Tag: Anaheim Angels

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MLB General

The Full Count: Return of the Big Unit not as good as hoped



Dude, those CANNOT be real

1. Bad Debut for the Unit: Randy Johnson going to Arizona was one of the biggest stories this offseason. But, in his first start of the season due to a back injury, Johnson was not himself. He went 5 innings, allowing 6 runs and an uncharacteristic 4 walks. Johnson did strike out 7, but he ended up losing his matchup with fellow 43-year-old David Wells. Wells allowed just one run less than Johnson, but the bullpen behind him surrendered nothing. The Padres’ offense was the real star in this game. Adrian Gonzalez went 3-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs, and hit a rare lefty homer off the southpaw Johnson. Khalil Greene‘s 4-5, 4-RBI performance further helped the Padres in their 10-5 win, which sent their record to 12-8. The slumping D-Backs, meanwhile, have lost five in a row.

2. From Awful to Dominant: As any Braves fan would tell you, the main reason their 14-year division title streak ended last year was their bullpen. Their relievers blew the most saves in baseball last year. But this year, Atlanta’s bullpen is probably one of the best in the National League. That was proven on Tuesday, when they made up for another bad start by Mark Redman with six shutout innings. Redman, whose 3-inning, 6-run start gave him a 10.12 ERA this season, could and should be demoted from the Braves’ rotation. But the bullpen only allowed three baserunners, and Bob Wickman continued his 0.00 ERA season. The Braves’ offense is heating up as well; seven different players had an RBI as they beat the Marlins 11-6. at 13-7, they are a half-game back from the Mets for division supremacy.

3. Underperformers: The Tigers and Angels are two teams with World Series potential this year, but neither is looking good right now. They played each other on Tuesday to end their two-game set, and the performance by both teams was sloppy. There were 5 combined errors, including one by Tigers closer Todd Jones that led to an Angels victory in the 10th inning. But the Angels shouldn’t be pleased with their play either; they gave up a 7-run lead with an unusually poor effort by their bullpen. Both teams are lucky to be within a game of their division leader, as the Tigers are 11-9 while the Angels are just 10-10. Expect those records to get a lot better as the year goes on.

Player of the Day: Vernon Wells, Blue Jays: 4-5, HR (4), 3 RBIs, 4 runs.

Stat of the Day: When David Wells and Randy Johnson faced each other, it was the first time in MLB history that opposing pitchers were each 43 years or older.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Guess who’s leading the NL West



Those ugly unis are working out

1. The best team you don’t know about: Many could tell you after the first week that the Braves have the best record in the majors (6-1 after a win over the Nats yesterday). But who has the second-best? Believe it or not it’s the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have won six straight games for a 7-2 record. Last night’s victory was an 11-inning contest against the Reds that featured five combined homers by both teams. The D-Backs got a key three-run shot by Chad Tracy in the first inning that answered Adam Dunn’s NL-leading 4th homer for the Reds. The teams traded homers until the 11th inning, when Scott Hariston doubled off David Weathers to provide the game-winning RBI. Arizona leads the division but San Diego and Los Angeles are looking good as well.

2. Welcome to Fenway: In their first home game this season, the Red Sox were completely dominant. They beat the Mariners 14-3, with seven of their runs coming in the first two innings. JD Drew hit his first homer as a member of the Red Sox, and was one of four players to have multiple RBIs in this contest. The most important performance was that of starting pitcher Josh Beckett, who is now 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA after striking out 8 in seven innings. The Sox are now 4-3 and tied with the Yankees and Blue Jays for the division lead.

3. No snow in Milwaukee: After getting snowed out for three straight days at Jacobs Field, the Indians were moved to Milwaukee for their current home series against the Angels. Surprisingly there were 19,000 people in the stands, about as much as the hometown Brewers usually draw. The Indians outlasted the Angels in this one 7-6, after a strong start by CC Sabathia was nearly ruined by the Tribe’s bullpen. The Angels scored a run in the ninth off Joe Borowski but their rally was ended after pinch-runner Erick Aybar was caught stealing. The Indians improved to 3-1, good enough for the division lead.

Player of the Day: Adrian Gonzalez, Padres: 3-5 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs in a loss to the Giants.

Stat of the Day: Alex Rodriguez has homered in 4 consecutive games, giving him 6 on the season. He has double the amount of homeruns of anyone else in the AL.

Quote of the Day: “I hope he arouses the fire that’s dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger.” — Ichiro on tonight’s matchup with Dice-K.

Walk Off: The Cardinals starters look terrible on paper, but they are actually good enough to lead the team to a fourth consecutive division title. St. Louis has won 4 of their last 5 games despite only 21 runs during that stretch. If guys like Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright can continue their early success, this team will be dangerous in the playoffs once again.

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Anaheim Angels

Gary Matthews Jr. named in Orlando steroid bust


According to the Albany Times Union, a multi-agency task force raided Signature Pharmacy in downtown Orlando after a year long investigation into steroids sales and shipments via the internet. According to Albany District Attorney David Soares, the company did over $36M in business last year from illegal prescriptions and steroids.

There is evidence that testosterone and other performance enhancing drugs were sold to current and former MLB, NFL and college players. The biggest names to come out so far are Gary Matthews Jr. of the Angels, Evander Holyfield, Jason Grimsley, and of course, Jose Canseco. Investigators also saw an Eagles player at the pharmacy and said a Redskins player is a customer.

Richard Rydze, a “top physician for the Steelers”, also was questioned for purchasing $150k worth of HGH in 2006. While Rydze claims the drugs were for his personal clients, we’re waiting to see what Steeler gets named in the documents that The Smoking Gun will eventually uncover.

Links:
[Steroid Nation]: Huge drug raid in Orlando nails Internet ‘steroids’ dealer. Pro athletes involved; Gary Matthew’s name released
[Albany Times Union]: Albany DA raids Fla. steroids center

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MLB General

Oct 26 in Sports History: A couple of game 6 meltdowns


In 1985: While everyone remembers the tremendous gag-job by the 1986 Red Sox in the World Series, the previous Fall Classic featured a similar meltdown. This one, many felt was caused by an umpire, as the name Don Denkinger will forever be cursed on the eastern side of Missouri. With the St. Louis Cardinals leading the I-70 World Series three games to two and holding a Game 6 advantage 1-0 into the bottom of the 9th inning, Royals pinch hitter Jorge Orta tapped a weak grounder to first. Pitcher Danny Cox of the Cards cleanly fielded Jack Clark’s flip and clearly had Orta beat by a step. One problem: first base ump Denkinger was the only person in America who thought Orta was safe. The Cards argued bitterly, became completely unglued in the field as Clark misplayed a popup, catcher Darrell Porter had a passed ball, and Dane Iorg drove home the winning run with a bases loaded single to send the series to a seventh game. There, the Royals promptly smacked the shell-shocked Redbirds 11-0 to win their only championship. Karma rules, though, as they haven’t sniffed October baseball since and now are as formidable a ball team as the Springfield Power Plant softball team (pre-Mr. Burns’ ringers).

In 2002: Speaking of awesome, The-Cosmos-Are-OK, Game 6 meltdowns, who can forget the collapse of the Barry Bonds-Dusty Baker-led San Francisco Douche Giants against the Whatever Angels? The Giants built a 5-0 lead through six innings and a smug Bonds was about to wrap up his coveted, undeserved World Series ring. Funny thing was, the Baseball Gods knew stuff we didn’t at the time, and let the Angels claw their way back with a huge rally and a 6-5 win. Baker (who thought it was such a cute idea to almost get his three-year-old son mauled at home plate as a bat boy), suddenly couldn’t manage a Quick Stop let alone a baseball team, made wrong move after wrong move and the Angels eventually ripped the ring off Bonds’ puffy finger in seven games. Those thundersticks and the Rally Monkey were wicked-stupid, though. Baker quickly bailed on the Giants and went on to an even better punishment with the Cubs the following season, when he was introduced to a nerd-fan named Steve Bartman.

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Anaheim Angels

Oct 12 in Sports History: The other choke of 1986


In 1986: As much as fans of the Boston Red Sox moped about the monumental chokes their team performed on the postseason stage, it is somewhat forgotten in the Buckner hoopla that the California Angels pulled off one of the biggest gag jobs of all time in the 1986 ALCS. Up three games to one at home in Game 5 and leading 5-2 going into the top of the ninth inning, Don Baylor hit a home run close the gap to one. Then, with Donnie Moore on the mound, Dave Henderson stroked a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer for a 6-5 lead. The Angels rallied to tie it at six, but Henderson, who would’ve been the goat because he dropped a fly ball in the seventh that could have cost the Sox, hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to send the series back to Boston, where the Sox took it in seven games. It later turned tragic as Moore, who was never the same pitcher after that game, committed suicide years later.

In 1989: Although in the midst of a 1-15 season, the Dallas Cowboys laid the foundation for their championship teams of the 1990s by trading disgruntled star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in a 12-player deal. The Cowboys sent Walker and some late-round draft picks to Minnesota in exchange for first and second round draft picks, “The Trade” was very complicated, as the Cowboys dealt many of those picks, but it eventually netted Dallas cornerstones Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson; and it propelled the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins in four years. The Vikings, on the other hand, decimated their defense and are still searching for their first title. As one final groin-punch to the Vikings and former GM Mike Lynn, Walker ended up back on the Cowboys a few years later. (scout.com)

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MLB General

The Full Count: Twins in, White Sox out


1. Twins are in: The Minnesota Twins became the third AL team to clinch a playoff berth. With an 8-1 victory over the Royals, they secured at least the Wild Card title. They could still win the overall division title, though that really wouldn’t do much for them. The 93-63 Twins continue to win even with injuries to stud starters Francisco Liriano and Brad Radke. That’s because of a dominant Johan Santana, a resurgent offense, and a capable bullpen. Joe Nathan has been the most underrated closer in baseball this season, with 35 saves, 6 wins, and a 1.65 ERA. On offense, players like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been getting most of the attention, and they deserve it. But Torri Hunter and Michael Cuddyer have really stepped up the second half. Cuddyer in fact is having the most unknown 100-RBI season in baseball this year, while Hunter is having a career best season with 30 and 95. It’s all the little pieces that keep the Twins going and that make them the most dangerous team heading into the playoffs.

2. Unable to defend: The White Sox have gone from the best team in baseball to completely out of the playoff race. The Twins’ clinching of a spot yesterday meant that the ChiSox were eliminated from postseason contention. They got blown out 14-1 by the Indians in their final meaningful game of the season. The White Sox’s downfall was starting pitching. Contreras, Buehrle, Garcia, and Garland have all gone from ERA’s in the 3s last year to plus-4 ERA’s this season. While their offense has been one of the best in baseball, that hasn’t been enough to produce wins down the stretch. The team’s collapse even cost Jermaine Dye an MVP award. Expect to see a vastly different White Sox team take the field next season.

3. It’s not over–yet: Amazingly, the Houston Astros are still in the playoff hunt. After beating the Phillies yesterday in the opener of a pivotal series, the Astros improved to .500 for the first time in a long time. At 78-78, they are 2.5 games back from the division-leading Cardinals. Compare this to about a week ago, when they trailed the Cards by 8.5. Winning the division is about their only hope of making the playoffs, as they still trail by four games in the Wild Card hunt. Keep an eye on the Astros, but don’t expect much from this inconsistent team.

4. Will you win already?: The A’s have been sitting around with a magic number of 2 for the last few games. They have lost three in a row while the barely-alive Angels have won three in a row, meaning they still have to win to get in. While Oakland will still make the postseason barring an improbable collapse, it’s never good to be terrible at the end of the regular season. They allowed 21 hits yesterday in a 10-9 loss to Seattle. The Angels beat the Rangers, but are still five games back.

5. Junior ties Reggie: Ken Griffey Jr. tied Reggie Jackson at #10 on the all time HR list with three run pinch-hit dinger. At 563, he needs another 7 to pass Rafael Palmeiro for 9th place. The Reds have been out of the playoff race for some time now but it’s good to see Griffey reinforcing his stature as a Hall of Fame player.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Padres eyeing division title


1. The Battle for the West: Are you ready for a defining series? Just like the five-game Yankees-Red Sox melee a month ago, it could decide a division. That division is the NL West, and the teams are the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres will enter this four-game weekend set on a roll, having won 7 of their last 10 games. They finished off the Reds last night with a 4-2 victory, with all runs for both teams being scored in the 7th inning. San Diego will enter that series just a half-game back of the Dodgers for the division lead, as Los Angeles has been crumbling lately. They’ve gone 4-6 in their last 10, and they lost to the pitiful Cubs yesterday. It looks like the Padres have all the momentum going into this duel, and if they can sweep it they might virtually clinch the NL West division title.

2. Still going: When will the Giants run out of steam? They’ve been great the entire month, with an 8-4 record in September and a 19-9 record since August 14. Yesterday they shut down the Rockies 5-0, with Matt Cain having a fantastic start. Cain allowed no earned runs for his 4th consecutive start and has lowered his ERA from 4.89 to 3.75 since August 12. Yesterday, Cain gave up just two hits and struck out seven. He led the 74-72 Giants to another victory to keep them 2.5 games back of the Wild Card leader, the Padres.

3. What an offense: The Yankees offense this season has been truly great, and now they are boosted by the return of Hideki Matsui from injury. Matsui homered yesterday for the first time since May 9 as the Yanks destroyed the Devil Rays 7-4 to bring out the brooms. The sweep was won by a combined 27-12 in three games, with the D-Rays notching exactly four runs in each game and the Yankees simply outscoring them. Derek Jeter went 2-4 to extend his hit streak to 23 games, and .339 hitter Robinson Cano went 2-4 with 3 RBIs. New York leads the entire majors in runs scored, with 32 more than the second-place White Sox. They also lead the league in batting average (.285), OBP (.365), and OPS (.825). They’ll probably get Gary Sheffield back in time for the playoffs as well.

4. Making up for lost time: The Angels were battling with a .500 record for most of July and early August. Now, their focus is on the Oakland A’s after a 17-9 run the past month. The Angels are 9-4 so far in September, and they control their own destiny down the stretch. Though they are five games behind Oakland, Los Angeles plays them 7 times over the next two weeks. They also have 6 more games against division rival Texas, who they defeated 2-1 last night. Could they make an improbable run at the playoffs? That’s one of the more interesting occurrences as we head down the stretch.

5. The Amazing Races: What’s the status of each major race in baseball? Let’s start with the AL East, where the Yankees have things wrapped up. They lead by 11.5 games over Boston, who has little to no shot of catching them. the AL Central race is far more interesting. The Tigers still lead, but only by a measly game over the smokin’ Twins. The White Sox lurk at three games back, so don’t count them out either. We’ve already given you the AL West, so let’s move on to the NL. The biggest divisional lead in baseball, as it has been for a while, is the Mets over the Phillies in the NL East. They lead by 16.5 games and have a magic number of 3. In the Central, the Cardinals lead by 5.5 games, though the Reds have faded. St. Louis should have the division in their pocket by next week. Houston is six games back and should finish the year in second place. So there you have it.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Marlins’ Sanchez throws no hitter


1. The Drought is Over: Believe it or not, you just waited through baseball’s longest no-hitter drought of all time. Believe it or not, it was an unknown rookie on baseball’s most overachieving squad that captured the no-no. Anibal Sanchez threw the Marlins’ fourth no-no in team history, the first since 2001 by a rookie. He was the first to do so since Randy Johnson in May 2004, an 841-day span. Sanchez did it against the Diamondbacks, as the Marlins won 2-0. Here’s his line: 9 innings, no hits, no runs, four walks, and six strikeouts. Sanchez also allowed a baserunner to reach via error, and he needed a few defensive gems to accomplish the no-hitter. Perhaps the biggest one of those came in the 7th innings with two outs, when shortstop Hanley Ramirez fielded a tough grounder to his left, spun, and threw a bullet to first for a close out. The stadium in Miami was one of the least likely atmospheres to witness a historic feat, considering the paid attendance was only 12,000 and about half that actually were in the stands at any given point. On the year, the 22-year-old Sanchez is 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA. Since the start of August, he is 3-1 with seven straight quality starts. Sanchez, a native Venezuelan, is one of many rookies on the Marlins roster and wasn’t even among their numerous candidates for Rookie of the Year before yesterday. Well, he is now.

2. The Deadly Duo: Chicago couldn’t afford a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox. They needed to at least stay close to the Twins. And they did just that with an 8-1 victory yesterday. Their best two offensive players, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye, came up big in the win. Dye hit his 40th homer of the year, a two-run shot. Thome went 4-4 with his 39th shot of the year. The duo, which has been pacing the White Sox’s dynamic offense all year, struck again against Boston. Pitching-wise, Jose Contreras broke out of a month-long slump in which he had gone 0-3. He finally won his 12th game of the season with an 8 inning, nine strikeout performance. The White Sox took advantage of a Twins loss to move to just .5 games back of them for the Wild Card. Each team is closing in on the slumping Tigers.

3. Daily Double: The New York Mets played a home doubleheader against the Braves yesterday, and they sure took advantage of it. The Mets won the first game 4-1, behind a recent call-up’s starting pitching. Dave Williams, who has been back and forth to and from Norfolk all season, pitched a gem to move the Mets on in game 1. In game 2, the Mets won by a more convincing margin. Despite resting David Wright and Carlos Delgado, New York moved on behind Jose Reyes and Shawn Green homeruns. At 86-52, they have the best record in the majors.

4. Watch out!: Don’t look now Oakland Athletics, but the LA Angels are coming for you. The team has won five games in a row, gaining 3 games on the A’s in the process. The Angels easily beat the Orioles last night by a margin of 8-4. Vlad Guerrero hit two RBIs to bring his season total to 109–best in the division. Rookie prodigy Howie Kendrick hit his 3rd homerun and 23rd RBI of the year. And young starter Ervin Santana won his 14th game of the year, though he allowed 4 runs in 7 innings. The Angels are still 5.5 back of the A’s, but with the way they are playing that gap could be diminished very soon.

5. Gaining firepower: The major’s best offense is about to get even better. The Yankees, who won 8-3 last night behind two homers and six RBIs from Jorge Posada, lead the MLB in runs scored and OPS. Now they will return Hideki Matsui, who put up 100 or more RBIs from 2003-05. Matsui had his first rehab start yesterday for the AA Trenton Thunder. He went 1-3 with an RBI. Though no specific return date is listed for Matsui, when he does come back it will likely be at the designated hitter spot. That could provide a huge boost for the Yanks as they make their run at their first World Series title since 2000.

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MLB General

The Full Count: No No-No in Ninth


1. Close but not quite: No pitcher has recorded a no-hitter in more than two years, since Randy Johnson was perfect in May 2004. But a very unlikely pitcher came very close to the feat yesterday. It was the Nationals’ Ramon Ortiz, who took a no-no into the ninth inning against the Cardinals. But it was broken up by an Aaron Miles leadoff single, and then by an Albert Pujols homerun (43). So perfection dodged yet another pitcher yesterday, and in the end this is just an insignificant last place over first place win for the Nats.

2. Back and forth: At one point in the season the Minnesota Twins weren’t even near the playoff picture. But now the Twins and the White Sox are trading around the Wild Card lead almost daily. Now the lead is in the hands on the Twins, who defeated the Devil Rays 2-1 yesterday. It was their 13th straight win against Tampa. Chicago is now right behind after a narrow 3-2 loss to the Red Sox, who witnessed the return of many key players yesterday. With Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon, and Jason Varitek back in the lineup, the Sox defeated the Sox in extras. Chicago did see another great start by Jon Garland, who is 8-1 with a 2.83 ERA since the All Star break. Minnesota and Chicago won’t play each other again until the last series of the season, at the Metrodome.

3. Barry’s back: Barry Bonds had yet to catch his usual form this year, which could be his last as a Giant. But now he is in the groove like he was from 2001-2004, and he is hitting homeruns like there’s no tomorrow. Bonds went deep for the third straight game yesterday, helping the Giants to a 5-4 win in Cincy. In his last six games Bonds has 5 homers, 7 RBIs, and is slugging a preposterous 1.412. He’s only 25 back of Aaron now with 730 career homeruns. When will he catch him? Sometime next summer, if he plays.

4. Pitching=success: The Los Angeles Angels have remained in the playoff hunt, and it’s not because of their offense. It’s their pitching staff that’s carried them this season, like yesterday when they defeated the Orioles 1-0. Jered Weaver returned to form after two straight losses with 7 shutout innings. Then Francisco Rodriguez, also known as K-Rod, shut the door for his 39th save of the season. That ties him with Bobby Jenks for the major-league lead, and Rodriguez remains the most underrated closer in baseball. At age 24 he has 98 career saves and a 2.32 career ERA, including a 1.82 mark this year. The Angels are now 6.5 back of the A’s in the AL West even though they have won 3 straight. Their staff will need to carry them if they want to make the postseason again.

5. To return or not to return: The Twins, already leading the WC as mentioned before, could get a boost by the middle of the month. Francisco Liriano threw 78 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday, and said that he felt great. He will throw in batting practice on Wednesday and could return before mid-September. With their other injured starter, Brad Radke, there is more questions. Radke, who hasn’t thrown since August 25, has a stress fracture in his right shoulder. The doctors have told him not to pitch for a few weeks as he recovers, though no specific return date has been announced.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Jered Weaver finally goes down



What losing feels like

1. Finally defeated: One of the greatest streaks this baseball season is finally over. Jered Weaver of the Angels, who had won his first 9 career decisions, lost for the first time yesterday to the Boston Red Sox. But Weaver didn’t have a bad start; in fact he allowed only one run and four hits in six innings. His only fault was allowing a David Ortiz homerun, Ortiz’s 46th of the season. But he lost due to lack of run support as the Angels put up no runs with him in the game. The broken streak left him tied with Whitney Ford as the only pitchers who won their first 9 games as a rookie. Boston’s 2-1 win gave them the series win over the Angels after their disastrous 5 game sweep against the Yankees last weekend. They stand 5.5 back from New York still in the division.

2. Showing off: In terms of talent level, the Twins might be the most solid all-around team in baseball. With their excellent starters, MLB-best bullpen, and dangerous young hitters, they can do everything well. The only thing they need is a new stadium and some fans to go along with it. Yesterday, they dismantled the Orioles 11-2 in an offensive outpour. Joe Mauer, who leads all batters with a .361 average, had 3 hits and 4 RBIs on the day to lead the charge. Justin Morneau hit his 32nd homer, while Michael Cuddyer went 4-4 and drove in 4 runs. The Twins won their second straight and 7th out of 10, though they still trail Chicago by a half-game. The White Sox won again yesterday over Detroit. The two teams will start a pivotal three-game series today.

3. Call it a draw: We now have co-division leaders in one division. That’s the NL Central, as the Reds and Cardinals are now tied with both teams going in different directions. That’s another way of saying the Reds are hot while the Cards are sucking it up. St. Louis got swept by the Mets yesterday when New York defeated them 6-2. Meanwhile, Cincy started off their series against San Fran well, with a 6-3 victory. The Cardinals will look to start winning against their rival Cubs over the weekend, while the Reds will play the Giants three more times as part of a 10-game West Coast trip.

4. Losing team, winning pitcher: Where would the Cubs be without Carlos Zambrano? Even further down the standings, most likely. They are 40-68 in games the Zambrano does not record a decision, while his record is 14-5. He got his NL-leading 14th yesterday against the Phillies, and now Zambrano is one of the leading Cy Young candidates in the league. He ranks first in wins and strikeouts in addition to innings pitched and opponent’s batting average. His 3.31 ERA isn’t in the top 5 but that doesn’t really matter in a year when no NL pitcher is below 2.90. In the end Zambrano will be a leading Cy candidate and will face off with the Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb for the honors.

5. Back to the Past: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play baseball in the pre-World Series era? When a walk was six balls, a foul didn’t count as a strike, a hit batter was only a ball, and the umpires were addressed as “sir?” Well, here’s your chance. Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton announced the creation of the Vintage Base Ball Federation, or VBBF. The teams will play using pre-1900’s rules and equipment. They will play games over the course of an unspecified season and will play a VBBF World Series next August. Now there’s something to get excited about!