This was a really easy article to write early on. Ohtani’s velocity was ramped up early in the game. Bryan Woo matched him with zeroes for Seattle. It was scoreless through 5. But there was this nifty grab by Grichuk.
About 40 seconds after Ohtani exited the game with cramping in his pitching hand Jose Soriano served up what used to be a double off the right field wall to put the Angels down 1-0.
I’m surprised the cramps aren’t in his back from trying to carry this team. Ohtani was walked in the sixth, stole a base, and scored the tying run on CJ Cron’s 0-2 single with two outs in the inning. A hit with RISP, are we allowed to do that?
Moose cracked a double to bring CJ in and put the Angels up 2-1.
That score held through the 7th and newcomer Reynaldo Lopez was filthy in the top of the 8th.
Then the MVP did what the MVP does.
Carlos Esteves looked shaky early and walked the first two in the ninth. A single then loaded the bases. Esteves got a big strikeout of Teoscar Hernandez to get the first out. He’d looked to get his form back until giving up an 0-2 grand slam to Cade Marlow. Mariners up 5-3.
Absolutely brutal.
One of these years we’ll get it right when we say they’ll be playoff contenders in 2-3 seasons… but I’m beginning to think it’s more like 6-10 years from now.
When I was a Boy Scout one of the rules of camping we had drilled into us was to leave the site better than when you found it. Just to think, Arte purchased a team coming of a World Series victory and will potentially leave it with the longest post season drought in the MLB, the loss of the next Babe Ruth, and a 30th ranked farm system.
No doubt he’ll be billions richer, but man, what a legacy. Hope all your “unifinished business” is finished this time, Arte.
Trying to stay positive but gosh dang, the margin of error is approaching razor thin with this team, and we could be unfortunately in for a long, long winter (and I don’t mean just the one between 2023 and 2024…)
Agree. Arte (and therefore the Angels) are a victim of his own myopic egocentrism. He firmly believes he knows what is best for the Org but (as we have said so many times before) he knows marketing not baseball. Great baseball Orgs do not make the constant mistakes that Arte and his marketing goons have made. And it is sad that he will profit to an enormous extent despite these poor decisions.
Look – the Angels are a So Cal team and southern Californians love themselves a superstar. So you can see how a marketing team would want to hold onto Ohtani.
I sadly agree with you. The risk of trading away the few decent prospects the Angels had for 2 month rentals and not bringing in some top prospects in exchange for Ohtani at the deadline are likely the cherry on top of this shit sundae of an Org.
But maybe if the Angels miss the playoffs and Ohtani signs elsewhere, this will finally convince Arte to sell and the healing of this Org can begin. That is my silver linings playbook.
I worry about those here that have begun to convince themselves that Arte is going to sell the team in the offseason. Are you prepared for the outcome if he doesn’t?
Yes. I just will watch without fully investing any emotional currency.
Sho Q&A:
Q: You have been having cramping in your finger, but you still decided to pitch.
A: By swinging my right arm in the dugout, I felt like I could pitch.
Q: How concerned are you about your finger?
A: It has been cramping frequently, so I went by inning by inning, But it reached a point where I thought by continuing, I would affect the outcome of the game negatively, so I decided to let Phil know.
Q: What about your next outing as pitcher?
A:That is something that the team (Phil Nevin) will decide. I would like to fulfill my responsibility as starting rotation guy. It will probably depend on how the team is doing, and I have no authority to decide when I would pitch next.
Q:Is it the whole finger?
A:It is my middle finger, It is the place where many pitchers have had cramping issues.
Q:It was a tough loss today. How much damage did the team sustain today?
A:I would have liked to have thrown about 100 pitches to lessen pressure on our bullpen, and I feel responsible for not being able to do that. As a result, we lost by allowing the Mariners to come back in the ninth. We just have to turn the page and look forward to tomorrow’s game.
Q:You experienced intense pressure during WBC tournament, but are you feeling the similar pressure in these games?
A:We are still in a position to reach the playoffs, so every game is significantly vital. There is nothing we can do about what happened today. We just have to turn our attention to tomorrow’s game and do our best to win it.
Q:If you have been having cramping issue, did you think about resting?
A:We have discussed off day with the coaches, but our situation is such that all able Angels players need to play. There are no unimportant games where I can take as off day. I would like to be in every game if I can.
Q:What was your mindset when you were at bat before you hit your 40th homerun?
A:Since the game was 2-1 in our favor, I was thinking of insurance run. It did not have to be a homerun. It could have been a single, or even a walk. I just wanted to have good at bat to be a base runner so I can help score additional run.
Q:You weren’t concerned about your right hand?
A:The decision was my right hand would not affect my batting ability. If my right hand were in such a shape to affect our team’s ability to win, I would have taken myself out. We felt that if I continue as DH, the chance of our victory would be higher.
Q:When did you notice the trouble?
A:In the 4th inning during warm up pitches. Before the game in the bullpen, I felt really good. From the start, I felt strong with my fastball. Perhaps, I was pushing myself too hard in the early innings, trying to keep Mariners from scoring every inning. I just did not feel like I could relax because every inning was so important. It was unexpected miscalculation on my part that I should have distributed my efforts more evenly.
Q:What do you think is the cause of cramping?
A:I think it is related to accumulated exhaustion. It probably has something to do with many games in a row and moving a long distance. But, my decision was that I would be able to pitch today, and I feel responsible for not being able to do my usual.
Q:Have you had cramping frequently?
A:My finger and planting foot (right foot) are where I tend to have cramps.
Q:What do you feel about your homerun production this season?
A:Rather than batting for homerun, I would like to continue to focus on consistently having good at bats. I would love to stay with calm approach, be always locked and ready for those pitches in the zone to put strong swing on them.
This guy is under such constant internal and external pressure. He pushes himself so hard. I really hope he ends up on a WS Champion even if it’s not the Angels. He deserves it.
No worries there. It won’t be the Angels. The Angels likely won’t make the playoffs for at least another two or three years at the very best…… and that will Only happen if Arte sells the team this off season. Otherwise it could be a lot longer.
After this trade deadline debacle, I’m not so sure about Perry either. He might be sent packing with new ownership.
For his ‘work’ at the deadline, he gets a full on F.
Glaus’ 47 HR record is only 7 away
Sad this turned out to be a find a way to lose game. Esteves has been solid and found a horrible time to flop. Giolito looks washed, Moniak regressing to player he always was. I agree they need a 6 game win streak or an 8/10 to get into this thing and reinforcements like Trout and Drury back to push us in. Have to get hot, the Mariners are doing it, same with Cubs. No reason Angels can’t too.
Gonna be tough with the August schedule. Not impossible but very difficult.
Impossible.
I think pitchers have seen Moniak enough times to finally know his weaknesses. He will just have to learn to adjust
Call me dumb but what exactly is a Cade Marlowe?
Cousin to Kissin Kate Barlow?
This has to be fake right?
https://twitter.com/GBiccle/status/1687325364908122112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1687325364908122112%7Ctwgr%5E7bc0c9256b0a3f06de16008305cd33ae217f4021%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcrashingthepearlygates.com%2F2023%2F08%2F03%2Fangels-suffer-brutal-loss-5-3%2F
Someone needs to charge their phone.
Hate people that would ever message a player like that. Really lame stuff.
Re-added for posterity. Some Twitter user posted HIS OWN conversation with Carlos Estevez…
Some crazy ass shizz.
Japanese newspaper have not published the whole Q&A yet, but they mentioned that the cramping was limited to the middle finger only. Because the ulnar nerve is responsible for only distal half of ring finger and whole pinky finger, the middle finger has NOTHING to do with the ulnar nerve. It is probably local phalangeal nerve issue, but I don’t know what therapy will be needed. He may undergo evaluation by orthopedic MD with hand specialization if the cramping does not resolve.
Nothing quite like cramps in your phalanges
It’s better than cramps in the colon.
We had to take 3 of 4 this series so now have to win 3 straight which is unlikely. Now prob gonna split at home against the freaking mariners. If we serious about contending have to win 6-7 in a row soon and go on a run; no more flirting with .500.
I think now we LOSE three out of four. Huge momentum for M’s after tonight.
Plus, they have their Ace going tomorrow and Nevin burned the entire bullpen — every good reliever was used and it wasn’t even necessary !! 😂
I think we will lose 10 of 4 since it was such a momentum changer
We’ll see. If any team could lose 10 of 4 then the Angels are that team.
We will find a way. Maybe we should have you text message Estevez with your idea about running out Lopez for 1st out.
Yeah that loss was disgusting, reminded me of those brutal April losses. We specialize in it. Ohtani reached base 4 times, stole his 14th, hit his 40th, scored twice, oh, and pitched 4 scoreless with 4ks… if only his finger coulda let him do more lol. We are spoiled and still didn’t win ugh
If you take out the destruction of Colorado, we are playing above our Pythagorean
Been flirting with .500 all season long. Just check out the lineup.
UNCLE!
Rico or Fester?
Yea, imma take break from Angels online fandom for a bit.
You have JFrost and Jayman out in full force being the toolbags they are — the game thread was nauseatingly negative.
I’m as disappointed and brokenhearted about the loss as anyone, but blaming Nevin is ridiculous, and many are doing that right now (huh?).
Stay well yall. Remember, it’s just a game
🙂
See ya in 20 minutes
Carlos’ fault – 1000% tip cap, turn page
Playoff odds published – 9%
Playoff odds actual – 0.0000000%
9%?
Wait until we get stassi back.
Stassi be like: “I aint coming back, this team sucks, I’ll just hurt my hip again”
Lame
Throw it on the ever growing pile of games even average teams don’t blow. They’d be in or right on the cusp a playoff spot if they’d won half the games they’ve choked away this year.
You’d think Nevin would know when Estevez is walking people like crazy he doesn’t have it. He blew another game just like this earlier in the year.
Oh well, can’t blame him too much for putting in his closer.
Shoutout to the 3 batters who all K’d in the bottom half. Way to go out w/a whimper.
This team is going nowhere.
well, you guys helped me figure out how to listen on the radio, which I’m doing now for the post-game talk. It’s not making me feel much better
Shohei with the insurance Home Run in the Bottom of the 8th. All for naught. Esteves was too erratic and the 0-2 Pitch with the bases loaded was way too good of a pitch in that situation. Needed him to pitch off the plate there. Lopez has better stuff compared to Esteves, might need to switch them. Bullpen was actually lined up perfectly even with Shohei only throwing 4 innings. Tough way to lose and it’s basically a 2 game swing. Get after it tomorrow against Seattle.
This
The heart of the Angels lineup (Cron-Moose-Grichuk) would have been awesome in 2019. But it’s now 2023 and they’re all over 30.
This is not a playoff team. Artie Moreno continues to meddle with baseball operations and the Angels get farther away from the playoffs.
Mariners made a rational decision and became sellers at deadline.
Feels goooooooood.
They weren’t sellers at the deadline. They had a surplus of arms and decided to make a trade to strengthen their offense.
Passive aggressive sellers.
The mariners weren’t sellers nor buyers. It feels like they didn’t do anything. Sold high, I think, with trading away a closer for lesser known quantities (two fringe MLB positional and one positional prospect). That was their only significant trade. Dipoto said he couldn’t find an actual bat. ::: raising shoulders ::: We nabbed Grichuk and Cron.
My biggest fear was that this team was going to get fat on a weak schedule leading into the deadline, decide they were in it, then get torched in August against a gauntlet of good teams. That’s essentially what has happened. Gonna be a long six or seven year before they have a chance to compete again.
maybe analytics doesn’t have access to the schedule.
Verlander brought back the Astros top 2 prospects, one of which was a top 100.
You have to imagine that Ohtani would have brought at least that back. And probably some more.
I don’t believe Arte was ever going to approve a trade for Ohtani. That is because he is not a baseball person. He is a marketing person. Why would a marketing person ever trade Ohtani?
This 100%. The last 15 years have been filled with marketing decisions that have been terrible baseball decisions. For example, signing:
Gary Matthews Jr
Pujols
Hamilton
Rendon
Gary matthews jr looking pretty good right about now
Exactly. This is 100% why I am ready for new ownership. I can only hope that new ownership comes in with a plan to rebuild this Org with baseball people (not marketing folks) and focus on scouting, player development, and building up the minor-league system
Yeah the only reason holding me back to the Angels is Ohtani. Once he leaves, as much as I love Trout, I’m done following this franchise until Arte sells. The moment Arte sells it to a new owner/ownership group then I’m back on board for better or worse. Arte has really, really ruined this franchise from top to bottom in every way, shape and form.
I fully agree. And it’s not because of a failure to spend money – Arte has actually been generous. It’s because he has focused almost entirely on marketing and not baseball ops. Non-baseball Arte-sycophants like Carpino and Kuhl are baseball executives here. Once all that (hopefully) changes and the Org becomes truly focused on baseball ops with actual baseball people- I’ll be back to being all-in.
6 or 7?
You optimist you
grrrr grrrrr
Classic “ Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory “ game. Couldn’t get 3 lousy outs. Completely pAthetic.