The Angels and Rockies opened the series a combined boatload of games under .500. Each team got marginally worse through trades lately, but those players still here combined for a high scoring, entertaining game.
Each team plated two runs in the first. The Angels should have gotten more but a great defensive play denied Mickey Moniak a 2 out, 2 RBI single and the frame ended. Those two Angels runs came on a hit by a guy we thought would be traded, Taylor Ward.
OC native Ryan McMahon then put the Rockies on top with a three run blast.
This game was just getting going. Matt Thaiss had a great game and put the Angels ahead again in the bottom of the 4th.
So, through 4 innings we had 13 runs on the board. Taylor Ward had 3 RBI. Matt Thaiss had 4.
As far as Griffin Canning, well, he had the lead 7-6 heading into the 5th. He managed to put up a zero in the 5th and 6h to put himself in line for the win. The Angels bats settled down in the middle innings as well.
Jose Quijada gave up a run in the top of the 7th to knot the game at 7-7. But this was a night of Angels comebacks and Jo Adell got that lead back in the bottom half of the frame.
Listen to that one. Adell had some great sound. That type of distinctive crack that cuts through everything else. Really great moment for Jo.
Thaiss extended the lead to 10-7. On the night Matt had 5 RBI and 2 stolen bases. He became only the second catcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
Hunter Strickland closed the door on the 9th. Light up the Halo!
Followed the game off and on while playing bar trivia last night. At 6-2, I was sure Griffin was gone. Well done with the comeback!!!
Yeah, I stubbornly continued to watch and was quite pleased with the final score. Nice fight from the youngins’.
Shout out to Matt Thaiss for becoming a good back up catcher. His WAR is 0.7 and his OBP is .347. Washington says that he works hard every day. Hope he can stick as O’Hoppe’s back up for a few years if continues to improve.
I was thinking about the Garcia trade and many fans reactions to the quality that we received.
Let’s flip the script, if the Halos were in a PS hunt, who would you have traded for Garcia?
Rada, Dana, Moore*, Neefo, Cortez*, Johnson*, Neto or Schanuel?
The fact that we traded an uneeded set-up man for a team going nowhere in ’24, that needs to rebuild, and got four MiLB players, with some upside was in fact a smooth move by Perry. At worst four tosses of the dice, at best we net one or two pieces for the future.
Yes, like many here, I believe we should’ve moved at least Pillar, but that doesn’t mean the Garcia trade was crap.
*Can’t trade a recently drafted player until following year
Rendon back with his best friend, the IL. And the checks keep coming in.
May he return to play the game he’s openly said he doesn’t really like. Soon?
Meanwhile, some Angel brass was asked about Trout being shut down and will he play again this year. The answer was, “We’ll see.”
Gonna take that as a no.
Why?
trAdition
Who?
I was never enamored with moving solid players like Rengifo, Anderson & Ward for “below market value” – particularly Ward since he’s at a low ebb numbers wise and had two years more control. Besides, we have almost no OF depth moving forward anyway.
These guys still retain value this offseason if we’re intent on moving them.
In the meantime, the return on Estevez & Garcia seems promising on paper.
Received 4 lotto tickets for a 37-year-old soon-to-be free agent. That seems like a pretty good deal for Garcia.
I think the LHB is a fat Trey Cabbage so I hope you like whiffs. The older pitcher is a late bloomer that might be an intriguing bullpen piece. The young pitcher is young enough and has good enough raw stuff that maybe the Angels can fix him. They need more minor league pitching coaches that are worth a shit. The Red Barryon might be the best pitching coach we have had since Bud Black but he cant be everywhere man.
Lugo reminds me of a 23 year old Taylor Ward . Hes Carlos Beltran ‘s nephew so I suspect hes good with trash cans.
Agreed.
We can just celebrate the victory and worry about our problems tomorrow.
Wash said in his postgame presser that Adell dropped the leg kick on that go-ahead HR.
FINALLY. I’ve been calling for that adjustment for months.
SO MUCH BETTER
https://x.com/MLB/status/1818493930108821938?t=J1l4rJpv81V5FnCJyatoBQ&s=19
He had been watching Neto too much…
I missed last night’s game but I see his big problem as swinging at pitches outside the zone. I don’t know if the leg kick is part of that problem or not.
Halos will obviously make the playoffs now.
At the lowest point we were 21-38, 17 games under .500. Since then we’re 26-22.
We had a badly loaded schedule where we, deservedly, got kicked around by better teams. If we somehow win as many as last year, 73, that’d be a nice accomplishment with no Shohei, no Trout, no Rendon.
LTBU
post-trade deadline me: “why do I subject myself to this team?”
postgame me: “oh ya, this is why!”
Fun game. LTBU !!!
But But
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/b9a9ffe4-984a-4a95-8026-3c0eef445372