Last week I typed this column fresh off the high of sweeping the Dodgers for a second time this season. Spirits were soaring but danger lurked. The Angels had beaten the A’s 7 straight this season and baseball has a way of breaking even.
A 2-1 series loss in Sacramento kind of felt deserved. That win, though, was about as exciting as it gets as the Angels scored 6 runs in the top of the 10th to secure the win. Jo Adell’s Sunday was one great big highlight. The kid launched a 3 run homer in the first, a ground rule double in the fourth, then the go ahead single in the 10th.
It was a great week for Adell. Including this Highlight of the Week blast from Tuesday Night.
On the week, Adell slashed .304/.360/.739 with 17 total bases. 3 HR, a double, and 6 RBI round out what could be an AL Player of the Week performance.
After dropping 2 out of 3 to the A’s, the Angels headed home and also lost 2 out of 3 to Cincinnati. Not for a lack of trying by Jo Adell. He followed that Highlight of the Week shot with a key blast in the bottom of the 8th to tie the score. And injured Kenley Jansen would uncharacteristically cough up the lead for a loss, but Adell’s feats still deserve mention.
Jansen is battling rib discomfort but hopes to avoid the IL. He did not pitch Wednesday and the team had yesterday off. It will be interesting to see if he’s used this weekend.
Jansen isn’t the only dinged up Angel. Shortstop Zach Neto was plunked on the wrist Wednesday night and left the game. X Rays are negative and Neto is assumed to be day to day.
There’s been quite a bit of talk about extending Neto, and count me as a fan. Zach Neto offers the Angels a potentially bright future. Jeff Fletcher points out some really good comps there.
If we’re looking for more reasons to dream of a brighter future, take a look here:
And it could be getting better:
A big thanks to Twebur for both of those links in the comments section this week. Twebur and Pineapple12 are pretty much co authors of Weekend Links right now and I appreciate it.
I just randomly found this when searching for links and have to share it. GA was the man. It is hard to believe this was 18 years ago. Those early 2000s Angels teams were just so great.
From around baseball:
Shohei Ohtani got roughed up by the Rockies. He got knocked around and wore a line drive to the thigh.
The Phillies took the Mariners to the woodshed. The sweep was one of the best series in Phillies history, if not the actual best.
I’m not going to try to type the name of the Red Sox newest player. Just call him Password and see if his prolific minor league stats translate to MLB.
That nickname reminds me of one of my all time favorites, Scrabble.
I love a good nickname. A couple of guys in my fraternity were great at coming up with the type of plaque you didn’t want to wear, but it fit you so perfectly it stuck. I still have college buddies in my phone by their nicknames.
And, finally, I was again a guest on the Baseball PhD podcast. Substitute 20ish minutes of my interview for the long reading portion. I start at 28 minutes in.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. The Chicago Cubs are in town and the season is winding down. I’m hoping to make it to Sunday’s game so if you will be there, hit me up. I’m not hard to find.
