On the road again. I just can’t wait to get back on the road again. That is the case for the Angels offense which is averaging nearly twice the number of runs in road games as in home games.
Last week the Angels offense was on fire. In the recently completed homestand, the K’s again popped up as a problem. Those are the biggest problem with the Angels offense but there are others and possibly some ways to fix them.
So far, this team is fun to watch most nights. They are searching for young players and look like they have found a few.
It is odd to see 80% of the starting rotation homegrown. Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, and Walbert Urena are occupying 4 out of the 5 spots, though.
Urena was wicked in his first MLB start on Sunday. Some of the CtPG crew was there having a good time. Hopefully we will see you at the next one.
As a result of his solid start, Urena will get another on Sunday in KC. That change up will play a key role in his future. 100 MPH sinkers are great but disrupting a hitter’s timing is the key to effectiveness.
With that in mind, a huge hat tip to HalosFanForLife for posting this great article on timing. Really good stuff.
Anybody who wants to contribute here by doing some post games please let us know. We all have work and family and could use some help.
While Urena was giving us some immediate hope, Tyler Bremner was dominant last weekend. So far this season he is living up to his draft slot.
If this sounds like an optimistic column, it is. I have no delusions of an October run this season I just want to find some young guys that give me a legitimate reason to have a little hope. The farm is devoid of impact bats, especially on the grass, but it wouldn’t shock me if one of Christian Moore, Kyren Paris, or Denzer Guzman turned into something decent.
I went to the game on Friday and will get into the emotional aspect of that later. Seeing Jose Soriano live was a treat. He is MLB’s most dominant starter right now.
Who saw Jack Kochanowicz taking this big of a leap forward? He keeps adding solid start after solid start.
For kicks I tried to give the arms grades 24 games into the year.
Can’t believe I missed this last week. I am fully on the Nelson Rada wagon.
I want Rada up for a number of reasons. Improving team defense and adding OBP and base running to the top of the lineup are the top two. Getting Josh Lowe off the roster is another.
It seems like every season there is one player that signifies all that is wrong with the Angels. Kevin Newman was that guy last year. Josh Lowe is that guy this year. Already at -0.3 bWAR, his .156/.225/313 slash line is horrid. But at least his defense is subpar to mediocre.
The fact Lowe is a starter for the Angels just proves how dysfunctional this organization is. At least with Rada there is upside.
From around baseball:
The NY Mets finally won a game, then promptly lost Francisco Lindor.
While the Mets are getting all the press, the Phillies are also a dumpster fire. The Phils will get Zack Wheeler back this weekend and will eat $15 million to release Taijuan Walker.
Kansas City unveiled plans and designs for a beautiful new downtown ballpark.
Logan Gilbert caught a 107 MPH liner in his jersey.
Ok, back to my real job before I login to the SI gig. I really need 2 or 3 of me right now. But before I go, I must address the passing of Garret Anderson. I’m a bit of a contrarian so when everybody’s favorite player was Salmon, mine was GA. He was such a tremendous player he deserved more fans.
I wrote a total of 3 pieces on the passing of the legend. The first was early on Friday and expressed the special place Anderson will hold in Angels fans hearts. Then I went to the game on Friday night. At first I did not want to write a piece on that night but it was too emotional not to document. The Angels and fans did a tremendous job of honoring Anderson that night.
Ultimately, I shared a story I had not previously shared about the time I spent 15-20 minutes talking with Anderson and his wife. Not to make me look cool, just to give a glimpse of the GA that many did not see.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. I am cornering a Muay Thai fight one night and enjoying a special restaurant with my family on another. So it will be fun and a little busier than normal. Fights are in Westminster so if anybody is looking for a Saturday night out, hit me up.
