Mine eyes have seen the glory of the sweeping of the blue crew. Our Angels are flying high after going 6 and 0 against the Dodgers this season.
Really, this is the best week to be an Angels fan since the 2009 ALDS sweep of the Red Sox.
The Highlight of the Week this week comes from that Dodgers sweep. There were about a half dozen plays that would have taken the cake in a normal week, but a triple play off the bat of Ohtani is unbeatable.
Love the caption on that one. Had to use it. Besides the triple play, Ohtani was tagged for 4 runs in 4.1 innings in his start Wednesday and was named as a defendant in a $240 million real estate related lawsuit. Not a good week for the unicorn.
Bryce Teodosio seemed to be in the middle of everything all series. He hit, dropped down a beautiful bunt, used his speed, and most importantly made an absolute web gem that really helped complete the sweep. In every other week this year, I’m pretty sure this is the Angels highlight of the week.
Yes, that is two different views of that catch. It deserves the double link. Teodosio is making fans and giving the team a spark. More on him later.
The simple fact I can link two plays prior to Logan O’Hoppe turning around a 103 MPH fastball for a go ahead hit in the bottom of the 8th inning against the Dodgers shows just how incredible of a ride we had this series. Again, any other week and this is the highlight of the week.
Some key veterans played a part in the sweep. Trout had a great inside out swing to punch in two runs. Kenley Jansen saved 2 of the 3 games and pitched in all 3. Yoan Moncada had some nice RBI hits.
Jose Soriano had a really nice outing. He recently reached out to Pedro Martinez for help on his mental game, and so far the returns are good.
It really was a team effort, but the kids stole the show.
Last week I linked Taylor Blake Ward pointing out Teodosio’s defense is rated an 80 on the 20 to 80 scale. This week I spoke to TBW about all things Angels farm. If you missed it, make sure you give it a listen. He knows his prospects.
Baseball America updated their top prospects list this week with the help from TBW.
MLB Pipeline also updated their top 30 prospect lists this week. The Angels have a new #2 and plenty of movement all over the rankings.
So now the Angels kick off a 3 game set in Sacramento against the A’s. So far, the Angels are 7-0 against our AL West rivals so I’m a little nervous. Another sweep would get the team back to .500 before a really tough last two weeks of August.
From around baseball:
The San Diego Padres are in first place in the NL West and they face the Dodgers this weekend and next. Unfortunately for them, Michael King is on the IL with knee inflammation.
Houston is in a dogfight with Seattle in the AL West and took a big blow when Josh Hader went down with a shoulder injury. His durability to this point has been pretty remarkable, especially in this era.
And if there’s anything purer than kids playing the game of baseball, I don’t need it. The Little League World Series is in full swing and here’s how to catch all the action.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. We are spending time with family and celebrating an adorable nephew turning 5 years old.
Oh, and one last thing: THE ANGELS WENT 6 AND 0 AGAINST THE DODGERS THIS YEAR.
