Thanks to a series win against my dad’s Giants squad, the Angels are back to being a .500 team. 58 wins, 58 losses, and 46 games left to go. Obviously the math to get to a 90 win season is daunting but I think it is important to finish this year with a winning record. I don’t care if it is 82-80, the winning percentage needs to start with a 5.
Normally I’m not a fan of moral victories. Real victories are what get a team to the promised land. But this year Perry Minasian has pulled out all the stops to field a winner and I think it is important his effort be justified. It would send a message to not only Ohtani but the fans and league that the Angels can build a winner.
Getting healthy down the stretch and finishing with a little momentum would be nice, too. On that front…
Angels catchers got off to a nice start with the bats and Thaiss still has respectable numbers across the board for a catcher. But Chad Wallach’s bat went into a freezer and hasn’t escaped. A timeshare with O’Hoppe and Thaiss should make catcher a strength. And if you’re looking for any additional reasons to like Logan, check this out.
No player should give a boost to the lineup and morale than Mike Trout. He took some time to discuss his current status and outlook this week. Sounds like his still a ways off to me, but who knows?
Trout’s hand didn’t get in the way of him signing this epic card with Shohei Ohtani.
That Ohtani guy is pretty good and made significant MLB history this week. If you built a player who notched 10 wins as a pitcher and 40 home runs as a hitter in a video game I’d have laughed at you and said “get real.” Ohtani has done just that.
Mike Moustakas is becoming a fan favorite, at least in my house. His bomb on Wednesday night gave Ohtani that 10th win and is another in what is a string of clutch hits for the Halos. I really hope we keep him round.
I’m perfectly on board with dumping Anthony Rendon, who still refuses to discuss his latest injury, and opening up a roster spot for next year; hopefully filled by Moose.
If there’s any owner in sports accustomed to eating dead weight contracts it is Arte Moreno. It is crazy to think this is the first year in forever that he isn’t doing so. From Matthews Jr. to Wells to Hamilton to Pujols to Upton, there’s always been a big dollar guy sitting at home collecting checks.
One a more positive note, newcomer Lucas Giolito pitched well enough to help the Angels win a heck of a game.
Former Angel and Cal State Fullerton alum Michael Lorenzen threw a no hitter in his first home start as a Phillie. Lorenzen also played his high school ball in Fullerton. Which segues to this incredible stat:
Speaking of good pitching, nobody does it better than the Tampa Bay Rays. The polar opposite of our Angels, the Rays have baseball’s best success rate of turning duds into studs. Here’s how they do it.
Life is good for Baltimore Orioles fans. Their team is doing great and a fan in Camden Yards snagged this awesome catch.
The Green Monster has provided many an odd bounce and memorable play. I can’t recall one like this week’s when a ball got stuck in a light for a ground rule double.
Just like kids melting down in grocery stores is all the advertising birth control pills need, horrific umpiring is creating the demand for robot umpires. George Springer went overboard in arguing a borderline call but Aaron Boone was clearly in the right to argue these atrocious call and went at horrible umpire Laz Diaz (foul language warning).
Enjoy your weekend of MLB and Little League baseball. Please link what I missed below.
