solid defense, I’d be happy the team didn’t sign any of the expensive free agent SS’s last year….
From where it stands now what I see is Soto is starting in SLC with Neto.
Tucker D’s successful opening day start was a surprise. But, a good one. I was expecting Jaime Barria to get the go for the sixth starter considering his ability to pitch in long-relief.
I liked Canning, and even Silseth, over Davidson.
With C-Rod out of the pen.
Who knows, we might have a dearth of quality starting pitchers if Davidson, Barria, Silseth, and C-Rod come out of the gate strong….
I think you mean abundance instead of dearth?
Nope TrAdition defines Abundance as dearth
🤣
Well, obviously the Mariners pose no threat, Tucky is gonna win the Cy Young and Adells troubles are over. I think the big winner today was the pitch clock. The game wasn’t even close to three hours long and yet all the players survived this harrowing death march. Has Scherzer pitched yet? He was so adamant that this will be the death of pitchers. I wonder if he’s dead yet….
I was on team Clock Block until I saw it in action. Nice crisp pace to everything. Big W to manfred on this one.
I always felt games were too long now, but wasn’t sure about clocks till I saw MiLB games with them. They were all awesome. What’s more, they had all kinds of contests and skits and entertainment during the games and STILL managed to get the game in in around 2 hours. But the game itself… waaaayyyyy less boring. All the players were engaged, less fking around with batters/pitchers “mental routines”. It was great. They just locked in and played a game of baseball…. with some 2;30 commercial breaks. I was hooked on clocks.
What pissed me off though was that MiLB games, even without the clock, were way faster. All this bullshit MLB players “need” to do NONE of the AA/AAA guys I watched “had to” do…. including a bunch of the MLB guys I saw in AA/AAA. They just pick up that whole show when they get to a level with a lot of audience because what they do is so fking “important” now and they need to make sure we know it.
That’s why Scherzer and his “we are finely tuned athletes and need to do this” crap as well as the “how do we hold runners?” etc…. same way you did till 20,000 people were watching you Mr Intensity.
Someone over on r/baseball posted video from the 80s of the pace of play perfectly fitting into these new rules. Brought me around on it a bit.
I just grew up in the age where the game slowed down dramatically and I don’t like change.
Extra 25 min of sleep isn’t terrible
Yeah but Roy Hobbs would have struck out today. Since It takes more than 8 seconds to reset in the batters box with that bullet in his stomach lining and all
“I don’t like change.” Ahhh, you are well on your path to yelling “Hey!!!!, You kids get offa my lawn!” Excellent.
I kind of want to see He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’s take on this game.
I think Tom Riddle has bigger things to worry about.
Had a previous commitment and missed the entire thing.
Was Tucker Davidson’s first pitch a strike…it’s important.
This was a must win game, great job
Did everybody go to Mutt Lynch’s on the Newport Beach boardwalk to celebrate our second world series championship?
Did you go to the Pike’s Place to celebrate the Ms second loss of Spring? 0-2.
He probably went dumpster diving instead. You know how much 2002 loves banging trash cans.
2 hour 16 minute game time. Now What the hell am I going to do this year with all this extra free time?
Follow more than one team.
N.L. team.
Giants…….POBO Farhan Zaidi and new Deputy Prime Minister Pete Putila hired from the Harris Co TX Astros Empire. If you wanna win, then hire from the top two franchises in MLB, not Indeed.
Hey, I did this without a YouTube video!!!
I thought you were relegated to your own posts. Still waiting for your Perry write up.
Pete Putlla ? You mean the guy who Luhnow had devise the plan to use an unauthorized video feed so the Trashstros could steal the pitchers signs?
No Thank You.
It figures you, of all people, would advocate the hiring of this unscrupulous sleaze ball.
Can’t read your posts. All I see is an error message. It says IIWPM submissions missing. Can not thoughtz.
Doesn’t everyone just watch whatever game is available when you flip the tv on?
Baseball is baseball is baseball
No. If teams I dislike is winning by a large margin, I skip it. Now if its a tight game or they are losing, I’m watching.
Huh ok then. It’s just background noise to keep my brain occupied lol.
I’ll watch an 11-0 Marlins Pirates game if it’s the only baseball on.
I can watch a team beat the Yankees 11-0, I just don’t want to watch them beat a team 11-0. I’d just rather enjoy my background noise.
That’s some great Pirates baseball right there.
And it only took 2:05! 😂
Depends oh the teams and if it’s close. Sometimes I’ll watch a nonclose game to see different players and or fundamentals. I like close games to see how players do in pressure.
I do this. I’ll watch a “free game” on mlb.com etc cause I want to see what those young guys on the O’s look like, etc. It’s fun to check out other teams.
https://youtu.be/vsYBtfQ3QDo
Winner, winner, Mariner dinner.
Eat it Dipoto!