This Memorial Day I’m wishing nothing but the best for all those who are currently serving.
That jerk who stole a ball out of a teenager’s glove at a Royals game last year basically says his only regret is that he didn’t have a better glove. He even said it didn’t matter that the kid was only seventeen.
The MLB official site says the Angels are one the playoff starved teams that have a good chance this year, although they had to pepper in the usual stuff about moving Trout and/or Ohtani at the trade deadline.
Transactions
The Angels designated Reyes Moronta for assignment on Friday. They selected Ben Joyce over the weekend. He’s here to replace the injured Matt Moore (right oblique strain). The pitching starved Brewers signed Julio Teheran. Good luck with that. The Yankees released Aaron Hicks on Friday. He’s a potentially cheap left fielder who can hit left handed pitching, sort of. Meanwhile the Blue Jays released right-hander Julian Fernandez. The Dodgers outrighted Wander Suero after he went unclaimed on waivers. The Phillies claimed outfielder Cal Stevenson off waivers from the Giants while the Dodgers claimed Zach Burdi from the Rays. This is the year of shortstops really sucking while banking prodigious amounts of cash. The Giants acquired Jacob Nottingham from the Mariners. Hey! The Nationals released Franklin Barreto, who still sucks.
Injuries
The Brewers placed Willy Adames on the concussion list. He got hit by a foul ball in the dugout and did an overnight stint in the hospital. Orioles lefty John Means has a back muscle strain. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen has a groin strain that sent him to the injured list. The Royals placed Josh Taylor on the 15 day IL with left shoulder impingement syndrome.
Achievements
Craig Kimbrel got his 400th save against the Atlanta Braves. Gerrit Cole reached 2000 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Fernando Tatis Jr. has gotten under the skins of Yankees fans. It is kind of NSFW. Luckily it wasn’t bat night. The Padres scored a little league home run against those same Yankees. Aaron Boone managed to get himself suspended for one game on top of his most recent ejection which was number 4 on the season. He was also fined an undisclosed amount for the trifecta. All my X’s are no longer in Texas. France attacked. Rays outfielder Luke Raley struck out Vlad Guerrero, Jr.
At least according to Bleacher Report, the Angels farm ranking has risen sharply in the wake of the recent call ups.
So in our 3 game sweep by the Fish, we had 30 LOBsters and grounded into 5 double plays. We did steal a total of 3 bases ( 2 on Friday and 1 on Saturday) but had no sacrifice bunts or sacrifice flys. There is already been enough discussion about our dismal batting average with runners in scoring position. but waiting around for the 3 home run aint cutting it.
I dont care how deep this line up is, this station station baseball crap will not get it done. In 2002 we did not have elite baserunners but we still stole the 3rd most bases in the AL that year and were aggressive with every bat employing hit and runs, advancing baserunners and always taking the extra bases. As a result we had one of the lowest totals of GIDP in the AL while still averaging about 5.25 runs per game.
You can argue all you want about how the game has changed against this type of base running, but unless we start pressuring the opposition theres going to be a lot more wasted opportunities and unnecessary loses.
Totally agree about not waiting around for the 3 run HR. This is a big reason the Dodgers have lost the last couple years in the playoffs… They rely primarily on power to win and in the postseason facing good pitching they’re not getting it, and thus not scoring runs…
We DO have guys who can execute the hit and run (Urshela certainly, Neto has good bat to ball skills, Ward when he’s on can do it etc). I think we should be attempting more straight steals AND doing hit and run more…Also, alot of this comes down to approach at the plate. Thames is getting paid to do a job — he should talk to Renfroe about not trying to pull every damn pitch — this will surely cut down on the number of GIDP’S he’s racking up. Though I will say that he seemed to be getting a little bit better about this during this last homestand.
Waiting for the three-run HRs worked for Earl Weaver’s early 80s Oriole teams, but they had the pitching to back this offensive strategy up.
You get NO arguments from me. Watching clips of Rays and Pirates (latter when they had 11 wins out of 12 game streak to 20-8 record) and seeing those players running all over. Angels need to do the same. If Moniak or Neto gets on, they gotta be thinking steal no matter who is at bat. I think they hesitated to take bats away from Trout and Ohtani, but putting hit and run with either of them might actually spark those two “star” players bats.
Happy Memorial Day to all, never lose sight of the protection our country provides us with the young men in uniform. I feel privileged to have our Flag out today. Everyone enjoy the game tonight and Boy oh Boy do we need win tonight. GPB
And young women!
When I was learning English in Japan some 50 years ago, my teacher said “he” included “she’ and “men” could mean “men and women”. How time has changed, and we all have to be careful. I am sure Grandpa meant all genders included when he mentioned men.
How dare you assume Grandpa’s truth. Fired. Hurray progress.
My brother in law taught English in Japan for a couple of years after college. Early 2000s
One of my sons was selected by Government of Japan to be a Sports Exchange Advisor (part of JET program) to coach a little league baseball team in a small town of 6000 in northern Japan for few years. He successfully took his team to a national tournament in Tokyo, won the first round but lost in the second round to the eventual championship winning team. He got paid well, made a lot of friends and learned Japanese in the mean time.
Is this the way Jeff Fletcher asking why Angels have not won more games despite the relatively encouraging numbers?
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1663284490523795457
Heck, we used to hit 8th and 9th place in just the American League, we are improving. 😃
Todays Lineup:
Moniak
Trout
Ohtani
Renfror
Drury
Thaiss
Urshela
Rengifo
Neto
Canning
Halo Power Baby!!
I like it. This is the winning pattern where Walsh comes in late innings to 1B and Drury moves to 2B with Rengifo back to bench.
The Angels were only able to scrape up a measly seven runs against the Marlins this weekend. Here are how many runs our individual Angel batters produced during this series:
2.75 Urshela
1.50 Drury
0.75 Thaiss
0.50 Ghost Runner
0.50 Wallach
0.50 Walsh
0.50 Trout
This is the first time Urshela has led the team in Actual Runs Produced. The Thaiss/Wallach combo continues to pay dividends for the Halo offense.
And here are the year-to-date Actual Runs Allowed per Batters Faced for our Halo Hurlers (with BF in parenthesis):
0.05 Estevez (98)
0.05 Moore (94)
0.09 Ohtani (257)
0.09 Sandoval (239)
0.09 Bachman (11)
0.10 Barria (114)
0.11 Canning (157)
0.11 Webb (18)
0.11 Weiss (9)
0.12 Anderson (220)
0.12 Wantz (85)
0.13 Detmers (204)
0.13 Silseth (68)
0.13 Devenski (51)
0.16 Herget (51)
0.17 Davidson (83)
0.19 Suarez (123)
0.21 Loup (62)
Loup improved his ARABF from 0.22 down to 0.21 with the scoreless inning he threw the other day. Are Weiss and Wantz due to return to the Angels any time soon? I took Moronta off of this list thinking that he was not returning to play for the Angels since he was DFA’d, but perhaps that was premature of me.
It seems like the dividing line between good and bad lies in between Devenski and Herget.
since you started posting these I’ve felt the line was at .012 which would be Wantz/Detmers
Ran into a random long time A’s fan today at Walmart.
Dude was miserable about his team and rooting for us.
Guess it shows that it could be worse … On the other hand, the A’s aren’t underachieving. They are SUPPOSED TO BE this bad. We are supposed to be better.
He hates the Vegas move and said he will become an Angel fan
Can’t blame him for not being “loyal” when the team itself is not loyal to him.
Are we supposed to be better? Which pre-season ranking had us much better than we are now? Source?
I don’t need pundits to tell me what the potential of this roster is.
Soooo….. don’t know. Just said it. OK.
For all Angel fans who are distraught by the sweep at the hands of the Marlins and the overall mediocrity the club has displayed this season, the Foundation Building Materials’ keystone of the game today against the CHW is “Give up the Ghost” by Radiohead.
Just repeat the mantra Thom Yorke invokes
Dooonn’t hurrrt meeee,
Don’t harm me
until the pain subsides and you can go on with your life without the throbbing of each Angel loss dominating your every conscious moment.
And if you can’t get there, well, maybe it is time to give up the ghost.
https://youtu.be/Z3klN8diaqw
Great selection, my evil twin bro! Continuing with the theme of positivity, I just remembered that Angels did NOT have a game on last year’s Memorial Day, for which I was really bummed out. It makes me happy that we do have a game to look forward to, and this may be a sign yet that this season is different from last year.
Sorry – after that series the song choice is Metallica “Hardwired”. Under Arte’s “leadership” this franchise is hardwired to self-destruct. Don’t fight it – embrace the reality.
In the name of desperation
In the name of wretched pain
In the name of all creation
Gone insane
We’re so fucked
Shit outta luck
Hardwired to self-destruct
And this little ditty sums up this team…right on time for June Gloom
Bad
Song by Michael Jackson
Shamone, ah, shamone
Lay it on us, ah, alright
Because we’re bad, we’re bad, shamone (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know we’re bad, we’re bad (bad, bad)
You know it (really, really bad)
You know we’re bad, we’re bad (bad, bad)
Shamone, you know (really, really bad)
And the whole world has to answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Who’s bad?
Not Smothered Hope by Skinny Puppy?
It’s not in the rhyme or reason
So it goes with every season
Crawl to top, fall through bottom
First hand love is really rotten
Slice of life find what’s plenty
Inch towards a sanctuary
Awww. Metal Yicka has puss puss existential dread… Foucault metal… Arte exists, why even try? Nissan Altimas, Che t-shirts and Goodfellow jeans for everyone!
I’m going with….
https://youtu.be/sjCHrwPNkOE
Sorry, I would have accepted “The Wiggles” as an alternative.
Happy Memorial Day to all those who are serving and have served and especially to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I still vividly remember the importance the military, no matter what branch, placed on numerous beautiful ceremonies performed to mourn and celebrate the lives lost while serving. Unfortunately, it is not only those who lost their lives in battle field. One of my wife’s best friend’s husband, a psychological counselor at a military base in Spokane, was brutally murdered by a former disgruntled man who was recently discharged due to mentally not fit to serve. The counselor was on the board who recommended the discharge few months earlier.
In pursuit of positivity, I focused on Phillies this morning and delved into their amazing 2022 records. There is so much to ponder and somewhat entertaining to imagine if Angels could copy and paste their unexpected success. Some trends in their record stood out.
-Finished April and May with 21-29
-Had strong June with 19-8 including 9 in a row win streak (Angels contributed ) followed by 5 in a row win streak with 3 walk off wins
-Annihilated Washington Nationals (16-3)
-Feasted on National Central teams except for Cubs.
-Finished 3rd in strong NL East.
-Joe Girardi fired on June 3
Counter points:
-We are playing everyone this year, beating up on As won’t net us as many wins.
-Strong AL East (all 5 are above 0.500)
-Texas looks like a clear favorite to win the division title with Houston as close second.
The road to playoff spot is obviously daunting especially after being swept by Marlins. So, there is a chance that Bobby Valentine takes over if Angels get swept by White Sox?
Team is 2 over .500 near the end of May. It’s not so awful. Yes the Marlins series was a huge disappointment at home but the position of the team at the end of May is not the end of the world.
Do I think this is likely a playoff team? I’d put the odds at 25%
Do I think this team will finish over .500? I put the odds at 70%
Do I think this team has potential for the future? Heck yeah! The young players are contributing which is fantastic!
I’d trade anyone who could bring more viable young talent to the franchise.
I said I hoped we’d survive May, the month sad donkey said we might as well just forfeit, with an overall record near .500. If we get past chicosox with a record over .500 looks like I got what I wanted plus a bonus.
Huzzah. No need to tuck it in. Keep on pushin. Texas teams coming up. It aint august yet. No need for anyone to grab their ankles and talk to me past their shoes about their candy assed PTSD and DadArte issues yet.
For all of you still clinging to the hope that the Angels make the playoffs this year and then are able to re-sign Ohtani, this guy was suited up for the Angels yesterday:
Eh. Just finish over .500 and don’t sign Ohtani. I’m cool with that. These quivering sacks of sad think they want to make the playoffs, but as soon as we lose to a better team it will just be another version of the trauma they can’t stop talking about. Build the team. Build the farm. Bypass anymore huge contracts. Be in the playoffs for years. Butterscotch. Boobies. Battlestar Galactica.
Great story but you can bet that Hendriks will come out of the bullpen and dominate us.
Mr. Hendriks story being declared cancer free from non-Hodgkins lymphoma is inspiring and will be pitching with extra emotions against Angels as you indicated. If he does well against us, he will be another closer candidate that many teams will be vying for his service before trade deadline.
White Sox projected starter, Michael Kopech, is a formidable pitcher as far as his two last outings are concerned. Pitched combined 15 innings, 3H, 0R, 19SO, 1BB. If he continues his dominating pattern against us tonight and win, he will be a legitimate candidate for AL Pitcher of May. Canning has his work cut out for him tonight. And I thought I saw Bobby Valentine licking his chops with anticipation in Big A studio.
I remember when the Oakland A third base great Eric Chavez joined the Angel front office and was purported to be licking his chops before devouring the Angel manager job that unfortunately never appeared on his plate.
The only choice that made sense would have been Bochy. However, we are not allowed to have anything nice…so we got Nevin.
I wish he was our manager. Or at least wish we had a manager in the second tier of quality just below his level, which is at the top.
Texas defeats Detroit in stress free 5-0 game. Bochy will get hip replacement surgery on his right side in the upcoming off season at courtesy of Rangers organization of winning AL West. If he wins World Series ring, he will get a promissory note from Texas that he can get his left hip fixed, too.
Well my sources tell me that Mrs. Bochy aint too happy with Mr Bochy returning to work this season.
If Bochy wins a WS the state of Texas will award him a certificate allowing him to shoot one person dead for free.
Republican, Democrat, or Independent?
Hendrik’s had his good break. Let’s beat the snot out of him.
True Angels kick-ass fan with no mercy attitude.