2012 Los Angeles Angels are driving me mad...

If you've never lost your mind then you've never followed your heart.

A quote my friend, Marta who recently put on it on her facebook page. I read that quote and liked it. Not because that's what a good friend is supposed to do (proper social media etiquette), but because that quote pretty much depicts my feeling with these Angels.What a maddening fiasco this season has been.  

Every time I begin to think they've got this season turned around, it flips flops.  Weaver looks locked in and then falls apart on his next outing.  Santana looks awful nearly all season and in the month of August becomes the most resilient.  Greinke looks like he is having control issues and is in over his head, then comes back and looks dominant.  There will be nights when guys like Morales and Wells looks like they should be starting every night and others when you wonder why they are still on the pay roll.  And please don't even get me start on the bullpen.

It was just a month and a half into the season when Dipoto and Moreno pulled the trigger on long time hitting coach Mickey Hatcher.  The first six weeks of the season, the offense was looking to find some consistency, which would come later in the form of Mike Trout and his awesomeness.  With the struggles of the bullpen, pretty much all year, how does Butcher avoid the same chopping block?  And it starts to appear that the Angels just can't string together a good rotation.  CJ Wilson hasn't won a game in two months and even when he goes out in the sixth with a fair outing, the bullpen finds away to lose the game for him.  Even last night Weaver struggled against a meager Red Sox offense.  The Angels are already 10 games back of the Texas Rangers who look to be on fire and still can't catch a game in the Wild Card Division.

But then, they find away to suck me back in.  I've counted this team out 10 times this year.  I've probably developed more ulcers than a man my age should watching this season unfold. Regardless of the pitching woes, the Angels found a way to win again last night in dramatic fashion, after having 2 rough outings in Detroit.  They finish up their next two in Anaheim against the BoSox, the on a road trip for 3 in Seattle, 3 in Oakland, back home for 3 against the Tigers, 4 against the As, on the road for 3 against the Royals, home for 3 against the Rangers, 3 against the White Sox, and 3 against the Mariners.  Last 3 games of the season, will be in Texas.  In reality the Angels are poised to play Spoiler by impacting the AL Central more so than anything else.  But, yet there is still a chance.  No matter how slim, there is still a chance.  Last year Cardinals had no shot at making the playoffs and they won the whole thing.  Last year we all celebrated the historic collapse of the Red Sox (its repercussion still being felt as of Saturday.)

The only way the Angels will make it to the playoffs is by putting up Wins.  It is all about when you get hot, not how you do it.  Another sweep of the Red Sox can get that momentum going.  Winning every series on the way to October could give them a chance.  And on the backs of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols this team can do it.  But it has to start tonight and every night until October.  God Speed Halos, nothing is over.

Go Halos

CJ Wilson vs. Yu Darvish

CJ Wilson vs. Yu Darvish

Wilson with his best Duck Face

I find it laughable when Texas Ranger Fans comment on how great Yu Darvish is versus CJ Wilson. "Well the Rangers seemed to be ok with taking a chance on a rookie rather than giving away playoff games with CJ," was a post from a dear friend who has the tragic illness of being a Ranger fan.  The most alarming thing to me is that there is a perception that Darvish is better than Wilson because of Wins versus Loses.  I have never claimed to be a huge stat guy.  But I did a quick look on some measurables.  And as of last nights disapointing loss to Oakland you can compare the two pitchers and it isn't as one sides as Ranger Fans would lead you to believe.  Darvish has 68 Earned Runs, Wilson is at 55. Darvish has given up 12 HR, Wilson is at 11. Darvish has thrown a lot more strikes, but the he's also walked 14 more batters and his ERA is 4.57 to CJ's 3.34

How quickly the Ranger Fans forget how CJ carried that team to the World Series last year and was an important part of getting them their in 2010.  Now grant it, I wouldn't say Darvish is a horrible pitcher.  He's actually a pretty solid pitcher.  He was the Ace of the Japanese Staff in the final Olympic Baseball game played in 2008.  And was a part of the Japanese Team that won the WBC Championship, prior to coming to the states.  It is said in a first time match up between a pitcher and a hitter that the pitcher always has the advantage, the batter can always make adjustments for his next at bat.  Darvish came into the league and very few players had faced him.  Darvish benefited from that.  Both Darvish and Wilson had very good starts to the year, but both of them have struggled and both looks bad in their last outings.  

CJ Wilson is signed to the Angels for the next 5 Years making roughly 15 Million a Year.  Yu Darvish is signed for 6 Years and is making roughly 9 Million a Year, however when you include the posting fees the Rangers had to pay 51.7 Million Dollars to Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, it cost the Rangers roughly 17.61M a year.  There is roughly 40 Games left to the season, each pitcher will probably have 8-9 more starts before the post season. 

In conclusion the Rangers are paying nearly 3 Million dollars more a year for 2 more wins and 28 more strike outs, really doesn't make a lot of fiscal sense to me.

Go Halos!

And Then... There was Trout

So much for the MVP

Mike Trout is batting a .353, 18 Home Runs, 31 stolen bases only the 2nd play in MLB History with a batting average higher than .350, 15 plus home runs and 30 steals before August 1st.  The First Person, Ricky Henderson, in 1985

Lily on AM830's Angels on Deck with Roger Lodge

Let's Go Trout...

Mike Trout... a name that strikes fear into the heart of every pitching/catching battery in the league, not wearing a Halo Uniform.  And with just cause, with 31 stolen bases in 4 months of his rookie campaign, #27 has played in only 75 games.I've said many of times, I'm not a stat guy... my brain just doesn't have the capacity, but when you look at the Stole Base number of 31, it leads all of Major League Baseball.  Its better than Dodger's Gordon (who is on the DL), better than the Brave's Bourn.  When you take into consideration that Trout also leads the league in hitting, pitchers who mistakenly walk the guy (and he's walked 30 times this season), could potential turn that free base into a double.  The scary thing is, the pitchers know it, the catchers know it, and there is nothing they can do to prevent it.  It happens. 


The other amazing thing is, Trout isn't putting up Rookie of the Year numbers, he is putting up MVP numbers.  With only 75 games played in his 2012 Campaign, he's have over 100 hits, 15 Home Runs and 30 Stolen bases.  Everybody's favorite Radio Show host, Roger Lodge pointed out this morning on the Sports Lodge that if Mike Trout maintains his .357 batting average or at least above 340 and drives in 5 more home runs, and rip 9 more bags, Trout will stand alone as the only player to hit that high of an average with 20 HR and 40 SB.  It's an awful lot of pressure for a 20 year old, but nothing about #27 has the feel of a 20 year old.  He would be an elite company... because he'd stand alone. 

And Ron Washington would have to shut his face and eat some humble pie, because Mike Trout is a legitimate, not only an All-Star but quite possibly the Face of the Franchise. 

Let's Go Halos

Angel Bloggers for Frieri

#VoteFrieri

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/fv/ballot.jsp

He's Pitched 36 Innings, he has 1 Win, 10 Saves, 60 Strike Outs, and ERA of 0.75, a WHIP of 0.97... and he hasn't given up a run since coming to The Angels... Do you want to win the All-Star Game, or do you want to vote for your favorite player?

Vote for an American League Win, for Frieri.

Pujols to 3rd!?!

The 250M Dollar Man is going from right to left manning 3rd Base this weekend when the Angels start an Inter-league Series with the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This will mark the first time since his career threatening injury that Morales will be out on the field.

How does the rest of the roster shuffle out for this weekend.  Clearly Pujols and Morales will be 3rd and 1st.  More likely than not, the catching duties will go to Hank Conger.  I'd guess that Trumbo goes Left, Trout goes Center and Hunter goes Right.  But could Middle Infield be up for debate?  Howie has been kind of slumping lately.  Why not play Izturis at 2nd with Aybar at Short.

The line up could look like:

CF  Trout
2B  Izturis
3B  Pujols
1B  Morales
LF  Trumbo
RF  Hunter
SS  Aybar
 C  Conger
 P  (Starting Pitcher)

This affords you the opportunity to use Kendrick of the bench.