Angels Add injury to insult as they lose Kikuchi AND the game in Extras

Morning Baseball. It is a an exaggerator of sorts. When the team is bad, it makes it good since you don’t have to watch it. But when the team is good, you bemoan not being able to watch, or maybe you watch anyway when no one is looking.

Even though he has been bad, Kikuchi has been at least been healthy. Until today that is. Kikuchi pulled himself from today’s game after tweaking something, meaning it became a bullpen game. Reminder that the Angels bullpen is horrendous.

Swear words

He left going 2 innings, giving up 0 runs on 2 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. Way too short to judge, or be too useful either. Farris came after and went 3 and 2/3 giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2.

Not bad

So, despite it all, this bullpen game was basically a Quality Start? With the off day tomorrow, all hands were on deck to avoid losing a 6th straight game. Yikes.

Highlighted Recap

The White Sox scored first, an RBI single in the 3rd.

1-0 Sox

But the Angels responded with a Mike Trout solo shot, his 10th of the year!

Tied game

It was a pitching duel after that, as the batters looked asleep more than the pitchers looked good, especially as the White Sox got picked off first on a single by Soler in the 6th.

LOLZ

And then they were thrown out at the plate when they did not slide.

Still tied

Vaughn Grissom hit his first home run in 4 years, first as an Angel, in the 7th.

2-1 Angels

Silseth, Bachman, and Zeferjahn pitched as well and somehow, someway, only blew it with 2 outs in the 9th. Because it is the Angels.

Tied game again

Off to extras, where the Angels do nothing and the White Sox walk it off, giving the Angels their 6th straight loss and a winless road trip.

Upcoming

Mets this weekend after a day off tomorrow. They have been fixed, so, no easy opponent for the Angels.

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willtheangelswin
Member
16 days ago

Fire MGAsuzuki now!

MikeSalmon
Super Member
16 days ago

When I read about the Angels in online sports “magazines” the go-to word is “skidding” right now. Forecasters predict “hapless” in May, followed by “woeful” in June with a 30% chance of “worst.” (Already worst blowpen…)

Then it should get interesting.

Angelz4ever
Super Member
17 days ago

No blowpen game tomorrow.

EHC
Trusted Member
EHC
17 days ago

It would be cool to hang “K” signs on the railing at the BIG K every time the home team strikes out. Think anyone would notice? Or care?

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

You’re funny. You’re starting to spiral out of control EHC.

EHC
Trusted Member
EHC
17 days ago
Reply to  Roy Hobbs

Thanks.

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago

No one is going to do any better but it would still be meaningful to see Perry get fired. He deserves it. Suzuki had little if anything to do with the roster.

clover_black
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  Roy Hobbs

Fire Perry, replace with Molly jolly

SD19
Trusted Member
17 days ago

Sucks being a fan but also must suck for Pomaturd knowing he’s lost the game before he even throws a pitch. Garbage for everyone

HalosFanForLife
Super Member
17 days ago

I’m just saying…

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DaveChalk
Trusted Member
17 days ago

Lol, tell him to look across the 57. I’ve had a blast this season with the Ducks.

JackFrost
Legend
16 days ago
Reply to  DaveChalk

Wrong sport.

Turk's Teeth
Editor
Legend
16 days ago

Athletics have been enjoyable thus far, and they have some serious reinforcements at the upper levels of their farm system coming.

Other local non-Big Blue teams doing well: UCLA, USC, Pads.

HalosFanForLife
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  Turk's Teeth

I really like some of their players – but I don’t think I can wander that far off the ranch. This is a temporary thing. And I’ll still watch – but only because Trout is really starting to look back. Granted looking back might be a lot of walks and power numbers, but if they didn’t all get to pitch around him – it would be even better.

EHC
Trusted Member
EHC
17 days ago

OK. You can go ahead and say it: I told you so! I will listen. I am starting to see the badness that you were all preaching in February. I will admit I was too optimistic for my own good. You were right, and I was wrong!

Only really awful teams can go 1-10 and get swept by two other bad teams.

This team and its leadership refuses to learn or adjust (let’s strikeout – it’s OK/let’s nibble and walk hitters – it’s OK.) But I am NOT like them – I do learn and adjust – we are very bad, I admit. I was very wrong. I still hope we come in under 100 loses though.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  EHC

comment image

Terry
Trusted Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

I predicted 69 wins, I may have been overly optimistic. I also predicted attendance at the Big A would decrease significantly, to under 2 million. That remains to be seen.

Terry
Trusted Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

You are correct, it’s the same M.O. every season. The absurd amount of strike outs by the so called hitters, every year, is ridiculous. And they keep inserting players in the line-up such as Monkkkkkkkada, who has three times as many k’s than hits this season.

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

I would prefer you remain optimistic, just don’t begrudge those who aren’t. No on wants to say they told. you so. Even good teams have slow starts and bad months, and lose to bad teams. It’s a long 162 game season. No one expected or predicted that Nolan and Jo would have such bad starts. And even Moncada has a pretty consistent performance record for the last 2 seasons and is underperforming quite a bit now. It turns out that Fraizer, Peraza, and Grissom have all performed much better than expected, as have Trout, Soriano, and Silent C The bullpen was not expected to be great, but should have been better than it has. There will still be some highlights and surprises. I don’t believe we’re as bad as we’ve been the last 10 games but we were probably never going to be a .500 team. We have no depth and our pitching isn’t quite ready. The real issue for most people here is that they don’t trust the organization to make good decisions. There are better days ahead.

TrojanBoiler
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  Roy Hobbs

The real issue for most people here is that they don’t trust the organization to make good decisions.

This is exactly why most of us are so jaded. It’s hard to have hope when you see how incompetent the leadership is.

Angelz4ever
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  TrojanBoiler

Surprisingly, acquiring Grissom seems to be working out, so far.

Last edited 17 days ago by Angelz4ever
matthiasstephan
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  Angelz4ever

And arguably Peraza – letting Moore simmer in AAA is also good.

Our problem is pitching depth (especially relief pitching) and the choice to let our better options (Jansen) go. We have lost so many close games late it is rather embarassing.

One can only hope that this stretch is an outlier – it is just hard to.

TrojanBoiler
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

I respect the hell out of this! Welcome to club dread.

The nice thing about wallowing in the dark is the light will be so so sweet once it shines again.

Last edited 17 days ago by TrojanBoiler
EHC
Trusted Member
EHC
17 days ago
Reply to  TrojanBoiler

But creatures who wallow in the darkest caves for too long eventually lose the use of their eyes altogether. Evolution at its finest. We are the blind being lead by the blind.

TrojanBoiler
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  EHC

Well then Arte better get selling so we can start seeing again!

Angelz4ever
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  TrojanBoiler

STOP TEASING!!

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
17 days ago

The first couple of weeks were fun as the line-ups were working and starting pitching looking good and the BP as predicted was, well, an Angels Bullpen full of disappointment. Good was Trouty’s OBP & OPS & power numbers. Good was the aforementioned SP. The bad is our hitting pretty much sucks and worse yet is the BP.

Most here predicted that the team would win 66 to 76 games or be a losing team. When reality sinks in and become something that is really real, panic sets in and we look to blame someone. Why blame Suzuki? No one here could do better, especially with what he has to work with. The manager is not to blame in this case. So, just what is the problem? Let’s count the ways.

Our minor league system is in complete shambles. Bad facilities, poor coaching, and SLC is no place to bring up players from (altitude). Weak drafts contribute, because if you don’t draft well, you then lack the players to promote that well help.

Remember when Sosh was chosen to be the guy at fault? He was replaced and that proved to show Sosh was to blame, right? From then on, we just went on to be in the pennant race every year with Trouty and Showtime.

Since Bill Stoneman show some backbone after Arturo purchased the Angels and informed the GM who had just won a WS that all player moves had to go through the owner and Bill saw where that was going and retired, we have had Reagins, Jedi, the guy who signed Shohei and really did nothing before or after that, then another guy that would work on the cheap who is in way over his head and has no back bone.

So would this team be contending if we had Cora for instance or someone of the like? How about that GM in Philly who sold off his minor leaguers and now has a losing team. The true be told the Angels are doomed as long as Moreno owns this team.

Arturo has no idea of how to run the operation from hiring the right people, to filling positions that will stay, to staying out of everything. He has two things going for him, he owns the team and he will possibly acquire billions of dollars simply by luck as his teams value has gone up in spite of him. So don’t blame Suzuki, he was one of the very few who would take the job.

Until the teams sells and sells to the right person or group of persons nothing short of a miracle will improve this organization. So, frustration reigns supreme for all of us here at CtPG.

MarineLayer
Legend
17 days ago

I don’t care about Kikuchi. He’s free to join RenDone at the nursing home. Until MinASSian and Suzuki are gone, nothing can get much better on the field.

matthiasstephan
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

I mean one can have a bone to pick with Suzuki, but putting him in the box with Rendon and Perry as a long-term ‘as soon as they are gone’ framework seems a bit over the top.

Jim Atkins
Super Member
17 days ago

Holy crap, what a complete Charlie Foxtrot this team is. Trout reliving his youth is the only reason to watch. Fire Suzuki and Perry now.

matthiasstephan
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  Jim Atkins

Soriano is also worth the price of admission.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend

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Eric_in_Portland
Legend
17 days ago

I might turn this into a fan post. I’m researching Maddon’s firing and finding gems like this:

“The firing was not about Maddon losing the clubhouse; Minasian later said he did not consult with any players or coaches about the change. It was not about effort; Minasian said at his news conference later that day “the effort has been great.” He did not give Maddon any specific reasons for why he was firing him. He kept telling him, “I’ve got to do something.” Nor did Minasian provide specificity at his news conference.”

and a quote from Maddon, on what Perry was doing with coaches and stats:

“[Minasian] kept reminding me, ‘The Braves did it. The Braves did it.’”

and this:

“Moreover, what Maddon calls a pregame “choreography” took root, spearheaded by Minasian and Tamin. Those two, not Maddon and his coaches, would decide which relief pitchers were not available for the game that night.”

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago

More evidence that Perry is just a Nimrod.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend

Perry was just creating a distraction to protect his own ass.

FungoAle
Legend
17 days ago

Puck Ferry…the worst stretch of baseball in Angel history 2020-202x is on his hands. I don’t care who takes his job.

BannedInLA
Super Member
17 days ago

If nothing else, I generally appreciated Maddon’s responses to questions as they tended to be equal parts forthright and quixotic. Rarely “say nothing” coach speak.

Washington would say some fairly honest things well.

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

Like you can’t make chicken salad. That was my favorite.

YOUknowulovetheIE
Super Member
17 days ago

He got fired way too early. Yes, the losing streak sucked, but it started with iglesias giving up that blown save.

FungoAle
Legend
17 days ago

This was well documented after the firing occurred and of course, Maddon threw coal on the fire. Tamin got the boot later that season. Precisely why folks might want to let up a bit on The Zuk’s bullpen rotation. Perry is telling Kurt who to bring in. It’s a collaboration and Kurt is not freewheeling.

FungoAle
Legend
17 days ago

The Year of the Dax!

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Headlline: Beavers Await Update on Whitney’s Injury

bobblanton
Super Member
17 days ago

How does a pitcher blow 3 games in less than a week and still get opportunities. I understand not much else to use but why do you still have a job

TrojanBoiler
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  bobblanton

Because there is nobody better available for hire

HalosFanForLife
Super Member
17 days ago

I think those were witches brooms Pineapple.

Pineapple12
Legend
17 days ago

Please don’t go there lol. Frosty will come in and start blaming me for everything 😭

HalosFanForLife
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  Pineapple12

 😂 

BruinsAngelsKings
Trusted Member
17 days ago

comment image

YOUknowulovetheIE
Super Member
17 days ago

Just need the calendar with the monthly schedule and titanic at the end.

YOUknowulovetheIE
Super Member
17 days ago

The greatest failures of the 21st century or something like that. Someone here has the meme.

steelgolf
Legend
17 days ago

If I go to another game this year, I might purposely buy seats right by the bullpen so I can heckle them until I get tossed out! (Even though the ushers would agree with me).

BannedInLA
Super Member
17 days ago

And as April comes to a close for the Angles, Trout’s stat line is encouraging:

.248 / .431 / .569 / 1.000
5 doubles
10 homers
21 RBI
32 walks (against 30 K’s)
5 steals (0 CS)

I’m not sure how he’s faring on the defensive side of the ledger.

smithy610
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

Trout is the only reason I’m watching the Angels right now, to see one more vintage Trout season before he demands a trade. I wanted 10 HRs before the month is over and he got it. Pretty amazing though that 9 of those HRs are on the road.

I want him to be healthy enough to crack 40 HRs this year, and maybe get to 15ish SBs. Gubi said something yesterday that his OB% of .430 is right around the number when he won his last MVP in 2019. I hope he puts up MVP numbers maybe for the last time.

Roy Hobbs
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

Right now Trout is one of the top 5 players in the league.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  Roy Hobbs

Soriano leads in bWAR. Trout, with his HR today, has likely passed the group at 1.8.

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
17 days ago

His “No doubter” percentage is 88.9. No cheap homers.

BannedInLA
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

Same here. I’ve accepted that we’re essentially a last place team, I’ll settle for a great season from Trout and positive development of some of our younger players.

I hope Trout gets traded to a contender, personally.

smithy610
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

I hope he gets traded to the Yankees. Because that was the team that was “supposed” to have him. He’s their “the one that got away”. It’s time for them to come together and fulfill each other’s destiny.

BannedInLA
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

The Yankees would be a very tough pill to swallow, but, so be it. He would absolutely rake in that stadium – particularly in the same lineup as Judge & Rice.

FungoAle
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

Mike and Aaron, so much mutual respect. That would be a good show.

Last edited 17 days ago by FungoAle
matthiasstephan
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

Putting Trout in Yankee Stadium would expose Judge and put his MVPs into some question. Trout does so well there.

That said, he should never play there nor leave the Angels. Loyalty is his calling card – he should (and will) be an Angels lifer.

2pints
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

f that

Pineapple12
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

Absolutely not wtf. Keep Trout unless there’s real value coming back in a trade (there won’t be)

smithy610
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  Pineapple12

There won’t be any value coming back, yes. But with this shitshow of a team, and assuming he’s playing at this level AND healthy still by June, I can see him finally demanding a trade, to go to a contender so he can finally play in the playoffs. And that dam will break loose, because everyone in the world except for Arte and Perry (if he’s still there) will be on Trout’s side. And between Arte and Trout, who’s exactly the more sympathetic figure in the public’s eyes.

JackFrost
Legend
16 days ago
Reply to  smithy610

No value = no trade.

JackFrost
Legend
16 days ago
Reply to  Pineapple12

Of course. There would have to be real value. Hard to get, but yes.

FungoAle
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

Yanks, Dodgers or Phils. They just feel so logical. Cubs and Mets the outsiders.

milehigh
Trusted Member
17 days ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Yanks are 20-10 with no production from CF. But their farm is bare. We wouldn’t get anything good from them.

JackFrost
Legend
16 days ago
Reply to  FungoAle

F_ the Dodgers! Absolutely no way Arte would allow that, fortunately.

2pints
Super Member
17 days ago

If Trout stays healthy and continues producing like this, I could actually see him being traded at the deadline. It would break my heart, but if he OK’s it, then I’d be happy for him.

clover_black
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  2pints

Don’t think arte would ever allow that.

2pints
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  clover_black

If he’s planning to sell, which I think the odds are at about 65% of him doing so, what does he care? If he can get some salary relief while adding prospects to make the team’s future more attractive to a buyer, I think he’d do it.

milehigh
Trusted Member
17 days ago
Reply to  2pints

Unless Trout asks/demands a trade, no Arte wouldn’t allow it. A) hardly any prospects would be returned, imho. I don’t think he has that kind of trade value. B) If you want to sell something you make sure that you can point the buyer to a shiny object and woo them with emotion over brains.

If you take the shiny object away, much harder to sell.

BannedInLA
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  milehigh

Firstly, it’s a thought experiment.

Secondly, I think you’re making some hard assumptions that may or may not be correct.

If Trout remains healthy and continues to play like a top-10 player, I could see team with legitimate World Series aspirations taking the plunge. Trout could fetch solid prospects OR significant salary cap relief. Not both, but almost certainly one of the two.

I think it’s more possible now that it has been over the past few years. Again, health & performance between now and July are the key indicators to consider. Of course it’s all predicated on Trout wanting out, which I also think is possible.

JackFrost
Legend
16 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

You are forgetting that Trout has to approve all of this. And there is very little chance he would. If he didn’t approve it over the last fives years of suckitude then why would he approve it now??

But I will say that part of me does want to see him rake in the playoffs… In a fantasy scenario I could tolerate that place being the Phillies. Especially if he did so against the Dodgers !!

2pints
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  JackFrost

Every man has a breaking point, and this season’s sucking might be it for Trout.

2pints
Super Member
16 days ago
Reply to  BannedInLA

agree

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  2pints

I could see him traded, but for what? The guy who would be receiving players back is the same guy who evaluated Romano, Pomeranz, Lucchesi, et al as being major league quality. It’s the same guy who’s run the draft for us since 2020.

2pints
Super Member
17 days ago

My comment was more about it actually being a possibility, when in the past I never thought it could be. What we get back is a thought for another day.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
17 days ago
Reply to  2pints

yep, understood

smithy610
Super Member
17 days ago
Reply to  2pints

I can see a scenario where he asks to be traded, and the dam breaks loose

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