Thanks to those of you who have already picked up tickets for tomorrow night’s site meetup. For those of you who were unsure of your plans for tomorrow but can now make it, you’ll be able to find us in section 201. I’ll be in Row H. So come join us and nab yourself a Madalorian Rally Monkey.
Last week I was pretty optimistic in the links. The Angels proceeded to get swept in Cincinnatti then predictably lose 2 of 3 to Baltimore.
That last loss to Baltimore was a game the Angels should have won. Ron Washington pretty much gave up, though, and inserted gas can Jose Suarez into a 2-0 game despite having an off day to rest the bullpen.
Yes, that is a manager incorrectly stating the score at the time of a bad decision. And it isn’t like Suarez only sucked on Wednesday. He’s been bad all year and before this.
The fact of the matter is in baseball there are very few players who can win you a game. Ohtani, Trout, Acuna and a handful of others. However, bad teams have a handful of players who can single handedly lose you a game. Guys like Jose Suarez and Jose Cisnero. Good teams like Baltimore simply wait out bad teams until they get to the punching bag.
Of course, getting screwed by a horrible call to end the game didn’t help. At least the Angels announcers called the replay what it was: a joke.
Pitching depth was obviously the Angels biggest need this off season. Perry Minasian signed one big ticket item to fix that problem. Robert Stephenson, fresh off the only three good months of his career, received $33 million guaranteed to pitch for 3 seasons. Well, he won’t pitch this year or most of next year as he’s the latest Angel to need Tommy John surgery.
Perry passed up more proven starting pitching options like Michael Lorenzen to sign Stephenson. And that, predictably, has bitten him right in the backside.
Just to rub salt in the wound, Lorenzen is on a one year deal with only $4.5 million guaranteed. Even if he meets all of his bonuses he’ll still cost 64% of Stephenson in 2024 and $26 million less in total salary.
The one highlight of the season has been Mike Trout. At least when the bases are empty.
Mike Trout isn’t only hitting bombs, he’s running again. That’s a great piece by FanGraphs with lots of video. I highly recommend it.
As for the highlight of this week, it has to go to Miguel Sano. Dude is playing a great third base and hitting the ball hard. I don’t think any of us expected to see a play like this when he was signed.
From around baseball:
Last week I said I wanted to see Elly De La Cruz live. He had more highlight reel moments against the Angels. He can turn pretty much anything into a run.
Cody Bellinger is on the IL with broken ribs. That doesn’t seem good for a sport that involves so much twisting. I cracked a couple ribs sparring at my old gym and it was amazing how much every cough and sneeze hurt.
Jared Walsh is a free agent. He’s likely going to get a minors deal and I’d love to bring him back.
Enjoy your weekend, try to swing by section 201 tomorrow, and link what I missed. For the first time in a couple of weeks I am not hosting an open house so I am looking forward to two days of non stop family time.
Pretty dreadful stats amongst the Twins lineup. Sandy has a decent chance if he can work the strike zone. Angels a mild favorite -120. Wonder what Ippei thinks about that line tonight?
I think Ippei’s credit line has been severely reduced.
Whatever he thinks make sure you go the opposite
Today’s Lineups
Sano and Drury OK
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/twins-vs-angels/2024/04/26/746243/preview
Amazing how quickly we’ve come to rely on Sano. If he does it for more than a few weeks i’m gonna need to find a crow to eat.
I like this line up
Our fcking luck, man…
https://x.com/jefffletcherocr/status/1783972614215790648?s=46
I was expecting bad news about Sano with that intro.
Rendon being out sucks but is to be expected at this point. I can’t knock a guy for getting hurt trying to hustle out a single, but I’m not surprised.
I wonder what Rendon’s stretching and recovery routine is. Dude looks stiff even when healthy. I get a very painful but very effective sports massage once a month. These guys can get those all the time.
I was actually letting myself start to believe he was gonna stay healthy this year. The hopium creeps up on you from time to time. But yeah, it was inevitable.
I wonder if guys can still get away with not stretching or lifting like Weave did back in the day.
Not sure this is bad luck, creates opportunities for the kids and certainly, more likable players
Rendon had become a decent bat in the few weeks before his injury. Felt like he was close to really finding his groove.
But next man up, absolutely.
I hate to say it, but I had a feeling we wouldn’t see him again until late August or September. Keeping with his 40 +- games per season average.
Man, what bad luck Rendon has had. Super freakish injuries every year.
I wonder, with this latest injury, if thoughts of retirement will start creeping up in his head.
I was bouncing that one around my mind. I’d set the line at +300 that he does.
Yep — how much more do you want to break the body you have to live in for the next 50 years.
We know that he commented on how is sucked he couldn’t even pick up his own kids and that kind of stuff… so who knows…
Yeah, I was thinking about the same comments. He’s made a hell of a bag, how much more do you really need?
Rendon’s injury history + the deafening dearth of information from AngelDom basically told us that it was a tear. I’m not sure that we’ll see him again this season. Again. What a bummer.
Partial hamstring tear takes 5-6months minimum.
All i’m hearing is he’ll be back for the playoffs!
Nice…lol
Didn’t know it was quite that severe but I said at the time he wasn’t returning for a while. Sano has done a great job of replacing him. Possibly a blessing in disguise. Not wishing anyone an injury and I was happy with the way Rendon was playing but it does open the door for Sano.
Any idea if Sano is back? Same question for Moore?
I’ll take a stab at tonight’s lineup:
CF – Trout
1B – Schanuel
LF – Ward
3B – Sano
C – O’Hoppe
RF – Moniak
DH – Adell
2B – Rengifo
SS – Neto
If Sano isn’t available, I presume it’s Rengifo at 3rd and Adrianza at 2B.
Since Day 1 in February, Wash’s attitude and treatment of Jo Adell has been that the young man is lucky to be on his team. And if he is, he’s going to be seated at the end of the bench.
The approach seems to be working just fine.
Refreshing take Rex. Seems that the common thread around here is insert ______, until they don’t do too well and new player is added into the blank. If anyone knows how’s to coach and develop a young African American player, it’s Washington. Adell has had ample opportunities to go out, play, prove. He hasn’t done that well. I think the current strategy is lighting AFI (a fire inside, music rec of the day). Wednesday’s abomination at 2B will add a further chip onto his me against the world mentality that imo will help him take the next step. Go Jo Go
Not sure what he’s supposed to do. He has the highest OPS+ on the team (164) and if you projected his counting stats for the same ABs as the regulars he would have 6 HRs 18 RBIs and 15 SBs. Along with Trout and Ward, he is one of the 3 most productive players in the line up but we should play Hicks or Moniak instead who have OPS+s of 20 and 12? Or Brandon Drury at 57. I have not even been a Jo Adell fan but he’s currently one of our 3 best players. How do you not play him.
Not sure what he’s supposed to do… most likely continue to put projected stats into actual stats backed with better defense and base running?
I dunno, appreciate your comment. I side with Washington regarding how to play Adell specifically. It’s a long season. Guess we’ll see.
The highest batting average and the highest OPS on the team are not projected statistics, they are actual statistics
He’s started literally 1/2 the games next to his closest comp, O’Hoppe. Thats 10 games. We are barely 15% of the way into the season. Me liking the way Wash is coaching him and almost everyone hoping he plays more goes hand in hand. At one point, Trout was on pace to hit a HR every AB this season.
I just read the beginning of the article on MLBTR about Holliday being optioned.
Something to remember, when we’re tempted to say how poor we are as Angels fans and lament how we’re the only ones who have top ranked prospects who come to the bigs and then don’t perform.
He is only 20 years old, but you are correct.
Mike Trout came up for a bit, flopped, and came back up.
Didn’t Wash also say that he’ll go with the “Hot Hand” vis-a-vis the lineup? Adell is by any metric, “hot”. Play the man.
Sandy tonight. I think we’ll win
Pumped to take my 4 yr old to his first game tomorrow. It’s for his t ball little league so I’m sure he’ll just goof off with his friends the whole game but just hoping he can make it the whole game so he can see the fireworks which I know he will enjoy.
Jazzed to see a bunch of you tomorrow. I dug my Bobby Grich jersey out so I’ll be recognizable!!!
Glad you’re making it.
You’re the man Jim, can’t wait to shake your hand!
This is the difference in one out of ten games. The doyers don’t seem to do this.
What about Sano? I’d hate to lose him.
No news, is usually bad news. trAdition
9 am on Friday, 4/26/24, and Suarez still has a roster spot.
The good news is that maybe Ron Washington will consider him unavailable to pitch today.
Unfortunately, nope, because he had a day off.
Wish I was fishin’ with you this weekend but have some scouts and volunteering to do with my kids, plus going tomorrow night. Would be awesome to get a CtPG golf game and/or fishing excursion in at some point. Hope you get to call it catching’ not just fishin’
Fishing trip was cancelled yesterday. Winds will be up with small craft warnings for outside of the Channel Islands. The exact place we were going to fish! Rescheduled for October.
On a personal note, I hit 15 years of sober living today. I found the old site right around that time. Initially joining game threads to chat about the game took over for being at a bar talking about the games.
Over the years I’ve made friends, memories, and really lived a fans dream in meeting players, former players, and broadcasters.
Finding better things to do with my time is a big reason for my success and this site is a big part of that. So thanks.
Congratulations, and thank you for all that you do to keep this site together.
That’s awesome Jeff!!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats on it all, Jeff! ☝
Easy Does It Brother.
See you tomorrow, Jeff!!!
Congrats on that sir.
Happy that you are here commiserating with us.
Congrats!
Big accomplishment! Takes a lot of self-discipline. Congrats!!
Way to go! You’re a great part of this Site.
That’s awesome, Jeff!
Congratulations!
Well done, Jeff!
As a local kid, and someone who enjoyed playing here, I bet Lorenzen would have re-signed on a team friendly deal to come back to Anaheim. Thought Perry should have signed him in the offseason, another lost opportunity.
That replay review is garbage as Randazzo said. Absolute garbage.
I’d like to see Walsh back with the Angels as well, even if it down at Salt Lake until we need to bring him up.
Free Randazzo and Gubbi!
F NY.
Angels and their announcers need to move on from the bad calls and focus on the next game. Listening to LeCon and the Lakers bitch about the refs is embarrassing.
I had no issue with the complaints that day and yesterday since we had no game, but today it’s time to move on. And there’s no guarantee they would have won the game, they simply lost the opportunity. But the review was incorrect and I don’t know how they missed it. And since everyone can see what the announcers are seeing, I’ve always found them to be very objective in their assessment after seeing the replay by stating he’s either clearly out, clearly safe, or the evidence is not sufficient to overturn the call regardless of the call on the field or the which team is involved.
So was the decision to put in Suarez a -1 WAR against his predicted 15 WAR?
At least.
Just imagine if we had Lorenzen in the rotation, Silseth and Soriano as multiple inning relievers, and no Suarez.
We’re at least 2-3 wins better at this stage of the season.
Very possible
Although, to be completely fair, this is in retrospect.
At the time, Perry had Sandoval, Detmers, Anderson, Silseth and Canning to start. If he signed another FA starter, that starter would want to be told “you are going to start”. Which would have meant that one of those starting 5 would have been moved to the BP or AAA. And all 5 of those guys are definitely at the point of keeping or trying to earn a starting job in MLB. At some point they need to be given the chance. This “rebuild” season is the perfect time for it. So I can see a perspective where we don’t sign Lorenzen.
Of course, now we know that Silseth is injured, so we need another starter.
At the time all but Anderson had options and we knew we needed a long reliever.
To say this is hindsight while I spent all offseason saying Lorenzen and Clevinger are out there and needed is incorrect.
True that.
OK, I suppose it more boils down to what we believe was the right way to handle Silseth from the beginning of the season. Fair enough.
I kinda’ like Soriano the starter, but your point is well
taken.
Canning might be another guy better suited for long relief as well. Time will tell either way
I think Kenny Rosenberg could take Suarez spot in the pen tomorrow. he’s already on the 40 man so this is a no brainer. Theres NFW Rosey could be any worse.
I’m surprised that Suarez wasn’t designated. He’s even worse than Cisneros.
Cisneros (recognizing it’s probably all been in lower leverage situations) has actually pitched better as of late. The last 6 appearances , 8 IPs, 1.13 ERA 7 K’s and a 1.125 WHIP.
Suarez has been consistently awful the entire year.
Cisnero’s ERA was infinity for a while as I recall. He’s come back a long way.
As well as last year.
Suarez has been consistently awful for multiple years now.
You’d think a guy coming off a poor 2023 would at least show up to camp in shape and act like he cares.
Suarez/Rendon
To be fair, Bartolo is a shape.
Let’s Go Halo!!!