This link has a blurb about the As versus Nevada and a preview of the Texas Rangers/Los Angeles Angels series. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are getting a bunch of votes for the All Star Game. The Angels signed a minor league deal with Daniel Murphy. Gerardo Reyes was sent back down to the minors after being called up for a whole day.
Akil Baddoo just went on the injured list with a right quad strain. Yankees broadcaster John Sterling got brained by a Justin Turner foul ball and continued broadcasting the game. Turner later gave him a signed ball.
The Pirates just outrighted Chase De Jong. He was good last year but now he’s not. The Rays are about to hire Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal while the Mets just signed Luke Voit to a minor league deal.
Wake Forest advanced to the Men’s College World Series for the first time since 1955.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Angels: Nixon Encarnacion, RHP (No. 22)
While the Angels’ bigger splashes in the 2022 international signing period might have been with the seven-figure bonuses given to outfielders Nelson Rada and Randy De Jesus, they may have also found a gem in Encarnacion, who signed for $500,000. Athletic and projectable, Encarnacion struck out nearly 11 per nine in the DSL last year, with the chance to have a legit three-pitch mix. He’s going to have to find the strike zone more after walking 5.3 per nine in his debut, with the hope that if he can add strength to his 6-foot-2 frame, he’ll be able to repeat his delivery more consistently.
https://www.mlb.com/news/each-team-s-best-prospect-in-rookie-ball
BTW, wasn’t it nice to see another MLB (Besides the Halos) go all Keystone cops at the end of the game?
Credit to Nevin for sticking with Anderson last night. He went further than I wanted but settled down nicely.
That extra inning or two from Anderson allowed the Angels to use their bullpen effectively.
It also saved a couple of arms that can be used tonight.
I feel like Anderson does this every game. Starts out ok, then has an absolute melt down inning, then closes ok. It’s the Anderson way.
Splits seem to back this up. ERA based on # times through order:
1st time through – 4.9
2nd – 7.3
3rd – 5.0
So when he isn’t melting down, he pitches to a 5 ERA 🙄
Anderson is the type of pitcher that if just one play isn’t made behind him, it seems the game goes off the rails.
WardOhtaniDruryRendonRenfroeRengifoMoniakWallachNetoTonight’s lineup
Boy looking at that lineup there’s no breathing room for the opposition.
Blitz!
I wonder if Gio’s still having back issues.
Urshela came in late inning yesterday, so I thought he would be starting. Depends on how the game goes, he might come in later to replace Rengifo by going to 1B and moving Drury to 2B. I am glad that Drury did not get suspended.
Gubi Wayne commented on how Gio was wincing at the plate last night.
😖
Phillip’s team is so hot now that he turns in the lineup card in Icelandic, that’s confidence! Vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúrslyklakippuhringurinn
In my daily prediction of Angels starting lineup:
Sure ins are: Ward, Renfroe, Ohtani, Rendon, Urshela, Thaiss and Neto
Probables:Trout (or Moniak if MT is off), Drury (or Rengifo)
Unlikely: Walsh only if Drury is suspended
Texas announcers were really hot on Drury being in the face of the ump last night. I suppose Angels can appeal the suspension so that Drury can play today.
Go Halos. Beat up on Bradford/cy White today.
I am fully expecting Moniak tonight with Trout sitting, based on Nevin’s comments and the pitching matchups.
Moniak’s will be starting against a left hander. No reason to expect him to start unless the Angels are confident this is a bullpen game. I would have put him down lower in the line up though so its reasonably certain hell get to face a right hander by the time he gets up there ( unless we’re knocking the cover off the ball)
Yeah, I am assuming Bradford is going to be more of an opener with Owen White (RHP) taking the bulk of the work tonight based on the article you shared earlier.
Nevin said Trout would definitely get a day off in this series, which I assumed meant it would be either the 2nd or 3rd game. Tomorrow is definitely a leftie, so tonight was the logical Moniak in CF night.
See above
Is this the first time the Ren men have all batted in a row?
Last night was awesome!
Ohtani came through huge.
Now trade him before his value goes down!
😉
I’ll see myself out.
You lost me after now….
Was a very fun game and great win.
It does show that baseball is a lucky game. When luck is on your side, your team wins a game like that. Honestly the Rangers had so many failed chances to walk off that they reminded me of the Angels.
Nice to have some good luck shine down on the team.
Are The Rangers attempting the old triple switcherooni?
First Gray goes down with the blister , then Cy Cody Bradford is the scheduled starter but he pitched 99 pitches for Round Rock vs our very own SL Bees last Friday and now today this Cy Young in training gets called up:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/06/rangers-to-promote-owen-white.html
Bradford will be pitching on 3 days rest. maybe he gets one time around the lineup and then Cy Owen White gets to come in to face us?
Listed pitchers on Vegas Sportbook Big Boards :
Angels (Barria ) (+108)
Rangers (Cy Rookie Whomever) (- 131)
This has Cy Rookie written all over it.
A lot of our guys have skipped AAA as well. You can start with Voodoo back in ‘05.
Even the Mariners are doing this.
The FBM keystone of the game for the Halos later this afternoon/evening is Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s finale to his 1812 Overture.
Let Jaime Barria force the Rangers to put up zeros on the score board! Let Zach Neto’s defensive wizardry explode our disbelieving heads! Let Shohei bombs fly out every which way but loose! Let the choirs sing! Let the orchestra quiver! Let the cannon explode from the stage with their joyous triumphant noise! Let us all go to our slumber tonight singing A-men! and Hallelujah!
https://youtu.be/u2W1Wi2U9sQ
Since we are in America, knowing the Angels winning the AL West will need to go through the heart of Texas, here is a more ‘Merica-themed uplifting ditty.
It’s us against Texas, us against the Media, us against the cheating MLB and it’s evil NY office. F replay, F the umpires, F the rest of MLB teams! And F the Mariners double hard! Eat if Jerry!
Free Arte!
https://youtu.be/GxSLIgNKYZY
Wow thats way better than the theme to National Treasure.
Nice win last night. I’m so traumatized so I barely watched extra innings, assuming we’d lose as always.
Zach Neto is under the general MLB radar. He’s been playing like a 4/5-ish WAR player over a full season. Defense, base running is there. He’s adjusting to MLB pitching now and doing well. The kid is 22 and still has a little room to physically grow stronger. He reminds me a lot of 90s Craig Biggio.
Next, our SP is a big weak link again as we have multiple hard wins due to having to play from behind. The franchise has a chance to win this year. I don’t think the Rangers are a shoe-in quite yet.
Trade idea.
Quero, Adell and Silseth for Shane Bieber? Painful to lose our prospects.
Tsssss…. that’s a tough trade, but it’s also pretty much what it would likely take. I’d consider it.
Bieber is signed through 2023 but has one year of Arbitration left before free agency.
I’m curious what his peripherals indicate including his average fastball velocity. I feel like his numbers are declining.
Thats a lot to give up for him but considered a bargain on the MLB trade simulator. ( and probably in real life considering the anticipated lack of available players at this years trade deadline.
Friend of mine is a big Indian fan. Claims he’s not close to the same pitcher.
MLB Rumors: Execs Not Convinced Guardians’ Shane Bieber Will Draw ‘Significant’ Haul
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10078510-mlb-rumors-execs-not-convinced-guardians-shane-bieber-will-draw-significant-haul
He does not look the same as before. Not bad, but not the same. I follow him some cause he’s a Cho in the Pros.
It’s time.
The Angels offense is picking up steam but there is a leak in the boiler: Jared Walsh. He is 1 for 25 in June and his batting average for the past seven games is .000. Even his OBP is just .181.
The Angels have invested heavily in Walsh and I understand the team’s desire to see him succeed. But he is not.
We all wish him the best after dealing with the variety of medical issues he has experienced, but there comes a time to recognize Walsh has not improved, and will not without a lengthy stint in AAA.
Send him down. Now. Let’s keep the offensive boiler running red hot. And, no, Walsh’s defensive capabilties do not make up for his zero offense.
daniel murphy szn
Trey Cabbage deserves some time
Unless either one can play elite defense at Walsh’s level it would be a huge mistake to bring them up to the Bigs to replace him.
lol
Can Walsh still pitch, or has TOS completely wiped that possibility out? (Not a serious question.)
Renfroe has been a mess too – .593 OPS in June after a .638 OPS in May. That’s not what he’s here to do.
Wish a couple of Ward, Moniak and Adell were MLB-average gloves at 1st base, because I’d like to see a bit more of that first-round selection promise tested on the field again, and there aren’t enough OF spots to go around.
DH and SS, that’s it…….Renfroe needs to become part of this OF platoon.
Hell, we have Platoons everywhere. 2nd base, LF, catcher, 1st base, 3rd (Rendone always hurt)…while we’re at it, maybe our CF should be a candidate for a platoon.
Some excerpts from Jalyn Smoot of MLB.com since I am also a fan of Neto:
“I do not [get tired of watching Shohei],” shortstop Zach Neto said. “He’s an awesome ballplayer to watch and to role model off of. He’s kind of taken me under his wing. Who wouldn’t want to follow a guy like that?”
Eager to keep the Rangers’ red-hot offense at bay, the Angels stepped up defensively, and Neto made an impressive catch in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Mitch Garver popped a pitch high into the air, the 22-year old shortstop tracked the ball into foul territory before making an acrobatic Spider Man like catch as he collided with the fence.
“I had a good bead on it,” Neto said. “I just waved off Ward and told him I had it. After that, it was just a matter of me [looking to see] where the wall was.
“I saw the ball getting closer and closer to the wall, so I just took it upon myself to get up there and catch it before it hit the net. I braced myself for contact, because I knew I was going to hit the wall at some point.”
I added *Spider Man like” to spice up the article. I hope it is ok with Jalyn. I also heard that Angels health insurance company informed that they are doubling the premium for Zach.
Is Spider Man > Mag Neto?
I think it would be prudent to request impartial opinion from Jacob Webb.
Zach Neto in June (10 game sample): .357/.455/.643
Per BR, his seasonal mark of 1.8 WAR is 4th in the MLB among 2023 rookies, and he trails only Josh Jung and Ryan Noda in the AL (both at 1.9 WAR) this season. Jung is age 25, Noda age 27.
And don’t forget that defense!!
Definitely a big part of his WAR at the moment.
TURKS !!!!!!
This is awesome.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1668641786145693699
Great video.
Outstanding. Thank you.
I’m a hot little potato right now
Spider-man is Neato!
We picked up a game in the standings last night.
How about them A’s, with the longest winning streak currently in AL! With a win tonight and KC loss, they can overtake hapless Royals in win column, I also heard that A’s fans are planning to pack Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum tonight with “Reverse Boycott Day.” Go A’s! Beat that formerly known as Devil Rays!
How exactly does that hurt the A’ss?
50,000 people are assembling with one goal:
embarrass the owner – should be fun!
I obviously do not follow their fandom, but I can empathize with their frustration and anger at A’s owner(s) and front office for total ignorance and disregard. A’s fans have long known that Oakland Athletics are no more.
A little late as Oakland fans didn’t really come out to support them when they were actually good. The whole thing is a tire fire and has been destined to be moved for a decade.
Yea but they’ll really show them evil owners a thing or two by showing up and spending their money at that dump.
Fans…. doing something? That can happen?
Sure, “Sell the team” yelling fans got the Angels pre/post-game show moved inside the stadium.
#fandriven
Angry Angels fan = Sad donkey on internet full of people who mostly agree with him.
Angry A’s fan = Get’s t-shirts made, tries to get 50,000 people to show up to a game and shit on the owner, etc.
You see who is mas macho….
The AAAA’s are so bad it even hurts me.
Can’t stress enough how amazing the bullpen has been, as Perry rebuilt it on the fly. I know not everyone is partial to this, but I especially like how guys have settled into roles and thrived in it. Devenski in particular has settled into cleaning up messes. Knowing that you have a guy in the bullpen whom you can trust too minimize damage is huge for any manager. And of course, there’s Estevez.
Other guys have also been critical in supplementing whatever is needed during the game – Bachman, Joyce, heck, even Tucky.
The bullpen didn’t start this way in the beginning, and like any other teams, the Angels have had various losses throughout the season, for different reasons – Warren, Quijada, Tepera, etc. They hold this up, and the bullpen will be one of Perry’s more unheralded achievements.
Apparently, 4th best ERA in MLB overall, and we began sucky. Yeah, Perry should get a lot of credit. One huge reason to be hopeful in 2023.
Though the irony is that, for the most part, the transformation of the bullpen has largely come from minor league infusions: Bachman, Soriano, Joyce, Wantz, even Devenski (who was a minor league sign before ST).
Only Estevez has really panned out among the free agent pitching, and he was cheapest of the four money arms: Anderson, Tepera, Loup, Estevez.
Most good bullpens are drafted, or built from spare part trades. I knew in the offseason that the strength of this year’s BP would largely pull from Rocket City and Salt Lake. Good thing the FO figured that out by late May.
Matt Moore has panned out pretty dang well as a free agent signing.
I dont really consider Devensk or Webb a minor league infusion. Neither have options left and weren’t draft or part of an international signing. They really had no other takers on a ML deal so they took a minor league with an opt out that panned out for them.
I think you need a mixture of all 3 areas to build a championship bullpen. And I too am glad Perry finally figured it out but of course last year he didnt have as many options since his Trash Bullies weren’t ready
Yes, Moore has been a great signing.
Devenski and Webb are great scrap heap pickups.
Perry’s draft is coming along – Bachman, Joyce, Neto – all figure to be important contributors to this season.
I still like results of the 2022 draft (Neto, Joyce) more than the 2021 draft (Bachman + 18 pitchers).
Right now the full of the ’21 draft might yield 2-3 relievers, with no clear SP standout in the mix. We knew it was a desperate gambit when it happened, but I think the more traditional drafting strategy of 2022 will yield more bounty 3-5 years out than the vaunted all-pitching draft.
Hard for me to view Devenski as anything but a minor league infusion – he was signed to a minor league contract, expressly targeted as AAA depth, and began the year in Salt Lake. I’m sure if the season had panned out as they had drawn it up in early spring, he would have been more of a summer call up.
Moore was pitching well before his injury, but it’s hard to pin the recent BP turnaround to him, as he’s been out three weeks, and obliques are awfully touchy things (Ky Bush has been out for 3+ months with a “minor” oblique injury and got shelled in his first rehab start). I think whether Moore delivers on his contract in the final estimate will depend much on how he’s pitching closer to the ASB.
The difference between his ERA and xFIP was more than three full runs when he went down, and his BABIP is unsustainably below career norms, so I still think there’s a bill coming due with Moore, but we’ll see.
The Halos Pen has been a great turnover story so far this year.
Are those apple turnovers or Butter(cup) turnovers?
Hot cherry turnovers
This time last week the Angels were 31-30 and 5 games out of the wild card. Now they have 37 wins and are only 1 game back.
Let’s carry that momentum all the way to the all-star break.
Super Member
tanana40
8 days ago
June 4, the day the season turned around. 😀
7-1 since the Grand Slam that I thought was the end.
Apparently cheater Bregman lit a fire under their azz’s.
interesting take.
So Jacob Webb is our savior?
That’s just the facts, Ma’am
I wouldn’t use the word Savior.
He did serve it up on a platter.
Letter high, 84mph, outer half.
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/angels-vs-astros/2023/06/03/717908/final/box
Anderson is the luckiest SP in the majors, Detmer the opposite.
Neato Neto is working his way up the RoY honors quickly.
2 HRs in same game twice within a week, One is working on MVP too, the other working of RoY.
Now who can achieve 3 HRs in a game this year. I also think we will see a Cycle to boot this season, now how kool would that be.
For those of you who cannot get enough of Shohei, I ran into this analytical article by Nikkan Sports, Mamoru Shikama:
In 12th inning with ghost runner on second, Shohei appeared calm and collected. Normally in this situation, the minimum is to hit to the right side to advance the runner. I believe Shohei was thinking that Texas reliever was not going to pitch inside, He took a gamble with inside out swing at the high middle outside cut ball, which he took oppo and over the fence. I am impressed with his well calculated strategy with hybrid tinge of riverboat gambler and samurai assassin.
The solo homerun in 7th inning was also the result of his calm read of what the next pitch was going to be. He called time after the first pitch which was borderline inside change up. He was reading the next pitch would come near the previous one, and he was ready to pounce on the essentially same located 90MPH two seamer pitch, which pierced the second deck in the left center. With the 459 ft bomb, he tied Judge, and overtook him with his 20th. He is now leading AL HR race for the first time since September 12, 2021.
I would not be surprised if Nikkan Sports has hired full time statistician who is dedicated to track Shohei numbers 24/7.
Savoring last night game is just awesome. You want to know what is even better, reading the post of the Doom and gloom posters. Saying that’s game in the 4th. Don’t count us out of any game.
Devo got his first “W”! How sweet it is 😃
BTO took care of business with his first win last night Grandpa not Devo.
Sam got the win, shame on me, thanx 4 keeping me honest.
In addition to taking my Geritol every morning, at least triple checking my facts and numbers before I post have become a key habit of mine thanks to Cowboy26 watchful eyes.
I tend to be a bit lax while I am gathering information from Japanese sources, but I would not be all that surprised if he would familiarize himself with Japanese small ball tactics and become totally fluent in Japanese, including some slangs of sexually controversial nature by the end of this week. 😆
Sam Blum won?
Shohei Ohtani is on pace for
40+ HRs
25+ doubles
20+ SBs
.900+ OPS
3.3 ERA
1.0 WHIP
200+ Ks
Best player to ever touch a baseball.
This is OUR year