Bleacher Report - Articles by Johnathan Kroncke

Roy Halladay To the Los Angeles Angels Is Just What the "Doc" Ordered

Johnathan Kroncke — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:47:12 -0500

Roy Halladay's pitch hand is strong.

So strong, in fact, he's got practically every team in the Majors falling all over themselves to make sure it belongs to them.

Top prospects, proven starters, first born children—all being offered up like sacrificial lambs to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Halladay's unique services, but one team has emerged as a potential front-runner.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim worked their little wings off trying to secure a trade for the Doc last season, and were said to be among the closest to getting it done, but former Blue Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi demanded too much and the Angels settled for Scott Kazmir instead.

Good thing “former” is now part of his job title.

With the bullheaded Ricciardi gone, the Angels once again find themselves the lead dogs in the hunt for Halladay, and this time around the price is just right.

This, thanks to Halladay's recent comments about his status with the Blue Jays.

Last offseason he was quoted as saying he wanted to stay with the only team he's ever known, if at all possible.

This year, Halladay is “not interested” in returning Toronto once his current deal expires after the 2010 season.

Where once the Blue Jays had the upper hand and could demand the sun, moon, and stars for their ace, now the sky has fallen and Toronto must accept a much less-desirable deal than originally planned.

Halladay has to be moved now that he's made it clear he won't re-sign with the Jays. The longer they wait to move him, the more value they risk losing.

That said, Toronto still has the pick of the litter as far as interested teams are concerned, and there is no shortage of them.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers have all been linked to Halladay trade rumors at one point or another.

But from this rich and storied crowd, the Angels have emerged as the likely destination for the Doc, and for a number of reasons.

First, and most importantly, it looks like the Angels are going to be in need of a No. 1 starter.

Staff ace John Lackey is expected to command top dollar as the best starting pitcher on the free agent market, and has been courted by several of the above-mentioned teams, along with the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers.

The Halos would clearly like to hang on to the man who cemented the team's first World Series title as rookie. But as the days and weeks wear on, and the perceived price grows higher, the prospect of Lackey returning to Anaheim seems less and less likely.

A replacement will almost certainly be needed, and as replacements go, you can't do much better than Halladay.

The Angels also have what Toronto is looking for—A stable of promising young talent to help bolster the Blue Jays' farm system, along with several replaceable starters.

Among the many rumors that have sprung up about a package deal from the Angels, the following names have been mentioned as potential pieces: Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, Terry Evans, Brandon Wood, Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, Jordan Walden.

These are the players that continue to be mentioned, and there isn't a single one the Angels couldn't live without.

Toronto has apparently backed off Erick Aybar—whom the Angels balked at when Ricciardi demanded he be part of any trade discussions during the season—and instead is rumored to be looking for three or four prospects to go along with a starting pitcher.

Of those players discussed, Saunders is about the only one who the Angels probably shouldn't give up.

Left-handed starters are infinitely more valuable than their righty counterparts, and Saundo has the stuff and the demeanor to be effective in this league for a very long time.

That is not to say that Santana is any less talented, but Toronto will justifiably need someone to replace Halladay on its staff. If the Angels have to part with one, it should be Santana.

The rest of the prospects are a grab bag. The Blue Jays should simply reach into our minor league system, pull out a few of their favorites, and get this deal over with.

The Angels are very deep in the outfield, and may get even deeper with the possible acquisitions of Curtis Granderson and/or Jason Bay. That eliminates any need for Evans or Bourjos in the near future.

Wood is a strikeout machine with Major League bust written all over him. Yet somehow his minor (league) achievements still manage to dazzle teams looking for more power from their infield.

If the Jays are foolish enough to ignore his big league failures and focus on his insignificant numbers in Triple-A, fine. He's gone.

Walden has been talked about as one of the Angels' finest pitching prospects, but he is still at least one or two more seasons away from being a full-time starter at the Major League level.

By then, the Angels would be looking to three-peat as World Series champs, far too busy celebrating Halladay's consecutive Cy Young Awards to even remember they had Walden in the first place.

Pitchers like Roy Halladay don't come along everyday. In fact, his brand of complete-game wonderment hasn't been seen since the days of Bob Gibson and Catfish Hunter.

The Angels shouldn't be looking to empty their reserves every time a big bat or a crafty arm hits the market.

But Halladay is a unique property, and when someone of his ilk is available, teams are happy to take the punch to their farm system and then ask for more.

Mike Scioscia's Emotional Season Ends with Manager of the Year Honors

Johnathan Kroncke — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:08:53 -0500

Mike Scioscia added one more piece to his incredible 2009 season: He is your American League Manager of the Year.

A more appropriate choice there never was.

In a rollicking, emotional season filled with tragedy and triumph, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won 97 games and another divisional crown, thanks in large part to their sound-minded skipper.

Scioscia's award-winning fate was sealed on Sept. 28, when his Angels clinched their franchise record third consecutive AL West division title.

They would go on to sweep the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the New York Yankees in a tough battle for the AL Championship.

But by that point, any postseason accomplishments were just the icing on the cake of a truly improbable season.

Few managers, if any, have had to face the trials and tribulations Scioscia was confronted with this season.

Fewer still could persevere.

Scioscia and the Angels began the 2009 season already two steps behind their competition when staff ace John Lackey and former All-Star pitcher Ervin Santana both landed on the disabled list in spring training, delaying their mound debuts for over a month.

Co-ace Kelvim Escobar, once considered an Opening Day replacement for Lackey, suffered setbacks in his recovery from shoulder surgery and was relegated to the bench yet again.

But the worst was still to come.

Barely three days into the season, and just hours after tossing six shutout innings in the best start of his big league career, rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver.

The car he was traveling in was struck in the middle of an intersection. Two were dead on scene. Adenhart died a few hours later after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

His death shook the baseball fraternity as teams gathered all over the country to watch the news coverage and mourn one of their own.

For the Angels, the pain would last deep into the middle of the season.

By June 11, they were playing listless, uninspired baseball. A .500 record to their name and looking far worse, they languished in second place, five games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers.

That is, until Scioscia took his team to task.

Threatening to send veterans to the minor leagues and start rookies in their place, he led the Angels out of their two-month funk and inspired a campaign to play for Adenhart, rather than without him.

Suddenly, the Angels were working together as a team, believing they could overcome any adversity as they marched in lockstep behind Scioscia.

The Angels went on to set franchise records in a number of categories, including come-from-behind victories, as well as a Major League record for the most players with 50 or more RBI (11).

But being an effective manager has as much to do with crisis management as it does dealing with various personalities in unpredictable situations—and there was no shortage of those for the Angels.

Unshakable though, Scioscia's steady hand kept his team focused and motivated, particularly when the Angels were battling with the Rangers for control of the AL West.

In late June, center fielder Torii Hunter and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero each suffered injuries that put them on the sidelines for over a month.

This was the second DL stint for Guerrero, and it looked like the Angels might lose their edge in the division with their big sluggers on the mend.

Fortunately, new sluggers took their place.

Scioscia's careful guidance and faith in his players allowed Kendry Morales to have perhaps the most surprising year of any player in the Majors, filling the void at first base left by Mark Teixeira and leading his team in both home runs (34) and RBI (108).

At no point in the season was his impact felt as greatly, or needed as much, as in the absence of Hunter and Guerrero.

Bobby Abreu, a veteran to the game but a newcomer to the team, also factored in huge during that time, and indeed throughout the season.

He seemed to do as much coaching of the hitters as Mickey Hatcher, but it was his breezy acquisition of Scioscia's run-and-gun style of play that helped the Angels reach the postseason.

Scioscia's Angels have made postseason appearances six times in his decade of service, three of those leading to berths in the AL Championship Series, and once leading them all the way to the organization's only World Series title.

The Angels have become a powerhouse in the AL West and a perennial contender in the American League since Scioscia took over in 2000.

Prior to his reign, the team had only been to the playoffs three times in nearly 40 years and had never reached the World Series. Their past mediocrity has only been matched by their current success, and it can all be attributed to Scioscia.

His name has become synonymous with present-day greats like Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox and may one day be honored among the best of all time.

Mike Scioscia's ascent from the darkest depths of tragedy to the heavenly resolution of a fifth divisional title in six years is one for the ages.

The Angels suffered through death, absorbed multiple injuries, used no less than 14 different starting pitchers, and still came away with a dominating season.

Manager of the Year is the least Scioscia's accomplishments deserve.

The only question now is, who can compete with him for Manager of the Decade?

Baseball's Award Season: Who Should Win vs. Who Will Win

Johnathan Kroncke — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:11:47 -0500

If you had Andrew Bailey and Chris Coghlan in your office's baseball awards pool, congratulations: You are wiser than Nostradamus and the Mayans combined. On Monday, the American and National Leagues announced their respective winners for Rookie of the Year, and few could have predicted the results. Tight to the last, each race was considered a neck-and-neck battle, but most pundits backed vastly different contenders. Throughout the regular and offseasons, names like Elvis Andrus and Rick Porcello were used in place of Rookie of the Year the same way people say Kleenex instead of facial tissue. Just by listening to MLB Network and ESPN, it was clear the award would go to a Texas Ranger or Detroit Tiger. Meanwhile, Bailey stepped comfortably into the closer's role for the Oakland A's after the team traded Huston Street and then watched Brad Ziegler go down with injury. All he did was make the All-Star team and rack up a 1.84 ERA along the way. Over in the NL, Tommy Hanson and J.A. Happ seemed to be alone in the RoY contest, with Happ as the frontrunner. But it was Coghlan who was given the honor, and almost entirely due to his spectacular second half. Coghlan hit .371 over the final 71 games of the season, bringing his rookie average to a stunning .321, and his 113 hits after the All-Star break were the most in all of baseball. Derek Jeter's got nothing on this guy. So, with two relative surprises in the bag, it got me to thinking: What can we expect from this week's four remaining categories? Are the voters brave enough to continue shocking fans, or will they rely on old standbys to occupy familiar roles? Take a look at who should win the next four awards versus who will. Rest assured, MVP predictions will be on their way soon.

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Granderson Stealing Spotlight from Angels' Needs: Pitching, Catching

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:45:58 -0500

Baseball's hot stove season is finally in full swing, and rumors are flying out of the ballparks of every contender in both leagues.

From the Big A, reports are swirling in left field, where the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim may make a significant upgrade with the potential acquisition of Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers.

In return, the Tigers are looking for a package that could include Brandon Wood, Maicer Izturis, Chris Pettit, and Jose Arredondo.

As Jim Rome would probably say, this deal seems like “the biggest no-brainer in the history of mankind.”

Replaceable infielders, minor league prospects, and an unproven reliever for one of the most electrifying outfielders in the American League? Where does Tony Reagins sign?

Granderson adds speed to the outfield and power to the lineup, and the Angels can finally put their log-jammed minor league system to good use.

However, there is a downside.

The deal would be a promising one, and would help fill the void left by Vladimir Guerrero at designated hitter/fourth outfielder.

But DH is not the Angels' most pressing issue, and giving up those prospects might hinder the team's ability to address greater needs on the mound and behind the plate.

John Lackey, the Angels' ace and No. 1 starter, is testing the free agent market for the first time in his career and will be asking for a sizable chunk of change.

He has expressed his interest in returning to Anaheim, but that sentiment is only as meaningful as the girth of the Angels' offer to him.

If the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, or New York Mets outbid us, even by a little, we can kiss the big Texan goodbye.

The other area the Angels should improve upon is one that was ignored all season long, but has finally hit a tipping point: catching.

Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis are each able catchers in their own ways, but both have faults that far outweigh their better qualities.

Napoli's power is dazzling but far too inconsistent, his bat going from hot to cold quicker than a muscle relaxing patch. Add to that his inaccurate throwing arm and below-average defensive abilities, and Nap is just not suited for the starting roll.

Mathis, on the other hand, has the glove to keep his job as a backup, but a career .200 batting average with little power will prevent him from ever starting for any team.

Both also strike out at an alarming rate, stranding runners on base and killing rallies dead in their tracks.

The solution? Bengie Molina.

Call me crazy if you want, but rest assured, I'm crazy like a fox.

Molina is not the sexiest free agent on the market and his return to Anaheim would be a shock. But take a closer look at his numbers and consider the impact his signing would make.

Our boy Bengie batted .265 in 2009. That's a dying quail away from Napoli's .272 average, and while the homers are a push—each belted 20—Nap drove in 26 fewer runs.

Not a surprise, considering Molina's clutch nature with men on base. He lofted a career high 11 sacrifice flies—eight more than Napoli—and had 35 fewer strikeouts despite his nearly 100 more plate appearances, meaning he puts the ball in play far more often.

A former two-time Gold Glove winner with the Angels, Molina's bulky frame would also be a welcome sight behind the plate again, blocking balls and throwing out 10 percent more base-stealers for his career than Napoli.

Short discussions and a two-year deal later, fans would be welcoming back the eldest flying Molina brother with (very) wide open arms.

With Mathis' defensive skills securing his job as backup, the move would then free up the Angels to trade Napoli, who generated interest around the non-waiver deadline this year.

And where better to send him than Toronto?

The Blue Jays have all but publicly announced that they will not be bringing Rod Barajas back and are rumored to be looking for a new starting backstop. Napoli just might be on their radar.

Now, can anyone think of any other trades the Jays might be involved in?

That's right, this is all part of another ploy to bring Roy Halladay to the Big A. And we can put together the package they need.

Napoli can take over the starting catching job for the Jays, Gary Matthews, Jr. can replace Alex Rios' speed in the outfield, Brandon Wood can fill the shortstop role vacated by Marco Scutaro, and any two pitching prospects from the Angels can replenish Toronto's minor league system.

If they are indeed looking for another starter to replace Halladay in the lineup, as some have suggested, then I'm willing to part with Ervin Santana as well.

True, his departure would create another gap in the rotation, but consider the front of that rotation: Halladay, Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir, and Joe Saunders.

With that stellar starting four, the Angels could easily plug one of their remaining prospects into the No. 5 spot, or sign a lower-priced free agent.

Ben Sheets, for example, is looking to make a big comeback, but his recent injury struggles have made him a less-desirable—and thus, cheaper—candidate.

If, after all of that, the Angels have enough left over to make a play for Granderson, then by all means go get him. He is a unique talent with incredible attributes that will make him valuable for years to come.

But he should not be the team's top priority at this point.

The Angels are looking at a very precarious offseason, and right now their future could be tipped in either direction.

Wait too long and too many free agents might slip through their fingers. Act too quickly and opportunities yet to be revealed may be out of reach before they even appear.

It's easy to get caught watching those rumors fly like moonshot home runs, and I may sound like a slack-jawed fan in the bleachers. But the numbers are solid and the moves are sound.

The Angels need to understand their most pressing issues and address them while they still can.

Gary Matthews, Jr.: Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Johnathan Kroncke — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:42:37 -0500

Hardly a week had gone by since the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were eliminated from the playoffs before they hit their first offseason obstacle.

His name is Gary Matthews Jr.

In what will likely be an emotional and turbulent offseason for the Angels, who saw no less than three star players and several more reserves filing for free agency already, the team's chief concern has become a bench player who is still under contract for two more years.

Perhaps, though, that is why Matthews chose to make his irritating move now.

The starting outfield for the Angels is already set, but the team did have three outfielders enter the free agent market this week in Vladimir Guerrero, Robb Quinlan, and Reggie Willits.

Guerrero may be offered a contract, but it likely won't amount to much and expectations are that he'll be flailing away for a new club next season.

Quinlan has been a fine reserve off the bench, but his defensive abilities are somewhat limited and the Angels have plenty of young talent coming down the outfield and infield pipes—where Quinlan serves as a backup.

As for Willits, he is out of minor league options this year. That means that, if the Angels were to re-sign him, he would have to make the Major League squad out of Spring Training or else be released.

Given the circumstances, and the number of prospects waiting in the Angels' wings (too easy), we've probably seen the last of “Three-and-Two” Willits at the Big A.

It's possible Matthews has taken a look at all of this and decided to strike while the iron was lukewarm, figuring he can force the Angels' hand before the ink is dry on any new contracts.

Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter, and the newly re-signed Bobby Abreu occupy the starting spots in the outfield, but the Angels have often forsaken a traditional designated hitter in favor of rotating a fourth outfielder in and out of the DH position, giving the starters a break on defensive.

If Matthews could accept that kind of a role, instead of a traditional starting spot in the field, the Angels could be sitting pretty come 2010.

His numbers weren't stellar on offense, but many of his 50 RBI came in critical, late-inning situations where they either tied the score or put the Angels ahead. For a .250 hitter, he proved the difference in several tight games.

Unfortunately, ol' GMJ seems to think himself too good for a rotating outfield role.

He has been demanding a starting job since Spring Training of last season and it looks like he won't settle for anything less.

But Matthews fails to understand that baseball is not a democracy, it's more like indentured servitude with a little capitalism thrown in for good measure. He has no more right to demand playing time from the Angels than I do.

His offensive production doesn't support this prima donna attitude either.

Matthews had just 316 at-bats this year, but managed to strike out nearly 100 times while popping only four home runs, and while he did have some timely hits with runners in scoring position, it's hardly enough to justify his incredulity.

Not to mention, if he does indeed want to be traded, all of the whining and crying can only serve to hurt his image.

Teams will put up with a certain level of immaturity from players, as long as they produce. Jose Guillen and Milton Bradley are unconscionable pains wherever they play, but they still manage to play because they drive in runs.

Matthews doesn't share that same level of talent with a bat and thus does not enjoy that same level of forgiveness from front offices.

Teams are also less likely to make a decent offer if they know a trade is coming out of necessity rather than desire.

If Matthews keeps running his mouth to the press about how unfair life is, the Angels will have fewer and ultimately less appealing trade options, and may ultimately be forced to keep him.

Considering the uncertainty of the future of the Angels' bench and outfield in the years to come, it might behoove them to keep Matthews around for the duration of his contract.

He has big league experience, is still an adequate defender, and runs the bases well—when he gets on.

However, if the Angels choose to trade him they need to do it quickly, and one destination stands out above the rest: Toronto.

Everyone and their mother's agent knows the Toronto Blue Jays are going to entertain offers for ace right-hander Roy Halladay this offseason.

The team brass was clearly upset about not moving him at the trade deadline last season, and showed it by firing the general manager.

The Angels were involved in those trade talks in July, and now they may be in need of another starting pitcher if John Lackey signs elsewhere.

They could offer Matthews, who would replace Alex Rios in left field, along with any two pitching prospects in the minors. If that's not good enough, toss in Brandon Wood to replace Marco Scutaro at shortstop.

The Jays would be crazy not to take that deal, but if they decline, so what? The Angels can only stand to gain from making that offer, and lose nothing if it doesn't work out.

Matthews doesn't have to be moved the way Guillen did after the 2004 season.

He can easily be worked into the Angels' plans for next season, and since he is still under contract for two more years, the team isn't worried about trading him to get some value before he becomes a free agent.

About the only thing they can't do is bench him for another season. He is making far too much money to just rot away in the dugout.

Either play him in some sort of four-outfielder package, or trade him and unload that salary.

Bobby Abreu Re-Signs with L.A. Angels: One Big Free Agent Down, Three To Go

Johnathan Kroncke — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:56:51 -0500

The most exciting event in baseball happened in the last 24 hours.

That's right, Bobby Abreu resigned with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim!

Let's face it, I care more about my dog's opinions on philosophy than the achievements of the New York Yankees. Congrats to them on a great year and all, but I can't wait to beat them next season.

On the other hand, Abreu signing a two-year extension for $19 million with a club option for 2012 is truly thrilling, especially for Angels fans.

The conclusion of the World Series on Wednesday night marked the beginning of one of the toughest offseasons for the Angels in recent memory.

Four key players in Abreu, Chone Figgins, John Lackey, and Vladimir Guerrero all entered the free agent market the moment the Yankees clinched their 27th championship.

Unfortunately, the buzz around the organization is they'll likely only re-sign two of those players, maybe three if the circumstances are right.

If that's true, Abreu was a pivotal name to bring back and should help alleviate some of the Angels' offseason stress.

Abreu batted .293 last season, and was second on the team in RBI with 103 (Kendry Morales had 108) and stolen bases with 30 (Figgins had 42). He also swung a .556 clip with four walks and two doubles in the Angels' three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.

But his greatest impact on this team cannot be quantified in stats.

Despite winning three more games in 2008, the Angels were a better team in 2009, thanks almost entirely to Abreu's tutelage.

When he joined the Angels in spring training, he brought along his years of experience and his patient approach at the plate.

The Angels took to his teachings like a duck to water.

Suddenly, guys like Morales, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar were working counts, taking walks, and swinging at better pitches—a shocking and welcome sight, to say the least.

The result? The Angels lead the league in team batting average and average with runners in scoring position, were second in runs scored, third in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging.

Abreu also seemed to have success bringing his calm demeanor from the field to the dugout and the clubhouse.

Search player quotes all you like, but you won't find a negative word said about the once-and-future right fielder.

In fact, the Angels appeared to really come together this season as a team, feeding off Abreu's positive energy and working together as one. This was especially meaningful after the tragic death of Nick Adenhart rocked the Angels' clubhouse.

Throughout the season, though, the team's focus never strayed, they never turned against one another when things got bad, and they never gave up when they were down.

The offseason is just one day old, and the Angels have promises to keep and miles to go before they sleep. But today, they have one less thing to worry about.

Abreu was a great signing last year—the steal of the offseason to some—and his re-signing should prove equally valuable.

Angels Get Yanked from Playoffs, Fans Suffer Five Stages of Sports Grief

Johnathan Kroncke — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:36 -0400

Well, it's finally over.

After 171 grueling regular and postseason games, after all of the ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim are getting a preemptive jump on the offseason.

It's not the Angels' fault, per say. I cringe to even think it, but though the differences were minor, the New York Yankees were simply the better team, throughout both the regular season and the American League Championship Series.

The starting pitching was fairly evenly matched, but they featured a dominant lefty in CC Sabathia, whom the Angels couldn't touch, while we countered with a sure-fire klutz in Scott Kazmir.

Seriously now, did he have one solid inning this postseason?

The Yankees' bullpen was a bit shaky in the series, but the great Mariano Rivera picked Angels batters apart and helped bolster their creaky relief core.

Meanwhile, the Angels chose to stick with Brian Fuentes, a closer who looked like his mission was actually to blow every save he was handed this year, and just failed 48 times.

More than anything, though, the difference between these two teams was the power. Up and down the Yankees' lineup, guys were belting home runs with ease.

On our side of the dish, it was a struggle just to get the ball out of the infield for everyone who wasn't named Jeff Mathis.

Now, some fans have taken the Angels to task for their lack of offense and surprising number of defensive miscues, blaming them for the series loss instead of congratulating the hated Yankees.

It's a reasonable argument, no doubt. The Yanks only mustered four runs in each of the first three games, two of which the Angels had the lead in, but only once did they walk away with a “W.”

The Angels' glove-related gaffs certainly played their part in this series, but I'm not so sure these fans are in their right minds.

No, I'm not saying they're crazy, just in mourning.

Sometimes it's difficult to see the wood for the trees, just as it's difficult to accept the truth about your team when you're suffering through “The Five Stages of Sports Grief.”

Allow me to explain:

Shock

The first and most striking stage, symptoms of shock generally start to show just as the final seconds are ticking off that vile game clock. Or, if you're a baseball fan, as the final out is being cradled in your enemy's glove.

We sit slack-jawed and dumb-founded, staring stupidly at our televisions as if we're searching for some unseen flag or penalty, some official ruling that would force the to game continue in our favor.

While this is generally the shortest stage, beginning just before the end of the game and clearing up by the time the post-game interviews are over, Angels fans had a much more prolonged experience.

For us, shock symptoms set in the moment Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar forgot how to catch a pop-up.

That frightening blunder, more common to elementary school playgrounds than professional ballparks, allowed a run to score in the first inning of Game One and set the tone for the defense.

Throughout the rest of the series, we watched in horrified amazement as Maicer Izturis threw a ball into center field, Mike Napoli bounced a throw into second base on a pitch-out, and Kazmir lobbed an easy out over the first baseman's head. Even Torii Hunter made his first error as an Angel.

Our shock lasted far too long, but once it mercifully ended, it was immediately followed by...

Anger

That's right, anger! What else?!

That raging, boiling, lava-fueled hatred that you just can't hold in any longer so you start blaming everyone in sight including your dog who had to get up and go outside during the 11th inning of Game Two so you weren't there to see Fuentes give up that bomb to A-Rod because if you had been in your seat the mojo wouldn't have shifted and they could have won the game...feeling.

I...sense I've gone too far.

So I'll reel it back a little, as I imagine many Angel fans have done over the past few days. That self-righteous, bitter taste has started to fade from our mouths and we no longer want to kill the athletic trainer for not wearing a rally cap at the end of Game Six.

In fact, we feel so bad for wanting to kill...well, anybody, that when the anger subsides, all we're left with is...

Depression

Aside from the final stage (which we'll get to in a second, so don't read ahead!), depression can be the longest and most difficult stage, and is often accompanied by a sense of helpless confusion.

Like a drunk stumbling through some lost and forbidden alleyway, we find ourselves wondering aloud, “What's this? How did I get here? It can't be...”

It seems like the Angels just went through the offseason.

We just finished losing out on the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, and watched both Francisco Rodriguez and Garret Anderson trudge off to the murky waters of the National League.

Now we have to go through it all again. More free-agent messes, more filling holes on the roster, more losing longtime Angels we may never see in the Big A again.

How can we be back here so soon? Why is this happening to us?

“Well,” we tell ourselves, “it's not happening to 'us.' It's happening to all of us. Unless your team wins the World Series or Super Bowl every single year, you're going to have to deal with the letdown of not reaching that ultimate goal.

“Every fan goes through these hard times at some point and survives. Just look at Cubs fans!”

Eventually, with the help of loved ones, counselors, and our faithful dog who forgives us for turning on him, we get through it.

And with that acceptance comes...

Recognition

This is where the healing truly begins.

Suddenly, we stop blaming random pets, mystic forces, or inanimate objects for our team's failure and instead focus on all of the good that came out of the season.

Any Angels fan who can't step back and recognize what a tremendous season they had is a fool.

Just look at what this team had to overcome: replacing Teixeira with an unproven rookie at first base, losing Ervin Santana and John Lackey for the first month and a half of the season, the Nick Adenhart tragedy, losing Vladimir Guerrero for a month, a bullpen that couldn't hold a lead against little-leaguers, losing Guerrero (again) and Torii Hunter for 30-plus days in the middle of the season, and having to face the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year.

When you really take it all in, that was quite the year.

And the Angels still won a third consecutive division title and, even better, we swept the stinkin' Red Sox right out of the postseason.

Alright, we may not have played up to our abilities in the ALCS, but like I said, the Yankees were clearly the better team and we have to give them their due.

That said, there's still one more stage of grief that all fans pass through, and that's...

Loathing

The shock has cleared up, the anger has subsided, the depression has itself been depressed, and we certainly recognize both our faults and our opponents' strengths.

But that doesn't mean we don't still hate them.

I don't know about you good folks, but I'll be rooting vehemently for the Philadelphia Phillies in this Word Series, and it's got nothing to do with my love for the City of Brotherly Love.

I have no more connection to the Phightin' Phils than I do my can opener, but any enemy of the Yankees is a friend of mine.

So it was with great glee that I watched the Phillies silence those Bronx bums in Game One. I can only hope Pedro Martinez picks up where he left off with the Red Sox and dominates New York again tonight.

As I said, I've accepted that the Yankees are better than the Angels this year, and I am so proud of my boys for getting as far as they did and pushing the ALCS to a hard-fought Game Six.

This isn't about that bitter taste I got after we lost. It's about pure, unadulterated fandom.

In terms of sports fanatics (the root word of “fan”), if the Angels are good, the Yankees must inherently be evil.

And so Angels fans look on, comforted by our recognition, but warmed by our fiery hatred.

Go Phils!

Angels Win a Thrilling Game Five, Despite Mike Scioscia's Questionable Calls

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:28:37 -0400

Mike Scioscia did his very best to manage his way out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Scioscia, manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, actually dealt not one, but two near-fatal blows in Game Five of the 2009 ALCS against the New York Yankees.

The first came when he removed starter John Lackey with two outs in the seventh inning and the bases loaded.

With the Angels up 4-0, lefty Darren Oliver entered the game, forcing Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira to bat from his typically less-productive right side.

He ripped the first pitch he saw for a bases-clearing double.

The Yankees went on to score three more in the inning and take 6-4 lead. Incredibly, their bullpen refused to hold down the Angels, who regained the lead with a three-run inning of their own.

Jered Weaver was masterful in the top of the eighth, going one-two-three to preserve a slim 7-6 lead for the Angels. Efficient with his pitches and dominant in his execution, Weaver was a lock to close out the game in the ninth.

But Scioscia wouldn't have it.

No, Weaver doesn't have a “closer” label next to his name on the roster.

Instead, Sosh brought in Brian Fuentes, the soft-tossing oft-inaccurate closer who has already recorded a blown save in this series, to face the heart of the Yankees' order.

That blown save also came with a one-run lead, and against the best of the Bombers no less.

Fuentes has shown a stunning inability to perform under pressure, despite his league-leading 48 saves during the regular season, and had no business being in this game. Weaver was the easy choice to close out Game Five and send the series back to New York.

To his his credit, Fuentes did get the job done, but not before he sent a few fans with shaky hearts to the hospital.

After getting the first two outs, he intentionally walked Alex Rodriguez, wise move, considering it was A-Rod that belted a game-tying home run off Fuentes in Game Two. He then proceeded to walk Hideki Matsui, hit Robinson Cano, and go 3-2 on Nick Swisher with the bases loaded.

Swish popped up, simultaneously ending the game and getting Scioscia off the hook for his inexplicable managerial blunders.

There was no viable excuse for bring Fuentes into the game, just as there was no excuse for taking Lackey out.

Big John is as tough as starting pitchers come and even when he got into trouble by loading the bases with one out, he still bared down and got Johnny Damon to hit a shallow fly ball out.

Had Scioscia left his ace in the game, Teixeira might have still driven in a run or two, but the idea that Lackey would've given up six runs the way his bullpen did is unthinkable.

The same goes for Weaver staying in to close the game.

Time and again, we fans have had to sit and watch Fuentes put men on base and give up runs with disturbing regularity. His job title might be closer, but it's a dream to imagine him being anything more than a lefty specialist, good for one or two left-handed batters in an inning and that's it.

Weaver mowed down the Yankees in order in the eighth and, being a starter, is perfectly capable of throwing more than one inning.

This should have been his game, whether or not Scioscia will admit it. Unfortunately, the only bad omen about this momentous win is that Sosh will think his moves were justified.

Given the opportunity in Game Six, he will make all of the same mistakes and anyone who thinks differently needs only to look at Game Four of last year's ALDS.

Down two games to one in the first round against the Boston Red Sox, the Angels had a shot to tie up the series when Kendry Morales doubled to lead off the top of the ninth inning.

Knotted up at two runs apiece, Scioscia chose to bunt pinch runner Reggie Willits to third. I wouldn't have, but hey, that's just me.

The problem came when Scioscia tried to bunt again.

Erick Aybar was told to squeeze-bunt the run home, a move that only works when you've caught the opposition off guard, but the Sox were ready for it.

When Willits broke for the plate, Aybar whiffed on the bunt try and Boston catcher Jason Varitek tagged the runner out easily.

Scioscia's move was immediately questioned in the postgame press conference, but the steady-handed manager stuck to his guns and promised that if he had it to again, he'd make the same decision.

It's a nice sentiment, but a foolish error.

Mike Scioscia is widely regarded as one of the game's finest managers. His calm demeanor and sound baseball mind make him the ideal leader in any clubhouse, and the Angels are incredibly lucky to have him.

But, like the Angels themselves, he is not without his flaws.

Over-managing in the dugout is a critical mistake that always—and I repeat, ALWAYS—leads to bad things on the field.

It's one thing to lose to a better team, and I still believe the Yankees are exactly that. It's quite another to lose because your coaching staff can't keep it's hands off the lineup card.

Fortunately, the Halos staved off elimination and forced a Game Six back in New York.

If they want to have a shot at a Game Seven, however, Scioscia has to recognize the difference between meddling and managing, and let his players do what they're paid to do: Play!

Angels-Yankees, ALCS Game Four: Halos Hammered, But Fans Feel The Pain

Johnathan Kroncke — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:14:16 -0400

The role of fan may be the toughest in all of sports.

As our teams go, so do we. And when things go wrong, we can only gnash our teeth and slam our couch cushions and suffer the inability to do absolutely anything about our team's performance.

Alas, if only the remote in our hands was a bat.

Blowouts are the worst of all. At least in a close game, there is always a glimmer of hope that our boys will succeed, even without our help.

But watching your favorite squad get squashed is like sitting ringside while some hulking prize fighter scores an early round knockout over your best friend, only to watch him continue the beating after the bell has rung.

We want to jump in and prevent the massacre, but we know we can't.

So it was on Tuesday night, when I watched my beloved Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play tomato can to the fleet-footed, swift-handed New York Yankees, who've been using the ALCS like a tune-up for their imminent World Series championship bout.

On Tuesday night, the Yanks trounced our helpless Halos 10-1 on the strength of pitcher CC Sabathia's second dominant outing in the series, and Alex Rodriguez's continued brilliance at the plate.

And as fans, all we could do was look on in agony.

We saw Sabathia's pitches clear as day, his tailing fastballs and drooping sliders that consistently ended up out of the zone. But we hold no bat to swing, only that same bloody remote.

Like a dugout-bound bench player, we are forced to watch our players flail away at balls outside or in the dirt. The difference is our bench is made of plush stuffing and microfiber.

We have no hope of ever having any measurable effect on the game, and the fact that we are at home during the game makes it all the more frustrating.

Those fortunate 45,000-plus in attendance at Angels Stadium could add something to the mix. Attendees can always scream their hearts out to provide their team with moral support, or at least a little constructive ballpark criticism.

“Swing the damn bat, Bobby!”

You know, like that.

But those of us who weathered tonight's storm from the suffocating isolation of our living rooms had no one to scream at but our family members and our television sets. Hi-def really brings the game to life, but no matter how loud I shriek, the realistic players on screen don't seem to hear me.

It makes it all the more discouraging to watch those same realistic players fail in such unreal fashion.

Being a fan is an incredibly taxing experience, both mentally and emotionally. We invest so much of ourselves in our team that when they turn out to be just as flawed and human as the rest of us, well, we take it personally.

To see the Angels go belly up like they have this series is disheartening, to say the least.

They were the second-best team in the American League, and arguably in all of baseball. The Yankees certainly seem to be the better team, but right now it wouldn't take much to knock the Angels out of the playoffs.

In every at-bat, with every pitch in Tuesday's troubling defeat, they looked scared. They looked frightened, never believing for a moment that they could actually take the Yankees in this game, to say nothing of the series.

If that's true, then the Angels truly don't deserve to win. As I've pointed out before, this ALCS matchup has always been about mindset, who thinks they have what it takes to win it all.

As fans, we naturally have a bias toward our team. However, those of us who are also students of the game understood going into this series that, while the Angels would probably lose, they had all the necessary tools to pull out yet another postseason upset.

Unfortunately, no one told the Angels.

After a lengthy 162-game season, any reasonable fan would've judged the Halos a worthy adversary for the evil empire, but that ultimately evil would prevail. That said, reasonable fans would've also predicted a heavyweight slug-fest when these two teams eventually squared off in the playoffs.

Instead, we've been witness to a demoralizing beat down of a truly talented but ultimately flawed team.

Angel players and fans alike were energized by the incredible extra-inning victory over the Yanks in Game Three, and we mutually hoped that the win would bring about a shift in momentum in the series.

We were sadly mistaken.

The brutal nature of Game Four stung deeper than any other loss could have. Had the Yankees won a nail-biter that came down to the final innings, we could have tipped our caps to a better squad and slept like babies.

But the nine-run drubbing we sustained on Tuesday left no doubt the Angels are simply no match this year for a bigger, stronger, and more mentally stable Yankee lineup.

It's just too bad Major League umpires aren't more like boxing referees.

Tim McClelland could have shown some mercy and stopped this bout.

L.A. Angels' Comeback Victory Comes Amid Huge Postseason Slump

Johnathan Kroncke — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:55:07 -0400

It's hard to look so bad for so long and still come away with a win.

But that's exactly how the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wriggled their way back into this ALCS match-up against the New York Yankees, winning Game Three in walk-off fashion by a score of 5-4.

Unfortunately, the dramatic victory only masks a disturbing trend for the Angels in the postseason since winning the World Series in 2002: They can't hit with men on base.

In Game Two alone, the Angels stranded 16 men on the paths, including eight by Vladimir Guerrero and four by Torii Hunter, former offensive threats-turned little girls with plastic bats.

It's not just them, though. The Angels' current offensive funk is a team-wide effort.

In a season in which they lead the American League with a .285 team batting average, the Angels are swinging at a sub-.200 clip against the Yanks, a postseason tradition that has plagued this team for far too long.

Their lack of offense was one reason they lost to the Boston Red Sox for years, and it's certainly the reason they found themselves down two games to none in this series coming into Monday afternoon's contest.

And the trend continues.

Yankee starter Andy Pettitte pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up only three runs, but not once did he have a clean inning. The Angels put runners on base at every turn, but could do nothing about it.

In the first two innings, lead-off singles were quickly erased by double-play grounders from key offensive threats in Hunter and Kendry Morales.

In the third, Erick Aybar became the first of many Angels to be left in scoring position, stranded on second after Chone Figgins fouled out.

By the time a full nine had been played, the scored was locked up at 4-4—an absolute failure on the part of the offense, which left 16 men on base for the second consecutive game.

It got even worse in the bottom of the 10th.

Jeff Mathis stroked a lead-off double and eventually reached third base with nobody out. A few batters later, the Angels found themselves with a golden opportunity: bases loaded and only one out.

But they got nothing out of it.

Once again, with the game on the line, the big boys couldn't come through.

Both Hunter and Guerrero dribbled ground balls to Mark Teixeira, who helped secure the final two outs of the inning without any damage whatsoever.

No hits, no sacrifice flies. Not even a bunt try, just to show they have the ability to make adjustments when more traditional methods fail.

In fact, there were no adjustments by the Angels of any kind in this game.

Guerrero went 1-for-7 in Saturday's pathetic extra-inning loss, leaving everyone but himself on base, and yet Manager Mike Scioscia still plugged him into the clean-up spot.

Asked why he would leave Guerrero in such a prominent place in the batting order, Scioscia said no one else had proven to be any better thus far in the series.

To his credit, Big Daddy finally came through with a big, game-tying two-run homer, his first postseason big fly since belting a grand slam against the Red Sox in 2004.

However, one man does not a team make.

If the Angels have any misguided notions about knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs in stunning fashion, they will need more than just Guerrero to step up.

Bobby Abreu had been uncharacteristically silent in the first two games before finally coming through with a couple of hits Monday. But even so, the veteran was not above looking like a rookie after a horrific base-running gaff in the bottom of the eighth.

The score tied at four, Abreu drilled a lead-off double into center field, only to be thrown out at second after making a big turn toward third and drifting well off the base.

How such a sound baseball mind as Abreu ended up 15 feet away from the bag is anyone's guess. What's important is that, once again, the Angels failed to take advantage of their situation.

It is only by the grace of Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis, who went a combined 5-for-7 with two RBI and three runs scored, including Mathis's walk-off double that drove in Kendrick, that the Angels are not on the brink of elimination.

As with any successful team, it's important to have your lighter-hitting players be able to take some of the pressure off the big bats and come through in the clutch.

But right now, they are the only one's doing anything.

Take a look at these batting averages: Figgins—.167; Abreu—.154; Juan Rivera—.077; Morales—.077.

These are your run-producers, your offensive catalysts who get on base and who drive the runs in.

Or at least, they're supposed to be.

I said at the beginning of this series that the Angels and Yankees are fairly evenly matched on paper, and that what it will come down to is mental stability. Who wants it more, and who has the guts to go and get it?

Right now, the Angels could easily be up two games to one and have the Yankees on the ropes. They should have won both Saturday's and Monday's games, and by wide margins no less.

Instead, the Angels have struggled to get hits with men on base, struggled to hold leads late in games, and struggled to get their big bats going. And all of that has lead to a precarious position in the series.

They've prevented a sweep and forced a Game Five match-up in Anaheim. But they still trail the Yankees by a game, and must go through C.C. Sabathia on Tuesday if they hope to tie things up and send the series back to New York.

A tall order to say the least, but certainly not impossible.

The Angels have to take this dramatic win and use it to their advantage. They have to look at Game Three, at all of the offensive mistakes and men left on base, and then remind themselves that they still pulled out a win.

The Angels have beaten Sabathia before and are the only team in the last 10 years to own a winning record over the Yanks. Heck, this vaunted New York lineup has only scored four runs in each of the first three games against the Halos.

If L.A. of A. can get the bats going and start driving in a few of those countless men on base, this series will be far from over.

Angels-Yankees: An Icy Start to a Red Hot Series for The Halos

Johnathan Kroncke — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:07:40 -0400

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were cold.

No, it's not a cheesy weather pun (see: headline). The Angels have simply been sidelined for too long, slogging through a five-day break between the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

They were just a little sluggish, that's all. Or at least, that's all I'd like to believe.

Because the only other alternative is that their in-game shivers had some deeper and more sinister origin than just the frigid New York temperatures.

From the moment Chone Figgins stepped in the batter's box to lead off Game One of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, the Angels looked scared.

And the evidence quickly piled up.

Meek at-bats were only overshadowed by uncharacteristically sloppy defense on the part of the Angels, who bumbled their way to a quick one-game deficit in the series.

The aforementioned Figgins also had yet another bad playoff performance at the plate. His 0-for-4 night brought his production to an astounding 0-for-16 in the postseason this year—a bad sign for the Angels, who need their catalyst on base as much as possible to get the offense going.

But he was hardly alone his swing struggles in this game.

At the plate, even disciplined veterans like Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter were caught taking fat fastballs down the middle and swinging at balls out of the strike zone.

Yankee's ace C.C. Sabathia certainly didn't look like he brought his “A” game on Friday night, but with the way the Angels approached their at-bats, you'd never notice.

In fact, their impotent offense might have been the big story coming out of this game, if it weren't for the egregious defensive gaffs that were on display, including perhaps the worst error that ever wasn't.

To compound his poor offensive evening, Figgins failed to communicate with shortstop Erick Aybar on a routine infield pop-up that not only resulted in a cheap first-inning single, but an RBI as well.

That's right, two professional ballplayers, watching a pop fly my grandmother could catch, hit the ground, and it counts the same in the record books as a line drive.

No error, no excuse.

Of course, that pathetic mishap might not have been so costly had Juan Rivera not fired a ball hit to him back into the infield...to no one in particular.

So, instead of having runners at the corners, a simple Johnny Damon single became men on second and third with nobody out.

When that ball crashed untouched back to Earth between Figgins and Aybar, the runner on second had only to jog on in, giving the Yankees a two-run advantage they never gave up.

They tacked on two more against John Lackey, who also didn't bring his best stuff to the ballpark today. His fastballs were up, his curveball was down and away, and unlike the Angels, the Yankees took advantage of their opponent's mistakes.

And therein lies the key to this whole series.

This much-ballyhooed ALCS matchup between the two best teams in the American League is more than just the sum of its parts; it is a matchup of mindsets.

Both teams want to win as much as the other, and each has an equally good chance—on paper.

The Yankees and Angels feature the top two offenses in the league: Both have power and speed up and down their lineups, and the starting rotations of each are as daunting as any in baseball.

Physically, neither is dramatically better than the other , which means this bout will be won by the team that believes it can.

After their stunning exorcism of postseason demons via a sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels appeared to have the mental edge necessary to make the organization's second trip to the World Series.

They played the Red Sox tough, with clutch hitting, stellar pitching, and even worked in a little come-from-behind magic to seal the deal in the deciding Game Three.

With Abreu's guidance and Nick Adenhart's memory to spur them on, the Angels appeared to be the team of destiny.

Until they stepped into Yankee Stadium, where they left their confidence at the door and replaced it with fear and uncertainty.

Out went the timely hitting and iron-clad defense, and in came the strike outs looking and dropped pop-ups, to say nothing of Torii Hunter's first error in an Angel uniform.

Even before all that, though, I would have been very surprised to see the Angels beat the Yankees in this series. Don't get me wrong, the surprise would still be a pleasant one, but it seems as though the Angels have gone as far as they can go.

Much to my dismay, I'm picking the Yanks to win in six.

But if the Angels want to even push the series that far, they still have to win two games, and that means tightening up on defense, loosening up on offense, and getting back to that casual, happy-go-lucky style of baseball that made them so successful all season long.

No one outside of that locker room expected them to get this far this season. Given all that the Angels have had to battle through and overcome, few picked them to win their division, let alone sweep the Sox, and that same doubt as trickled into the ALCS.

Like myself, most pundits have tabbed the Yankees to win this round and go on to claim their 27th World Series title.

That said, the Angels still have all the talent and drive in the world to overcome yet another obstacle and reach the promised land.

Remember, they've beaten the Yankees twice this decade in the postseason, and both times they lost the first game in the series.

Let us hope the long view of history repeats itself, while the short is forgotten quickly. If the Angels can put Game One behind them, Game Two is theirs for the taking.

MLB Playoff Umpires: Who's Watching the Watchmen While We Watch Their Slips?

Johnathan Kroncke — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:36:09 -0400

Without question, the most thankless job in sports is held by officials.

Referees, umpires, line judges—all are as greatly despised as they are under-appreciated. And in many cases, the vitriol aimed at them is entirely unjust.

No one ever congratulates an ump for calling a good game or a ref for throwing a flag. Instead, fans rain vicious auditory attacks down upon the weary officials, whether or not they've earned them.

In this year's baseball playoffs, however, the bleacher creature jeers and jests are well-deserved.

Beginning with a botched hit-by-pitch call in the one-game playoff between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, Major League umpires have been blowing calls left, right, in, out, and just about everywhere else.

Keep in mind, these umps are hand-picked to serve in the postseason specifically for their high quality of work during the regular season. Not that you'd notice this year.

In a close and heated battle to decide the final playoff contender and winner of the American League Central Division, Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Had the proper call been made, Inge would have forced in a run and perhaps lead his team to victory.

As it happened, the ump missed the call and the Tigers were beaten in a gut-wrenching, extra-inning affair.

But the Twins have certainly not been the beneficiaries of every questionable call in these playoffs.

In fact, they were at the losing end of one of the worst, most blatant umpire blunders our great game has ever had the misfortune of seeing.

In extra-innings of a tight Game Two between Minnesota and New York in the first round of the playoffs, the Twins' Joe Mauer sliced a ground rule double down the left field line.

The ball dropped in front of Yankees left fielder Melky Cabrera, fair by at least a foot.

Somehow, that wasn't clear enough for Phil Cuzzi, who immediately called the ball foul.

Instead of allowing Mauer to take second, Cuzzi forced the at-bat to continue and eventually the Twins' catcher made an out. The next batter up stroked a single into right.

Had the correct call been made, Mauer would have been in scoring position for that single and the Twins would have taken the lead and been in position yet again to get the win.

Unfortunately, a pivotal Game Two victory alluded the Twins thanks to Cuzzi's error.

In that game, Cuzzi occupied the umpire's position down the left field foul line, a position—along with it's counterpart in right field—that exists only in the postseason and for the sole purpose of getting the most accurate possible perspective.

But when the game was literally on the line, Cuzzi made an inexcusable error, and then followed it with a plethora of sickening excuses.

He said he's not used to being in that position on the field. He said he might have been too close to the ball.

I say it's something far more disturbing: Either Cuzzi was “asked” to miss a call or two, or else he is simply inept and has no business being on a Major League field.

The same could be suggested about C.B. Bucknor, a well-respected veteran umpire who made an absolute mockery of two plays in Game One of the first round series between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

Twice, Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick was thrown out on ground balls to the left side of the infield, and twice he was called safe.

Now, the first play was admittedly a little tough.

The throw from Boston shortstop Alex Gonzalez pulled first baseman Kevin Youkilis off the bag and forced him to make a swiping tag on a hard-charging Kendrick. Youk applied the tag, but from Bucknor's vantage, it was a difficult call.

The second play, however, was nearly as bad as Cuzzi's.

Kendrick shot a grounder to third baseman Mike Lowell, who fired a high throw over to first. Again, Youkilis had to make an athletic play, leaping into the air to save the throw, but he came down on first before Kendrick was within two steps of the bag.

Yet somehow, Bucknor called him safe.

You almost have to close your eyes and turn around to blow such an obvious call, but the veteran ump was standing less than 10 feet away and staring right at Youkilis' foot.

Boston went on to lose that game and eventually get swept out of the playoffs, but Bucknor's mistakes had nothing to do with it as the Angels failed to capitalize on them.

Cuzzi and the Twins weren't so lucky.

His error only compounded a miserable night for Minnesota, but could easily be looked at as the turning point in the series.

If Mauer's hit is called fair, the Twins could have split the series and had a shot to close it out in the Hubert H. Hefty Bag Metrodome.

It's only speculation, and the Yankees may very well have come back a second time and still walked off in dramatic fashion, but it does make you think.

Sports pundits have been thinking, too, and the question has finally been asked: As put forth by the Wall Street Journal, does baseball need umpires?

If ever there was a time to seriously talk about limiting these egregious errors in baseball, it's now, and this postseason has ushered it in.

The worst thing an official can do is make a mistake that affects the outcome of a game. It's already happened twice this year in the most critical time of the season—the playoffs.

So how do we fix the problem?

Adding two umpires down either foul line during the postseason was always a useless move by Major League Baseball, but if we're to believe Cuzzi's weak excuses, it may also be detrimental.

The next step would naturally be toward new technology.

Baseball introduced instant replay last season to help combat contested home run calls.

Cameras were placed along the outfield walls and on the foul poles of every Major League ballpark, and some have suggested that this should be expanded to include fair and foul calls within the field of play.

Others, like ESPN's Michael Wilbon, have asserted that the human element should be removed from baseball officiating altogether. He says he's tired of seeing, among other things, strike zones vary from ump to ump.

The technological replacement would then be some variation of the electronic strike zone fans see on television.

But have you actually paid attention to some of these systems?

TBS's “Pitch Trax” is laughable at best, and ESPN's “K-Zone” is only slightly better. If these are the alternatives, I'll take Cuzzi and Bucknor every time.

But it's more than that.

Baseball is one of the few sports that has been almost completely untouched by technological advances and this kind of change would only taint the relative purity of the game, at least as its played between the lines (steroids are a separate, off-field issue).

The human element also adds a certain unique charm to a game that is, by some accounts, centuries old.

The fact that each umpire calls his own strike zone might be an issue, depending on your perspective, but it is no reason to introduce awkward and unpleasant mechanical devices to take their place.

If umpires are too inconsistent, then baseball needs to gather them in the off-season and decide where the correct zone lies.

And if these playoffs are any indication, a meeting does need to take place, and soon.

To err is human. To ruin a game? Now that takes an umpire.

How Sweep It Is: Angels Exorcise Demons, Defeat Boston in Playoffs

Johnathan Kroncke — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:33:25 -0400

The Angels were beaten. They had to be.

Down 5-2 in the eighth inning and facing two stellar relievers lined up to close the game, they could only look to tomorrow and a Game 4 match-up between Joe Saunders and Jon Lester.

Or at least, that's what it looked like. But appearances can be deceiving.

Once again, I must defer to the great linguist Yogi Berra who famously declared, “It ain't over 'till it's over.”

Unbelievably, impossibly, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim came back to sweep the Boston Red Sox and advance to the American League Championship Series.

Any talk of demons, curses, or hexes has been laid to rest for good.

What's more, the Angels did it in a game in which they failed to execute in all the ways that helped them build their commanding two-game lead.

The starting pitching wasn't there, the hits weren't coming with men in scoring position, and Halos were left hanging on every base.

At least, through the first seven innings.

But from the eighth inning on, this was the Angels' game to lose.

Key at-bats by the Angels' biggest run-producers fueled a dramatic come-back off of Boston's top relievers, setup man Billy Wagner and All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Bobby Abreu got things going in the eighth when he lined a double off Kevin Youkilis' glove. Wagner then walked Vladimir Guerrero with one on and one out.

Papelbon eventually came on with runners at second and third and two men gone, looking for a four-out save.

He never found it.

Juan Rivera smacked a single into center field that brought home the runners and put the Angels just one run down.

In the top of the ninth, Kevin Jepsen struggled a bit, giving up a run to give the Sox a two-run lead, but by then it didn't matter. The Angels' come-back train was already on track and picking up steam.

Of the 97 wins that L.A. of A. racked up during the regular season, 47 were of the come-from-behind variety.

In no contest did it ever seem like they were out of it, never to rally or show any heart, and it was no different here in Game 3.

After quickly getting the first two men out, Papelbon was staring down the barrel of yet another postseason save. The batter, Erick Aybar, was immediately put in a 1-2 hole.

Exactly where he wanted to be.

Papelbon grooved a fastball right over the outer half of the plate and Aybar easily laced back up the middle for a single.

The next batter, Chone Figgins, also found himself with two strikes, but he worked the count masterfully and eventually earned a walk.

For the third straight at-bat, the Angels were down to their last strike when Papelbon put Abreu in another 1-2. And for the third straight time, they came away with a baserunner.

Abreu stayed with Papelbon's fastball that tailed away toward the outside corner and lined it off the Green Monster, driving in Aybar and keeping the inning alive.

With their lead back to just one run, the Red Sox walked Torii Hunter to load the bases for Vladimir Guerrero, a prolific hitter in his day but someone who was thought to be aging and having a hard time catching up to fastballs.

Big Daddy lined the first pitch he saw into center field, plating the final two runners and putting the Angels on top for good.

A stunned Boston crowd looked on as Brian Fuentes worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to end the Red Sox' season while the Angels partied their way into the clubhouse and on to the ALCS.

Scott Kazmir, the Angels' Game 3 starter, was off his game from the very first pitch. His fastballs were all up in the strike zone, and his slider was non-existent for most of the day.

By the third inning, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Victor Martinez had seen all they needed to of Kazmir, producing three runs in the inning and taking the early lead.

Kendry Morales belted a solo home run deep to right field in the fourth inning to get the Angels back within two, but J.D. Drew answered in the bottom of the frame with a two-run shot of his own, giving the Sox an intimidating 5-1 lead.

Clay Buchholz, Boston's rookie starter, pitched well and got out of several jams before getting rattled in the sixth and loading the bases with nobody out.

The Angels scratched out only one run in that inning when Rivera grounded into yet another bases-loaded double play, his second of the series.

By that point though, they had squandered several opportunities with men in scoring position, and it felt like this just wasn't their day.

But these guys just never know when to say quit.

They showed more than just heart in Sunday's come-from-behind elimination victory; the Angels proved once and for all that, for them, the past is the past.

There is no more looking back, no more fearing that what happened before might happen again.

These guys, much like the championship squad of '02, are tough, resilient, and never ever look like they're out of any game.

It seems unbelievable that the Angels were able to pull out that win against those pitchers in that ballpark. But then, this team has gone through much rougher times and still come out swinging.

For the first time in the Angels' playoff history, down goes Boston! Down goes Boston! DOWN GOES BOSTON!

Lackey, Hunter Deliver Huge Game One Victory for Angels over Red Sox

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:51:43 -0400

It's just one win, but it felt like a series clincher.

For the first time in club history, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim recorded a shutout in the postseason, blanking the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game One of the American League Division Series.

What began as a good old-fashioned pitcher's duel between John Lackey and John Lester became a firm display of mental fortitude as the Angels dispelled any notion of playoff hexes when facing big bad Boston.

This victory was as complete as any team could hope for, with stellar pitching, top-notch defense, and timely offense from the Angels' big bats.

Despite being 0-5 against the Red Sox in the postseason, Lackey performed masterfully, tossing 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and surrendering just four hits while striking out four and walking one.

But it was his situational pitching that held the Sox in check.

Lackey bore down against tough batters like Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez, and Jason Bay, and every time Boston threatened to start a rally, he executed his pitches and delivered the right types of outs.

When Bay smacked a leadoff single into left, Big John forced Mike Lowell to ground into a double play.

When he fell behind Youkilis on a 3-0 count with men on base, Lackey battled back and got him to shoot a one-hopper to Chone Figgins, who alertly stepped on third for the final out of the inning, just one of several remarkable defensive plays by Figgy.

On the offensive side, the Angels began as they always do against the Red Sox in the playoffs—nervously swinging at bad pitches and failing to work deep into counts or drive in runs.

That is, except for Bobby Abreu, who was the only Angel to step to the plate without the shakes.

While his teammates spent the early part of the game lunging at chin-high heaters and cut fastballs in the dirt, the Angels' left fielder went about his business, calmly looking over every pitch and patiently taking a walk in each of his four plate-appearances.

Abreu may not have driven in any runs, but he was on base all night for big run-producers like Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero.

That paid dividends when Hunter launched a Lester offering half way up the rock pile in center field.

The Angels took a sudden and ultimately commanding lead on Hunter's mammoth three-run shot in the fifth inning and never looked back, adding two more runs in the seventh after Lester departed.

Lester, a hard-throwing lefty, pitched well overall but struggled to find the strike zone with his fastball early on, and the Angels found a way to capitalize on his mistakes.

He turned over a 3-0 deficit to Boston's vaunted bullpen, which failed to keep the game close.

Red Sox relievers loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning and, after inducing Juan Rivera into a pitiful double play, surrendered a two-run single to Kendry Morales.

The Angels' bullpen, meanwhile, was mercifully absent from the game for the most part. With a five-run lead, manager Mike Scioscia only had to use veteran lefty Darren Oliver, who got the final five outs.

Where some managers might have brought in their closer to seal that all-important first victory in a best-of-five series, Sosh wisely left Angel closer Brian Fuentes on the bullpen bench, far away from the mound and any chance of blowing yet another lead.

Oliver got the job done, retiring all five batters he faced and securing Lackey's historic shutout.

It's important to keep some perspective here though: this is only one win, and the last time anyone checked it still takes three to advance past the first round.

The Angels have a long way to go before they've fully exorcised those postseason demons when facing Boston, but Game One was certainly a step in the right direction.

They showed absolutely no fear on the mound, holding the dangerous Red Sox batters to just four singles.

More importantly, however, the Angels were finally able to put men on base—and drive them in.

Halo hitters went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, a practically unheard of feat in the postseason, and even rarer against their Boston rivals.

Succeeding where they've failed so many times before and getting this first victory was sweeter than honey dipped in sugar.

But again, it's just one game.

Angels starter Jered Weaver has a tall task in front him in Game Two. The Red Sox hitters will be looking for redemption after their embarrassing performance in this game, and besides, you just can't hold that team down for long.

The Red Sox will score their runs, it's just a matter of the Angels batters keeping pace.

This series is far from over, but everything we accomplish at this point is gravy. The Angels overcame incredible obstacles just to get here, and I plan on enjoying every moment like a rafter on the meandering river at Raging Waters.

Angels-Red Sox: Top 3 Things To Expect From L.A. In The Playoffs

Johnathan Kroncke — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:42:58 -0400

Yogi Berra said it best: It's deja vu all over again.

For the third time in as many years, and fourth in the last six, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will face off against their postseason nemeses, the Boston Red Sox.

In the past, the Red Sox have delivered nothing short of a royal beating to our beloved Halos. But as Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said on ESPN radio last week, things will be different this year.

At least, they should be.

The Angels took the season series from the Red Sox for the second year in a row, going 5-4 in nine contests, including two series victories and a 4-2 record at the Big A.

They also featured the most productive lineup in Angels history, leading the league in team batting average at .285 and setting a new single season franchise record with 883 runs scored, second on the season to the New York Yankees.

However, I've already illustrated the differences in this Angels squad that should lead them to their first postseason victory over the Sox, and they can be found here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/266023-torii-hunter-angels-doing-something-different-in-playoffs-this-year .

This is about what you the viewer—and hopefully, the fan—will have to look forward to from the 2009 American League West Champions in this first round match-up.

Here are the top three things to watch for from the Angels in the American League Division Series:

1.The Angels Will Hit Their First Grand Slam of The Year

Irony of ironies. In a season when they scored more runs than ever before in their 49-year history, when four guys belted 20-plus home runs and two more hit 15, the Angels remained the only team in the Majors to fail to hit a grand slam.

It's sort of sad, really. Even teams like the Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Francisco Giants, all of whom struggled like mad to score runs all season, managed to pop a bases-loaded salami here and there.

The closest the Angels came to accomplishing the ultimate offensive feat was during their three-game shellacking of Minnesota at the beginning of August.

In his final Metrodome appearance, Kendry Morales belted two three-run homers. However, the second came after a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Juan Rivera.

Had he simply had the decency to strike out, K-Mo might have put up seven RBI on two swings.

But no matter, this team will have ample opportunities this postseason.

On top of being among the league leaders in batting average and runs scored, the Angels also took the most walks (547) this year than they've had since 2000.

The bases will be full of Halos all series long, and guys like Morales, Vladimir Guerrero, and Juan Rivera are going to see their share of big RBI chances.

It's only a matter of time until someone puts it in the seats.

2.Reggie Willits Will Hit His First Career Home Run

That's right, I said it. Shrimpy little “3-and-2” Willits is going to work the count like he always does, and then belt his first late-inning fastball out of a Major League ballpark.

In fact, he may be the one to get the Angels' first grand slam of '09.

Willits is going to be on the bench for the ALDS, but he'll no doubt see some time on the base paths late in games, pinch-running for the not-so-fleet-of-foot Guerrero or Rivera.

If that happens, he will also likely get an at-bat or two, and while his batting plan is usually “bunt first, swing later,” I see him taking a guy like Manny Delcarmen or even Jonathan Papelbon deep—right-handed relievers who throw nothing but heat, providing all the power that Willits lacks.

He'll be especially dangerous if he can get in a game at Fenway Park, where Pesky's Pole is only about 20 feet down the right field line.

In fact, you might want to just TiVo Game 3.

3.Brian Fuentes Will Blow Two—Yes Two—Saves and Still Keep His Job

Despite leading the Majors in saves with 48, Fuentes has been anything but dominant this year.

Inconsistent, lackluster, even lucky. But hardly the kind of brute force necessary to be a successful closer in the postseason.

He famously blew a save in Boston earlier this season. True, he clearly got screwed on two calls that should have ended the game, but the fact is Fuentes had two outs with nobody on base and still managed to lose the game.

And that was just the regular season.

Even the great Francisco Rodriguez couldn't keep the Red Sox down in the playoffs, and K-Rod he is not.

Yet, manager Mike Scioscia has stubbornly insisted that Fuentes will be his man in the postseason, so expect to see his weak, left-handed stuff early and often in this series.

With the Angels' dual propensity for scoring runs this season and still playing in their fair share of close games, Fuentes will have plenty of work—and plenty of chances to give up runs to this high-powered Red Sox offense.

I suspect that this series will go at least four games, if not the full five. If that holds true, it will be because Fuentes continues to be used in a role for which he is simply not suited.

Lefty specialist? Fine. But the closer's job for the Angels should be by committee in the ALDS.

Instead, Fuentes will do more to save games for Boston than he will for L.A.

So there you have it. Despite Fuentes' presence in the bullpen, I'm still sticking with the Angels' offense in four over the BoSox.

Their offense was finally heating up again at the end of the regular season, the starting pitching has been masterful over the last month, and Boston sucks something awful when it comes to throwing out potential base-stealers.

The Angels should take full advantage of their opponents' weaknesses, playing their patented brand of run-and-gun, first-to-third style of offense, a perfect complement to that rock-steady defense they've used to back up guys like Fuentes all season long.

Maybe then, they'll break this ridiculous streak and finally give the Red Sox a taste of their own first-round medicine.

Torii Hunter, Angels 'Doing Something Different' In Playoffs This Year

Johnathan Kroncke — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:55:54 -0400

When it comes to sports teams, the playoffs are hardly the time to start making changes.

But when it's the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim you're talking about, any new approach to the first round of the playoffs is a welcome change indeed.

Earlier this week, Angels center fielder Torii Hunter appeared on a local sports talk radio show to discuss the playoffs, declaring in no uncertain terms that the Angels will be “doing something different” this year.

He forcefully asserted that this year won't be like the past. And thank goodness.

Coming into this season, the Angels made postseason appearances in five of the previous eight years, and were promptly eliminated in the from the American League Division Series three of those times.

All three eliminations came at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.

In 2004 and 2008, the Angels held home field advantage over the Sox, thus making them the arguable “favorites” in the series. But it's never played out that way.

Last year, the Angels were also the winningest team in baseball heading into the playoffs, and yet they were still beaten like a drum.

We've all heard the numbers, but in case you've been living in a baseball-free bubble for the last 25 years, allow me to bring you up to speed.

The Angels are 1-9 this decade against the Red Sox in the postseason, and 4-13 all time in playoff contests.

Of course, it's only natural that we should face them in the first round of the playoffs again this year.

Not that that fact hasn't escaped this team.

Hunter, the emotional leader of the Angels in the clubhouse and on the field, has already been his usual vocal self, claiming that this year things will be different.

So, what's so different about this squad that might lead it to victory?

For starters, these guys are healthy.

In 2007, Gary Matthews, Jr., the starting center fielder at the time, came into postseason play with a badly damaged knee and was unable to perform up to expectations.

Last year, Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero were working through their own ailments that kept them from being the big time run-producers that we're used to.

This year, the only issue even worth mentioning is Hunter's sore abdominal area, which will only require a day or two of rest before he goes full bore in the playoffs.

Guys like Kendry Morales, Erick Aybar, Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu, and Juan Rivera have played these final few games down the stretch with a fire that we haven't seen since...well, ever.

Suddenly, the bats are heating up again as we get closer and closer to that fateful showdown with Beantown.

And in it's own way, it's just another example of what makes this year different: This squad is made of young, or relatively new, blood, most of which hasn't suffered the humiliation of playoffs past.

Rivera was just a bench player before this season. Morales only had a couple of cups of coffee in the big leagues. Abreu was off putting up Hall of Fame numbers in Philadelphia and New York.

Hunter did join the Angels for their nearly annual October beating last season, but he was busy winning Gold Gloves in Minnesota before that.

This Angel squad is full of guys who, for lack of a better phrase, don't know any better. Many are too young or haven't been starters long enough to remember the bad old days of first round sweeps.

All they know is that, despite being the division winners who face the Wild Card team, the Angels are still being talked about like the underdogs.

Many expect them to bend over once again to their Red Sock daddies. And that just isn't sitting right.

It's clear, this team is out to break its pathetic losing streak and punish Boston for all those years of humiliation and defeat, and nowhere was that more evident than in the deal for Scott Kazmir.

There are any number of reasons for why the Angels traded for Kazmir, be it the lack of a solid fifth starter or the uncertainty of John Lackey's situation next season, and all of them have merit.

But there were other pitchers who moved at the trade deadline, from Justin Masterson to Cliff Lee, who could have satisfied those requirements.

The Angels acquired Kazmir because of his success against the Boston Red Sox in his career, and although manager Mike Scioscia has not revealed his postseason plans, you can be sure Kaz will get the start in Game 3—at Boston.

Hunter is right, I think things will be different this year.

This is not the same Angels squad of old. They are more powerful, more patient at the plate, and more convinced than ever that they can overcome anything, with the death of Nick Adenhart still vivid in their minds.

The Boston Globe is picking the Red Sox in three.

I hate biased reporting.

I say the Angels in four.

Manager Of The Year: Scioscia Leads Angels to Emotional Division Title

Johnathan Kroncke — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:13:42 -0400

In a season worthy of a Hollywood screenplay, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the 2009 American League West Champions.

After all the heartache, all of the injuries, through tragedy and triumph, it's finally over.

The division-clinching win didn't exactly come as a surprise, it seemed like an inevitability for the last couple of weeks. However, Monday's 11-0 drubbing of the Texas Rangers held a deeper meaning for this team in this season.

After the tragic and gut-wrenching loss of rookie star-in-the-making Nick Adenhart, the future of the Angels' year was in doubt.

Season-ending injuries are tough enough to deal with, but to lose someone so young and so promising was an utterly crushing ordeal, for the players, the organization, and the fans.

No one could have blamed the Angels for falling out of the playoff race. But that was never an option.

Manager Mike Scioscia's unshakable determination and steady hand guided this team through the darkest possible moments and into the bright, squinting light of a third consecutive divisional crown.

He served as the emotional rock for his players, exactly what they needed in such trying times.

Monday's win may have sealed the division for the Angels, but it should also guarantee Scioscia his second Manager of the Year Award.

It would have been easy to give up, to crumple under the enormous weight of the loss of Adenhart.

Who could rightly criticize a team for succumbing to the depression and malaise that accompanies such immensely disturbing events?

And yet, Scioscia refused to turn in, refused to let Nick's memory be tarnished by such wasted emotions. Instead, he took his time to grieve with the team—and then he went out and won a division.

Of course, it wasn't even as simple as that.

On top of the emotional blow the Angels took so early on in the season, Scioscia also had to deal with significant injuries to several key players.

John Lackey and Ervin Santana, two studs in the pitching rotation, struggled through nagging arm issues in Spring Training and spent the first month and a half of the season on the 15-day Disabled List.

Kelvim Escobar, who was thought to return from shoulder surgery by April, suffered setbacks throughout the first half of the season and, despite making one start against Detroit, had to be shut down for the rest of the year. Again.

To replace these lost and injured stars, the Angels' starting rotation featured such highly recognizable names as Dustin Moseley, Sean O'Sullivan, Trevor Bell, Shane Loux, and Anthony Ortega.

Oh, did I say recognizable? I meant guys you couldn't pick out of a lineup if you were paid.

If that weren't enough, Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels' premiere slugger and run-producer, spent more than a month on the DL between April and May with a strained pectoral muscle.

With the way his swings, it's a shock he didn't pull more than just his pec.

Through it all, though, Scioscia cobbled together lineup after lineup and pitching match-up after pitching match-up to keep his team in contention.

The Angels were always a formidable opponent, even in their losses, and never once did they enter a game where you thought, “well, tonight's going to be a blowout.”

Except for those games against Roy Halladay. But really, who can beat him?

On June 11, his closed-door “talking to” helped propel the Angels to two months of unprecedented offensive success.

This past weekend, another of his private meetings pushed his team to bear down and get this division over with.

Only needing one win in the four-game series against Texas, the Halos took the field on Monday night determined not to drag things out any longer.

Like the men they'll need to be in the playoffs, they left no doubt about who the champs of the AL West were, pounding a team that had owned them the majority of the season.

The players deserve all the credit in the world for accomplishing the impossible after Adenhart's death, but Scioscia deserves just as much recognition.

Other American League managers will get some looks as well. Joe Girardi has brought his New York Yankees from third in the division last year to first in all of baseball.

In Minnesota, Ron Gardenhire's Twins are on the verge of inexplicably overtaking the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

However, Scioscia's achievements this season are simply unmatched.

Yes, his team was expected to win the division at the beginning of the season. But no one could have taken the Angels this far through such murky waters as their skipper Scioscia.

Watching the players douse Adenhart's jersey with beer and champagne in cathartic jubilation, an unthinkable sight when I remember Lackey and Torii Hunter holding that same jersey on the mound in silent reflection before the first game after his death.

Seeing the entire squad—starters, subs, and rookie call-ups alike—jog out to Nick's image on the center field wall and celebrate with their teammate, a stirring reminder of Hunter pounding the mural's chest and pointing to the sky before that first game got underway.

Last night's win and the touching images that accompanied it are one of those sports memories that will live on forever.

The Angels' entire season, all of the feelings, emotions, and achievements, were captured in a single photo, the team posed in celebration in front of the outfield wall, their fallen brother visible just behind them.

Finally, it is all over.

And none of it could have been possible with their manager, their leader, Mike Scioscia.

Hey Mike Scioscia: What Happened to the Angel Way of Playing Baseball?

Johnathan Kroncke — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:32:06 -0400

Just when we thought they were out, they pull themselves back in.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had effectively won the AL West and were out of any playoff races, any heated battles for divisional supremacy, and last-minute scrambles for a final spot in October.

They were seven games ahead of the Texas Rangers with only 10 games to go. It would take a monumental collapse to blow that lead.

But the Angels are well on their way.

After the now-infamous Boston Blunder, in which the Angels lost a heart-breaker to the Red Sox when closer Brian Fuentes struck out Nick Green twice in the same at-bat with the bases-loaded but the umps ruled it a walk, the Halos got angry.

Winning four of their next five, including their first series win of the season over the Rangers, it looked like the Angels had finally regained their focus and were gearing up for the postseason.

The next four games, however, have been a microcosm of the entire season. The bad parts, anyway.

In their final two contests against the New York Yankees in Anaheim, the Angels managed to leave an astonishing 25 men on base, and lost both games by one run each.

In the Wednesday finale, they struck out 15 times.

The day off on Thursday didn't seem help much because on Friday, they struck out 13 times in a 3-0 loss to the Oakland A's.

Across those three games, the Angels were a combined 4-for-33 with runners in scoring position.

As has been the case all month long, the pitching was there but the bats were not.

On Saturday night, however, the offense was miraculously resurrected with a huge six-run fourth inning that put the Halos up by a commanding score of 9-2.

But with this team, when one area goes good, the other fails.

Despite a seven-run lead and a legitimate ace on the mound, the Angels could not come through when they really needed to.

John Lackey, Darren Oliver, and Jason Bulger combined to give up seven unanswered runs and allowed the A's to tie the game.

Then, after Gary Matthews, Jr. drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, Kevin Jepsen gave it right back in the eighth and the Angels went on to earn a pathetic 15-10 loss.

This was not a team looking to win its game and close out a division.

This was a weak and scared ball club, a callow collection of players so worried about postseason matchups that they've completely forgotten they're not there yet.

Early in the season, I predicted that the last road trip the Angels took through New York, Boston, and Texas would be where this division was won or lost.

But I never thought there would be more to it than who won or lost.

It isn't just that the Angels dropped three of four games against likely playoff opponents, it's that they were scared doing it.

This team went into those ballparks with absolutely no confidence, no fire, no belief that it could stand up to the Yankees or Red Sox when the games really counted and the season was on the line.

Well now, thanks to that yellow display, it actually is.

While the Angels have been getting lost in the “what ifs” of an unreached postseason, the Rangers are playing in the here and now, beating the Tampa Bay Rays like a drum, keeping the Angels' magic number at four, and narrowing the gap in the division down to five games with eight to play.

And four of those are against the Rangers here at home.

I was absolutely sure this division was locked up and all that was left was the champagne celebration. But with the way this Angels squad has stumbled through the last four games, I'm not at all excited to see the Rangers coming to town.

The Angels have put themselves in a precarious position: They must beat the A's today and hope for a Texas loss to help take some of the pressure off the upcoming series.

It is never good to paint yourself into a corner the way this team has. There is no longer any room for error, a difficult task since that's all the Angels seem to be doing.

The defense is still solid, but it doesn't mean much when your pitchers are giving away line drives and home runs like candy while your offense habitually strikes out or grounds into double plays with men on base.

The Angels look scared and it is up to manager Mike Scioscia to get their heads into the game—today's game.

His team is playing like it's listening to all of the pundits, all of the writers like yours truly who've been expounding on the playoffs instead of what's left of the regular season.

But that is our job, we focus on what's coming up while the players take care of what is right here.

There should be no postseason talk allowed in the clubhouse, no chatter about which pitchers the Red Sox might throw on a given day, no discussion of who they might face in the second round.

Scioscia has always preached taking the season one game at a time, and now that philosophy is more important than ever.

Win today. It's the only way you'll get to worry about tomorrow.

Angels' Offense: When Slumping Really Isn't That Bad

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:42:15 -0400

The very thing that has put the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in position to secure their third consecutive divisional title is now the only thing standing in the way of postseason success.

The offense has been in a terrible slump in September, and every time it looks like the bats might finally wake up, they go ahead and nod off again.

In their last two games, the Angels left a combined 25 men on base at home against the New York Yankees.

They went on to lose both of those games by one run each.

Including their last road trip, the Angels have dropped three of their last four against the Yanks and two of three to the Boston Red Sox for a record of 2-5 in their last seven games against potential playoff opponents.

After a tremendous two-month run in which they went from five games back in the division to standing alone atop the AL West, the Angels are looking soft, and worse, beatable.

However, if you're going to slump, you might as well do it when the games no longer matter.

During that same road trip when the Angels failed to produce against their Eastern division foes, they finally came through in a key series against their inter-divisional rivals, the Texas Rangers.

For the first time all season, the Angels were able to take advantage of a struggling Rangers lineup and take two out three games in Arlington.

That series victory, combined with the Rangers' offense almost entirely disappearing down the stretch, has put the Angels firmly in the postseason conversation.

Coming into Friday, they are seven games up in the division with just 10 to play, and their magic number sits comfortably at four.

If the Rangers continue to flounder—and facing a spoiler-happy team like the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, it's a definite possibility—and if the Angels can pick up a couple of wins against the cellar-dwelling Oakland A's, this division could be decided by Sunday.

That would certainly be a relief for the Angels, who start another tough four-game set on Monday night against the Rangers.

In essence, then, the Angels would be back-dooring their way into the playoffs, riding in on the failure of their closest divisional opponent.

And that's just fine.

It doesn't really matter what path they take, as long as it leads to October baseball. Playing poorly is alright if it comes at a time when the games don't mean a whole lot.

Sure, no team wants to appear weak between the lines, and fans certainly shouldn't be content with sub-par play, but getting all of the slumping and failing out of the way now might pay dividends later on.

Besides, limping into the playoffs never hurt anyone.

Just ask the 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

The playoffs are a whole different animal from the regular season, and diverting some of that front-runner pressure off of your team with unimpressive performances down the stretch may turn into a huge advantage when it really counts.

And for all their offensive failures of late, the Angels still feature strength in those hallmark areas that help lead teams to postseason glory.

The starting pitching hasn't exactly held this team up for the majority of the season, but it's hung tough here in September.

In a short series like the best-of-five American League Division Series, one or two strong starters can really dominate.

As things stand now, the Angels will have three.

Playoff rosters are far from set, and manager Mike Scioscia refuses to even admit he thinks beyond tonight's game, but it seems clear he'll go with a combination of John Lackey, Jered Weaver, and Scott Kazmir—a deadly mix when you only need three wins in the first round.

Even in the series loss to the Yankees at home this week, the pitching hung tough and kept the games close throughout.

The Angels also feature a few first-class defenders at some key positions.

Torii Hunter is a lock-down center fielder who catches everything within 100 yards of where he's standing, while Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar command with the left side of the infield with golden ability and poise.

Even Kendry Morales, the young first baseman who's become an offensive superstar, has shown surprising growth defensively, including an amazing snare of a line drive against the Yankees that he turned into an unassisted double play.

In the playoffs more than any other time, pitching and defense wins ball games.

Teams rarely dominate each other offensively in the postseason the way they do in the regular season.

Playoff-bound teams are simply too strong on the mound and in the field, hence their advancement into October.

So the Angels' current inability to score at the same rate they did in July and August isn't as scary as it might seem.

Despite their lack of production, they've still managed to pull away in the AL West and even beat up on their closest divisional rival.

They'll no doubt carry that same lights-out starting pitching and steady defense into the postseason, and it seems unlikely this prolonged offensive slump can last much longer.

If the bats can break out even a little, those beasts from the East will truly face the best the West has to offer.

And may the baseball gods have mercy if that happens.

Angels Doing It with Defense, Primed for Postseason Success

Johnathan Kroncke — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:58:49 -0400

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim secured their 46th come-from-behind victory on the season.

Some of those wins have come on clutch home runs or big late-inning hits, as was the case on Sunday against the Texas Rangers, while others have been fostered by strong pitching from both starters and relievers in tight ball games.

But the one constant in all of them has been spectacular defense.

The Angels have had a tumultuous season, to say the least.

In the first half, trouble came from the mound, due in no small part to the tragic death of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart.

Starters and relievers alike were giving up runs and blowing saves like it was going out of style.

The only thing keeping the Angels in the hunt for a third consecutive divisional title was their powerhouse lineup, which lead the league in team batting average, average with runners in scoring position, and runs scored.

Then in the second half of the season, the roles reversed.

Suddenly, the bats cooled off significantly, but the arms finally came around.

The Angels currently lead the American League with a 2.53 ERA in the month of September, and have given up three runs or less in 14 of their last 20 games.

However, in spite of all the instability at the plate and on the mound, the gloves have always been there.

Arms may fatigue and bats can go quiet, but defense never goes in a slump. If you've got quality defenders on your team, you've always got a chance to win.

And the Angels have some of the best in the game.

Torii Hunter, who has made one error in two years as an Angel, is well on his way to a ninth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award and may go down as the greatest center fielder of all time.

Chone Figgins, the Angels' super utility man, has finally found his permanent home at third base, where he can't help but make highlight reel plays night after night.

Those two should be in jail for all the extra-base hits they've robbed.

Erick Aybar may also earn his first Gold Glove at shortstop, where he's been nothing short of spectacular with his incredible range and a cannon throwing arm.

But it's not just the starters who have secured yet another 90-win season for this organization.

Rookie call-ups and bench-warmers have all pitched in with great plays to help lead the Angels to the top of the AL West.

In Monday night's contest against the New York Yankees, left fielder Reggie Willits made an incredible catch in the top of the ninth to save a potentially game-changing hit given up by closer Brian Fuentes, who went on to earn his 44th save of the season.

While it wasn't part of a come-from-behind win, Willits' play simply highlights what has made this team so strong in 2009.

When the bats aren't so hot, the defense holds opponents down. When the pitching falters, the gloves keep games close.

Angel Stadium is not exactly a home run hitter's paradise on its own, but factor in guys like Hunter, Willits, Juan Rivera, and Gary Matthews, Jr. patrolling the outfield, and it's darn near impossible to sneak anything over the fence.

In fact, if it weren't for exceptional defense, this team might not stand a chance in the postseason.

Neither the pitching nor the hitting has been consistent enough to be counted on in October, and it's anyone's guess how the Angels will perform on the mound or at the plate come playoff time.

It is only by the leathery skin of their gloves that they continue to have World Series hopes.

The Angels are first among playoff-bound teams in fielding percentage this season, having made two fewer errors than the second-place Yankees, and are third overall in the American League, making plays at a .986 clip.

If that trend continues, and there is no reason to think it won't, the Angels will be a formidable opponent throughout the playoffs, despite what the arms and bats have in store.

The only time the Angels had any trouble on defense at all this season was during their most recent road trip.

Against both the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, two playoff-bound teams who they'll likely face, the Angels looked weak-minded, booting several easy plays that guys would have otherwise made in their sleep.

But those rare mental gaffs were easily remedied when Hunter called his team out in the press, saying the Angels were playing “nervous baseball.”

And as the de facto captain of this squad, he was right to do so.

Since then, the Angels have reverted back to their mentally tough play, going 4-1, including getting their first series victory of the season over the division-rival Rangers.

Now, with their magic number down to six and their lead in the division a season-high 7.5 games, the Angels are poised to face any and all comers in the postseason.

Whether they win or lose remains to be seen. But the Angels' defense ensures they'll never be out of any game.

Catching Quandary: Should Mike Napoli Return As a Starter for the Angels?

Johnathan Kroncke — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:07:38 -0400

This year, Joe Mauer is making every other catcher in the American League look bad by comparison.

But right now, Mike Napoli doesn't need any help with that.

The starting backstop for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has been amazingly inconsistent all season long, which begs the question: Who will fill that role in Anaheim come 2010?

On the surface, Napoli's numbers don't look too shabby. He is currently hitting .267 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI in 106 games.

Not bad, considering his position. Most catchers—aside from Mauer, that is—are not offensive dynamos, so Napoli's production actually appears to be quite respectable.

It is only upon closer inspection that his season falls apart.

Napoli is as streaky a hitter as they come. Like a manic depressive with a bat, he goes through incredible highs and lows at the plate.

In June alone, he hit .362, and by Aug. 18 he had pulled his season average up to .300, rounding out a spectacular Angels lineup in which all nine starters were either at or over the .300 mark.

Since that time, however, Napoli has been in a dismal 6-for-60 slide and his average has steadily dropped by nearly 40 points.

His home run on Saturday night against the Texas Rangers was his first in nearly a month.

If that weren't enough, his fielding has also become more than a little suspect as of late.

The Rangers stole three bases off Napoli in Saturday's contest. Two of those runners would later score from second on fluky, infield dribblers that would have otherwise only resulted in runners at first and third.

Napoli has allowed 70 stolen bases on the season while gunning down just 22 percent of would-be thieves.

He's also made seven errors, either on pitches he failed to block or balls he misfired through the infield, and now he seems to be struggling to call games effectively.

A lot can be said about this statistic, but the fact is the Angels' team ERA is over a run higher when Napoli is behind the plate as compared to his roommate and counterpart, Jeff Mathis.

Some blame it on the pitchers each has had to catch. Mathis mainly works with Jered Weaver and John Lackey, two former All-Stars, while Nap has guided most of the rookie hurlers this season along with the other starters.

Whatever the case, the numbers don't lie.

Mathis has also made three fewer errors and is throwing out base-stealers at a 25 percent clip, just slightly edging out the starter Napoli.

Unfortunately, the Angels' backup catcher leaves a great deal to be desired as well.

Mathis is getting the job done defensively—manager Mike Scioscia sounds like he's about ready to adopt him—but his offense is, well, offensive.

Hitting just .210 this season, Mathis has never finished higher than .211 in any full year in the bigs. He's also struck out 70 times in only 214 at-bats in 2009.

Put Mathis and Napoli together and you've got the ideal catcher. Separately, however, each has all the necessary qualifications to be great a sub off the bench.

One is a defensive whiz who smothers everything in the dirt and calls a great game, a perfect replacement in close, late-inning situations.

The other has only a passable glove, but massive power potential and occasionally comes up with the clutch hit to drive home the game-winning run.

What, then, will the Angels do about their catching quandary?

When he gets hot, Napoli can mash with the best of them and is a force to be reckoned with in the lineup. The problem is he's never been able to sustain his swing.

The only thing the Angels can count on Napoli's offense for is to be unaccountable.

Mathis, on the other hand, has been a model of consistency at the plate. It's just that he's consistently terrible.

It may be time for the Angels to go in a new direction at the catching position.

If Napoli could improve his defense a little and get his swing on track, he would absolutely have the starting job locked down.

There's nothing wrong with a .267 average out of the catcher's spot, but his violent shifts between blazing hot and ice cold that have produced that average are killing this team.

Napoli's name has already been mentioned in trade rumors this season, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear that kind of talk resume in the off-season.

In truth, keeping either catcher as a backup is fine. The Angels aren't so desperate that they need to dump both Napoli and Mathis.

But at this point, neither is ideally suited for the starting job.

No one is expecting to see a Joe Mauer behind the plate in Anaheim, but another Benji Molina isn't too much to ask.

Heaven Help 'Em: L.A. Angels' Embarrassing Loss Will Only Inspire Postseason Run

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:12:07 -0400

It is hard to imagine a more pathetic loss than the one handed to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday night.

Up by a run with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth at Fenway Park, Angels closer Brian Fuentes gave up two walks and three singles, including a bases-loaded game-winning bloop to left, to hand the Boston Red Sox a 9-8 victory.

The walk issued to Nick Green that forced in the tying run was controversial, to say the least—Green appeared to first go around on a check swing that would have been strike three, then took a 3-2 pitch down the middle at the knees that was called a ball—but the fact remains Fuentes didn't get the job done.

Again.

Fuentes has blown seven saves this year, converting 42 of 49 opportunities. A quick fan might tell you that former Angel Francisco Rodriguez also blew seven saves last year.

But a quicker fan will point out that Frankie also had 20 more opportunities, converting 62 of his 69 save chances and shattering the single season saves record.

Oh, and his ERA was a sparkling 2.24.

Fuentes' is a muddied 4.35.

Of course, Fuentes' performance was but the cherry that topped an embarrassing night all around for the Halos. Three times they had the lead, and three times they blew it with poor fielding and nervous pitching.

But as bad as that game was—and there really is no other word for it—there is a silver lining to be found amidst the rubble and humiliation of Wednesday.

The Angels may have finally found the inspiration they need to beat the Red Sox in the postseason.

I know, I know. But please, hear me out.

Last year, the Angels entered the playoffs with the best record in all of baseball. The only 100-win team in either league, many experts picked them to at least make the World Series, if not win the whole thing altogether.

The pressure was on as they took the hopes of Southern California and the expectations of many more to bat against their playoff nemeses—the Boston Red Sox.

And they got trounced.

The Sox took three out of four games from the Angels in the 2008 American League Divisional Series, marking the third time in five years that Boston eliminated L.A. of A. in the first round of the playoffs.

Going all the way back to 1986, the first time these two teams met in the postseason, the Halos have dropped 13 of 17 October contests to the Red Sox, resulting in four straight series lost.

It's difficult to call an affair this one-sided a true rivalry, but that may all be ancient history after this year.

Wednesday's loss was as weak as any the Angels have had in recent memory, but that embarrassment is now permanently etched in the collective mind of this squad, and that is a very good thing.

The Angels and Red Sox are on a collision course to face off once again in the first round of the playoffs, so what better bulletin board material could there be than Wednesday's slap to the face?

Forget coaches and players calling each other out. This is about honor and dignity, the pride of the Angels.

No one likes to have their pants pulled down on the field the way the Angels' were, especially not in front of Red Sox Nation.

Now, they'll seek out their revenge in the playoffs.

Earlier this season, the Angels hit an awful skid and were playing listless, uninspired baseball before manager Mike Scioscia lit a fire under his team and catapulted it into first place in the AL West.

Wednesday's loss should serve much the same purpose for these Halos, who've fallen into another offensive funk after leading the league in numerous categories, including batting average, average with men on base, and runs scored.

If they expect to get anywhere this postseason, the Angels have to confront their demons head on and be fearless in the face of Fenway.

That embarrassment has to be the catalyst for a whole new approach to the season and beyond.

It's already started to take effect; just look at Thursday's game.

Sure, four runs in nine innings isn't exactly an offensive explosion, but the Angels played with a look of determination and burning desire in their eyes.

They have not had a four-game losing streak all season, and they weren't about to start now.

The starting pitching has been there for a month now, but suddenly the defense was clicking again, and the hits started coming in clutch situations—mostly off the bat of Howie Kendrick.

It seemed like, if ever there was a time for the Angels to beat the Red Sox in the postseason, 2008 would be it.

Now, that sentiment has to be reserved, and rightly so, for 2009.

This year, the Angels have the best starting rotation they've ever had, speed at the top and bottom of the lineup, and significant power threats in no less than four starters—five, if catcher Mike Napoli ever breaks out of his slump.

All that was missing was the fire to overcome their past, and Wednesday's shameful display may have provided the spark.

So enjoy your regular season series victory, Red Sox fans. We'll see you in the playoffs.

Scioscia Comes Through, Bats Struggle In Critical Roadtrip For Angels

Johnathan Kroncke — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:31:58 -0400

September baseball can often feel like October playoffs. Monday night, Mike Scioscia managed his squad like it was the last game of the World Series.

On the cusp of what could be the most important week of the season for his Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Scioscia took over the one-game make-up contest against the New York Yankees as if his whole season was riding on it.

He pinch ran, pinch hit, and defensively substituted players all over the field. In every way, Scioscia outfoxed and out-managed his counterpart in the Yankee dugout.

But the Angels still fell short, in spite of the efforts of both managers.

Scioscia did his best to keep the Halos in the game, while New York skipper Joe Girardi did just the opposite.

Girardi made two moves during the course of the eighth inning that, on the surface, might have looked good, but ultimately almost cost the Yankees the game.

First, in the top of the inning and with the Yankees up 3-2, he brought in Phil Hughes to preserve the one-run lead.

Now, Hughes has a good year—posting a 3.18 with 86 strikeouts and only 27 walks in 79 1/3 innings—but this was not the time to use him.

Phil Coke worked a skillful two-thirds of an inning prior to the eighth, only throwing 12 pitches and striking out one. His ERA is nearly two runs higher than Hughes', but the fact is he was dealing.

Instead of of leaving Coke in, however, Girardi brought in his young hurler, who promptly gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases with nobody out and the Angels' best RBI man in Kendry Morales at the plate.

The Angels only squeaked out one run in the inning, but we'll get to that later.

In the bottom of the eighth, with two men on and one out with the score now tied, Girardi put a pinch runner on second in place of first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Let's recap:

The game is tied, and Teixeira—maybe the leading candidate for AL MVP, and a dominant hitter who was only a home run away from the cycle—is already in scoring position with less than two outs.

Not to mention, Tex has one of the finest gloves in the league at first base.

Good defense would seem to be important late in such a close game. But not to Girardi.

Despite having one of the most potent lineups in all of baseball, he decided to take a chance by pulling his best all-around player in the eighth inning of a tie game to try and manufacture a run.

Only the poor defensive play of Angels catcher Mike Napoli could have overshadowed Girardi's hasty mistake.

Why he would manage the game in such a way is beyond understanding. The Yankees are under no threat from any other team, and their playoff berth is all but clinched at this point.

All they have to do is stay calm, play their game, and get the starters some rest before October.

Two substitutions. Two potentially game-changing errors in judgment.

And unfortunately, two failures by the Angels.

Unlike Girardi and the Yankees, Scioscia is fighting for his playoff life, and with a slumping offense to boot.

For the 10th time in 13 September contests, the Angels failed to score more than three runs in a game, despite being the beneficiaries of excellent starting pitching—this time from Jered Weaver.

Morales's bat has finally cooled off after a blazing August, Napoli can't buy a hit, and Bobby Abreu continues to disappoint in key situations with men on base.

This after Abreu and the Angels lead the league—on an individual and a team basis—in batting average with runners in scoring position all year.

So it is easy to see why Scioscia would go out on a limb and make the substitutions that he did.

Vladimir Guerrero had a great game at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, but his knees aren't what they used to be, making him a liability on first base late in a close game.

Second-string catcher Jeff Mathis is having a horrendous year at the plate, hitting just .210 without much power. Gary Matthews, Jr. has been less than impressive as well, but despite hitting .241 for the season, he's come through big in key situations.

Swapping Matthews for Mathis was sound strategy, especially considering the Angels had a powerful replacement for Mathis in Napoli waiting on the bench.

Scioscia's highly tuned baseball senses told him these were the right moves to make at the time, and he answered the question of how the Angels would approach this upcoming road trip.

After the one-game excursion to New York, the team moves on to Boston for three, Texas for three, and then returns home to face the Yankees for three.

This week will be absolutely critical to the Angels' postseason hopes, and Scioscia knows it. All week, he's been fielding questions about the trip, dodging and ducking and giving his usual politic responses.

But on Monday night, he showed that he'll do whatever he must to put his team in a position to win.

The problem is, the manager can only do so much.

Girardi made ill-advised changes late in the game that should have cost his team their league-leading 93rd win.

Instead, the Yankees came through, as all good teams do, and came away with a tense and uneasy victory.

Scioscia, meanwhile, made all the right moves to give the Angels their best possible shot at winning. But this offensive slump has silenced the bats this month, and they failed once again to utter more than a whisper.

Thanks, in part, to the moves of both managers, the Angels found themselves with a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the eighth inning, and they still couldn't find a way to execute.

Instead, Morales—exactly who you'd want up in that situation—grounded into a double play. The tying run came in to score, but that is hardly what the Angels were looking for.

In the bottom of that inning, Girardi sent his pinch runner Brett Gardner out to replace Teixeira.

He immediately tried to steal third, and would have been thrown out by two steps had it not been for the increasingly poor defense of Napoli, who came in to replace the weak bat of Mathis.

Once again, Scioscia does what he can to give the Angels the best shot for a win, and the players come up short.

It is encouraging to see Scioscia manage this way heading into the toughest stretch of the season. He looked for opportunities to score and win at every turn, and he wasn't afraid to do what it took to jump-start this failing offense.

But the Angels must start taking advantage of situations and swinging better if they hope to get through this week in good standing in the AL West division.

Setting the LA Angels' Playoff Pitchers: Who Should Stay, Who Should Go?

Johnathan Kroncke — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:49:17 -0400

For years, the pitching staff of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was an embarrassment of riches.

The starting rotation and bullpen rosters over the last decade have read more like the baseball equivalent of a Forbes Fortune 500 list, with names like Bartolo Colon, Francisco Rodriguez, and a healthy Kelvim Escobar throwing hostile takeovers from the mound each night.

That was then.

This year, the Angels' staff has turned into a derelict group of recession-stricken CEOs in front of Congress asking, in truest Oliver Twist fashion, “Please sir, we'd like some more.”

More experienced arms, more reliability, more confidence turning over leads late in games.

They begged and hoped and prayed all year for some form of federal mound bailout.

Then Scott Kazmir arrived.

Like an AIG golden parachute, Kazmir unfurled his pitching arm just in time to save the Angels and help guide them safely back to the postseason.

True, he has yet to record a win for the Halos, but that is hardly his fault.

In two starts as an Angel—both of which came against the Seattle Mariners—the strike-throwing lefty pitched into the seventh inning, giving up just three hits and one earned run in each outing.

And it's not just Kazmir who is getting the job done on the mound. Since his arrival, the rest of the Angels' pitchers—both starters and relievers—have stepped up their games as well.

The Angels have given up five or more runs just five times in the last three weeks, and lost only four of those contests.

As the bats have finally quieted down, the arms are just starting to heat up.

All of this has lead, inexorably, to one question: With so many pitchers throwing so well, who will and who will go when playoff time rolls around?

The tenant “all things in moderation” is key to life. Don't go too overboard in either direction of any situation and you'll be fine.

But baseball is not quite a perfect reflection of life, and in the game it is far better to have too much than too little.

This year, after an endless summer spent in the poor house, the Angels are finally rich once more in pitching depth. Now, it's time to put that wealth to good use and gear up for the postseason.

For starters, let's take a look at the starters.

Barring any serious physical setbacks, or a meteor crashing through the team bus, the top three spots in the Angels' starting rotation appear to be set.

Kazmir, John Lackey, and Jered Weaver have all excelled on the mound down the stretch, and manager Mike Scioscia is likely to hand the ball to them on a nightly basis in the playoffs.

Now, in a best-of-five series like the first round, teams really don't need more than three starters.

The series is short enough and the games are spaced far enough apart that you can run your best arms out there much more often than the other rounds.

With the top three spots locked up, No. 4 and 5 starters Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders would be moved to the bullpen and used as long relievers, along with rookie Matt Palmer, who's been lights-out since being taken out of the starting rotation.

However, the relative ease of choosing the starters ends at the first round.

Should the Angels advance to the American League Championship Series, they will face a bit of a conundrum.

A best-of-seven battle for the pennant, the ALCS requires at least four different starters to take the mound. That means Scioscia will be forced to choose between Santana and Saunders, and that is no easy feat.

Both have had extended periods of shaky play this season, both spent time on the 15-day Disabled List, and both have bounced back to their previous All-Star forms over the last few weeks.

Aside from the fact that one is a lefty and one is a righty, not much separates the two.

Fortunately, there is no more sound-minded skipper than Scioscia, and he will likely use their final few regular season starts to audition Santana and Saunders for his playoff roster.

The same process will likely be repeated for that schizophrenic bunch who make up the so-called “relievers.”

An unreliable and often inconsistent group for most of the season, the bullpen has started to come around over the last few weeks, and guys like Jason Bulger, Kevin Jepsen, and Darren Oliver seem to have finally gotten their heads—and their arms—on straight as they approach the postseason.

However, there are still question marks that surround two potential 'pen performers, and they have nothing to do with which starter will be forced out of the rotation.

The first is Jose Arredondo.

After his stunning Major League debut last season, in which he went 10-2 with a 1.62 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 61 innings, Arredondo struggled mightily in the early part of this season and was sent back to the minors to work out his mechanics.

He did well at Triple-A Salt Lake and was eventually recalled after posting a 2.18 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 20-2/3 innings.

But since his return, Arredondo hasn't shown a great deal of improvement at the Major League level, giving up 12 earned runs, including five long balls, across 13 appearances.

Scioscia appears to want the young fireballer on his postseason squad though, but his place in the playoffs is far from set. If he still wants a job when the regular season is over, Arredondo will have to earn it down the stretch.

The second question mark for the bullpen in October has to be closer Brian Fuentes.

It's hard to believe a guy who has racked up 40 saves might be moved from that role come playoff time. But then, that's just the kind of season Fuentes has had.

He's been up and down, good and bad all year long. He had a miserable first month of the season, finishing April with a cringe-worthy 7.88 ERA.

But, to his credit, Fuentes appeared to turn things around and headed into July with the Major League lead in saves. He was even picked to join the All-Star team, an unimaginable accomplishment just two months prior.

Since the break, however, Fuentes has been nothing short of lackluster. Every time he looks like he's going good, he gives up a game-tying lead-off home run to Mike Sweeney.

Yes, I was at that game on Tuesday, and I was none too happy.

Scioscia will assuredly include Fuentes in his playoff plans, but what role he occupies should still be taken into consideration, instead of being decided by the job title he was hired to fill.

Using a closer just simply because he's your closer is foolish at best and dangerous at worst, and Scioscia is too postseason savvy to fall into that trap.

Success in the playoffs, as he well knows, is built on flexibility. With their new found wealth of reliable arms on the mound, the Angels finally have the room to be flexible come October.

But they must put that wealth to good use, lest they familiarize themselves with another tenant of life: A fool and his money (or in this case, his World Series trophy) are soon parted.

Playoff Possibilities: What the L.A. Angels Should Be Hoping for

Johnathan Kroncke — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:56:55 -0400

It's the most pa-ra-noid time of the year.

While the Rangers are dealing, the Angels are reeling. We need some good cheer!

It's the most pa-ra-noid time of the year!

OK, so Christmas carols and baseball don't always blend perfectly. But the message still rings true.

September baseball is upon us, the time of the season when playoff contenders are obsessively checking the box scores of every team in their divisions to see where they stand, and more importantly, who stands near them in the respective races.

Sometimes, though, running a race means you have to look forward instead of back.

The great Satchel Paige famously said, “Never look behind you. Someone might be gaining.” Words to live, or at least play, by.

Manager Mike Scioscia does.

And while he claims his Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim don't do a lot of scoreboard-watching to see who might be gaining, in this critical period in the season, they must surely be taking a peek at the future to see what lies ahead.

The Angels currently lead the AL West by a tenuous 4.5 games over the resurgent Texas Rangers, who just won't go away no matter how many of their stars fall to injuries.

This race is heated, to say the least, and every Ranger loss is a victory for the Halos.

The Rangers are also in a closely contested battle for the American League Wild Card, just two games behind the Boston Red Sox.

Elsewhere in the AL, the Detroit Tigers hold a comfortable 5.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the Central. The New York Yankees, meanwhile, are dominating the East, Boston trailing by nine.

So, if status quo remains over the next few weeks, the playoff picture in the American League would look like this: Detroit vs. New York; Boston vs. L.A.

The Yankees appear to have locked up the best record in the league, which means they would match up against the Wild Card team.

But despite win-loss records, divisional rivals cannot compete against one another in the first round.

If the Red Sox take the Wild Card this year, they would have to face the team with the next best record in the league—the Angels.

This is not good.

The Angels might be doing well this season, and even have a winning record over the Red Sox in 2009, but the playoffs are a whole different animal. Just take a look at last year.

Good old L.A. of A. lead the Major Leagues, and set a new franchise record, with 100 wins, including going 8-1 against Bean Town.

You'd think that maybe, just maybe, that might give the Halos the confidence they so desperately needed to finally defeat Boston in October. And it did.

For one night.

Facing elimination at the hands of another embarrassing first-round sweep by the Sox, the Angels came through and won a game before going on to lose the next night and get an early start on the offseason.

It was the first postseason victory for the Angels over the Red Sox since 1986.

Clearly, we haven't had much luck, so the thought of facing them in the first round yet again drains the color from my cheeks.

What the Angels should really be hoping for is a Texas-sized beatdown in the Wild Card race.

If the Rangers can overcome their meager two-game deficit and swipe a playoff spot out from under the Sox, the Angels might just have a chance to “return to the promised land,” as Rex Hudler would say.

The Angels would then face Detroit in the first round, a team with incredible starting pitching, a lights-out closer, and a nice mix of power and speed in the lineup.

But, hey, at least they're not the Red Sox.

Facing the Tigers isn't the most ideal alternative, especially in a short series where just a couple of dominant starters like Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson can really take over.

But this is the playoffs we're talking about.

Like Ric Flair says, “If you wanna be the man, you gotta beat the man.”

The Angels may have a mental block about playing the Red Sox in October, but, with all due respect to Detroit, they certainly have what it takes to beat the Tigers and find their way to the American League Championship Series.

And in turn, the Yankees should be able to handle the Rangers in the first round. Both teams are set up very similarly, with massive power potential in their lineups and tough arms on the mound.

However, the Yanks seem to have it all going for them this year, and with the collective experience of that squad, there's at least a decent chance they'll move on to the ALCS to face the Angels

May God help them if they do.

Over the last 10 seasons, the Angels are one of the few, if not the only, teams with a winning record against the Bombers, and our playoff history with them is nothing short of spectacular.

After all, they were the first stepping stone along the path to the Angels' first World Series title in 2002.

I see no reason why they can't play a similar role again in 2009.

The Angels have what they need to make it this postseason, with speed at the top and bottom of the lineup, power in the middle, and no less than three starting pitchers in John Lackey, Scott Kazmir, and Jered Weaver who can lead the charge past the Tigers and Yankees.

From there, it's a matter of taking on the representative from the inferior National League.

Sorry, NL fans, but your league gets trounced every year in interleague play, and you haven't won an All-Star Game since the Clinton administration.

Now, that's not to say that any one team from the National League can't beat any one team from the American League in a given series, but I like the Angels' odds.

Call me an optimist.

So there you have it. The best hope for playoff success for the Angels lies in regular season success for the Rangers.

Ironic, maybe, but I'd much rather face the potential of playing the Rangers than the reality of taking on the Red Sox.

Last year's pathetic postseason defeat at the hands of Boston was almost too much to bear, and the thought of going through it all again is too painful to even come up with a clever metaphor to explain it.

With that in mind, the next time the Angels (and their fans) go scoreboard-watching, we should all keep in mind that while a Ranger loss is good, a win might be even better.

Under Pressure Down the Stretch, Angels' Offense Disappears

Johnathan Kroncke — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:12:45 -0400

From June 12 until Sept. 2, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were the hottest hitting team in baseball.

They lead the American League in team batting average, runs scored, and, not surprisingly, average with runners in scoring position.

Even their home run production has improved dramatically over recent years.

But on. Sept. 4, all of that went away.

Suddenly, this lineup looked like the Angels of old, a group of free swingers who couldn't take advantage of opportunities if their lives depended on it.

And they do. At least, their playoff lives, anyway.

The Angels are in the midst of a heated divisional battle with the dangerous Texas Rangers, a team with mammoth offensive potential that just needed a little stronger starting pitching to get them over the hump.

Well, they got it, and now they've got the Angels shaking in their halos.

Pressure is a funny thing. Some whither in its face, while others can't thrive without it.

There has been some speculation that the Angels' stunning lack of postseason success last year could be traced back to their stress-free road to yet another divisional title.

That somehow, the Angels were so good, they were destined for failure.

Irony personified, as it were.

What they allegedly needed was a little pressure, someone breathing down their necks until the final week of the season.

After all, winning a division by 21 games hardly forges the kind of mental edge needed to cut through those gritty playoff opponents.

This year, the Angels got what some feel they've needed.

After nearly a decade of playing third fiddle to the Angels and Oakland A's, the Rangers have finally become a legitimate threat in the AL West.

They are just three-and-a-half games back of the division-leading Angels, and there is no sign that they are slowing down at all.

Even after losing Josh Hamilton for parts of the season to injury, and now Michael Young for a critical two to three weeks, the Rangers have kept their playoff hopes alive with stellar starting pitching and unflappable offense.

The brutal Texas humidity hasn't wilted their spirits one bit as they continue playing like there's nothing to lose.

And in some ways, that is true.

Few saw the Rangers as serious playoff contenders at the beginning of the season, and even less expected them to compete within their own division.

From Spring Training until Opening Day, all the pressure to win had been heaped on the Halos, some analysts like Barry Larkin even picking them to win the World Series.

The Rangers have had only their own expectations to live up to.

So what have they done with all of that talent and none of the pressure?

They've muscled their way into not one, but two tight playoff races, making life miserable for the Angels in the West, and the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card.

Despite playing from behind in both races, the Rangers are still in prime position to make a big run coming down the stretch.

The Angels, meanwhile, have dealt with their pressure by scoring two runs in their last 26 innings.

That's it.

And it is only by the grace of the baseball gods that they played the Kansas City Royals during part of that span, against whom two runs is usually enough to get a win.

Jered Weaver worked a masterful seven innings in Kansas City on Friday night, holding the Royals to just one run and maintaining the Angels' streak of six consecutive quality starts.

Pressure, it seems, has had an equal but opposite effect on the starting rotation.

The bats, on the other hand, have come crashing back to Earth with a tremendous thud.

But it's not as if this squad hasn't faced incredible adversity this season.

The tragic and untimely death of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart shocked the baseball world and left a gaping hole in the Angels' collective heavy heart.

The team was able to muddle through the next few months, but by June 11, the Angels found themselves five games behind the then-first place Rangers, and were playing listless baseball night after night.

Since that time, however, the Angels have taken the division, and the league, by storm with unmatched offense, superb defense, and will to win that has put them among the league leaders in come-from-behind victories.

Pressure hasn't been an issue all season for this team, and it can't start now.

Anyone can win in July, but it takes a champion to come through when it counts. So far this season, the Angels have done just that.

Now, if they want to reach the postseason for a third straight year, they must do what they've always done: find strength from within to overcome adversity.

Manager Mike Scioscia and de facto captain/center fielder Torii Hunter have shepherded the Angels through darker days than these.

It's time to make sure that effort wasn't in vain.

The Rangers aren't going away anytime soon, and the Angels can't sit around hoping they do.

With a lineup jam packed with speed, power, and veteran leadership, and a starting rotation that's finally been solidified with the addition of Scott Kazmir, the Angels have what it takes to persevere.

They've responded to adversity, overcome deficits, and survived the toughest of situations.

The only thing left for the Angels team to battle now, is the pressure.

Kendry Morales: What It Will Take To Be MVP

Johnathan Kroncke — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:12:36 -0400

It's not often that a manager's endorsement of his player is very meaningful.

They all tend to express the same pleasantries when discussing their own, and sifting through the schlock to find the truth in their answers can sometimes be a difficult task.

However, when Mike Scioscia, manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, speaks his mind, it is rarely anything but the truth.

Scioscia is not the type to indulge in gratuitous extolment, even when it comes to his own players.

But when asked whether Kendry Morales deserves to be the AL MVP this season, one word came to his mind: “Absolutely.”

High praise from such a revered manager.

But as they say, in sports, news travels much quicker from East to West than it does the reverse.

All of the national attention is heaped on East Coast teams and players, in part, because games out West begin so late.

A 7 p.m. start time in California means the game doesn't get going until 10 p.m. in New York, and won't end until well past midnight.

It also doesn't hurt that ESPN's offices are located in Connecticut while MLB Network broadcasts its shows from New Jersey.

But hey, who's keeping track?

In any case, it takes a Herculean effort for players on the left coast to be noticed on a national scale.

It's guys like Barry Bonds and Vladimir Guerrero, athletic freaks of nature—or in Bonds's case, an artificial freak—who create the sort of media hoopla that tends to precede some sort of major award.

Morales is turning into a superstar for the Angels this season, but his style of play is far from the eye-popping antics of the above-mentioned MVP's. He simply steps to the plate and gets the job done.

This season, he's gotten it done in spades.

Through the first five months of the season, Morales is batting .314 and is among the league leaders in home runs (30), RBI (94), and extra-base hits (68).

He's also improved by leaps and bounds with the glove, making just six errors at first base this season while digging out countless throws in the dirt and even making a few diving plays.

On any other contender in the East, Morales's name might be synonymous with MVP.

In Anaheim, he's just another one of our “best kept secrets in baseball,” as Scioscia once described former Angel great Garret Anderson.

So what more does Morales need to do this season in order to be a serious contender for the Most Valuable Player Award?

Simple: keep doing what he's doing.

MVP voters often overlook the achievements of West Coast stars, but if Morales continues along the path he's on, it will be almost impossible to ignore him.

In the first place, his contributions to the Angels this season extend far beyond measurable statistics.

When Mark Teixeira took the money and ran to New York, the starting first baseman's job fell to a young Cuban who had shown plenty of potential in the Minors, but had little opportunity to shine in the big leagues.

Now, Halo fans struggle to remember when Tex wore red.

When Guerrero and Torii Hunter were lost for more than a month with injuries, the organization and fans alike searched in panicked frenzy for someone to step up in their absence.

But Morales, along with outfielder Bobby Abreu, carried the team through the rough summer months and into September with a four-and-a-half game lead in the AL West.

Morales has become the lynch pin to the Angels' offense. Big home runs, clutch base hits—This guy can do it all.

In true poetic fashion, his biggest competition in the MVP race is the man he replaced at first.

This year, Teixeira is batting .283 with 32 homers and 101 runs driven in. He is also playing Gold Glove-caliber defense for the Yankees.

Right now, Teixeira is popping around six home runs, driving in slightly more than 20 RBI, and smacking just about 28 hits in around 100 at-bats per month.

Morales is right on his heels in the home run department, and averages around 19 RBI and 29 hits in almost 92 at-bats per month.

If these numbers hold true, Tex's season would look like this: .280-.285 AVG, 38-39 HR, 121 RBI.

K-Mo, on the other hand, should earn these numbers by year's end: .315 AVG, 36-37 HR, 112-113 RBI.

True, Teixeira's power numbers will likely surpass Morales's, but not by much. A couple of home runs and fewer than 10 RBI will not an MVP determine. Especially if Morales is swinging more than 30 points better than his competition.

Teixeira has also had a fairly inconsistent season, his power numbers flopping up and down between the months.

And let us not forget, he was hitting below .200 before Alex Rodriguez returned from injury to offer a little protection in the lineup.

Morales has only watched his production go up month after month, and is coming off his best performance of the season, batting .385 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI in August alone.

What's more, he's done all of this while batting most of the season with guys like Maicer Izturis, Erick Aybar, and Howie Kendrick hitting behind him.

Capable hitters, sure. But even combined they couldn't generate the fear that A-Rod brings.

On top of all of this, we have to remember where Teixeira plays. Just like in real estate, home run-hitting comes down to three key elements: location, location, location.

There is no better location for a slugger on the left side of the plate than New Yankee Stadium.

Teixeira has belted 20 home runs in the Bronx, 17 of which have been to right and right-center field—lofted up into that ridiculous jet stream that turns pop flies into big flies.

Yes, Tex can hit them anywhere, but anyone can hit them in Yankee Stadium.

Meanwhile, Morales plays in a park that can only be described as pitcher friendly and has still plastered 17 balls out, half of which jumped the 18-foot wall in right.

Put Morales in New York and they'd run out of fireworks to shoot off.

Of course, if the Minnesota Twins make a strong run this month and end up wining the AL Central, this whole conversation may be moot as Joe Mauer will undoubtedly win the MVP.

Voters tend to gravitate toward the best players on the best teams.

As of right now, Teixeira and Morales are those players on those teams.

If each performs up to his average monthly production, the AL MVP race will come down to the wire.

But if Morales can keep his hot streak alive and ensure his power numbers continue to climb each month, he'll make it very hard for voters to ignore the best in the West any longer.

Does Scott Kazmir's Arrival Spell the End for John Lackey in Anaheim?

Johnathan Kroncke — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:11:29 -0400

The Angels made a trade! The Angels made a trade! The Angels made a trade!

OK, it's probably not as momentous as the famous “the Giants win the pennant” call, but it's right up there.

After a lackluster summer of taking phone calls, having conversations, and doing his best Bill Stoneman impression, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim general manager Tony Reagins made a deal to land Tampa Bay Rays ace Scott Kazmir for two prospects—lefty Alex Torres and third baseman Matt Sweeney.

Kazmir has had a bit of a disappointing season thus far, running up a plus-5.00 ERA and twice landing on the Disabled List.

But in his last two starts, he went 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA.

The trade, which was announced on Friday, has sent shock waves throughout the Angels' fan base, and rightfully so. When a team makes as few moves as the Angels, every one of them is bound to be heavily scrutinized.

Interestingly, though, the reactions haven't all been the same.

Fans are taking up sides in the debate over whether or not this was a good move for the Angels.

Those in favor say this was the right trade at the right time, and that Kaz will fill a long-empty void in the starting rotation.

Those against claim the Angels sacrificed future success for an immediate shot at glory, and that a fifth starting pitcher is far less meaningful in the playoffs than a quality arm in the bullpen.

Both sides make valid points, though it was clear the Angels had to do something about the black hole that was the fifth spot in the rotation.

However, only time will tell if shipping off two promising minor leaguers—Torres has good stuff but little control and Sweeney hit 18 home runs as a 19-year-old in '07 before missing the '08 season—in favor of a pricey Major Leaguer will be worth it.

What's particularly interesting, though, is that most of the fan analysis of this trade revolves around what it will mean for the Angels come playoff time.

But the implications Scott Kazmir's arrival in Anaheim stretch far beyond October baseball.

John Lackey, the unquestioned ace of the Angels' staff, will be a free agent in the offseason, and word is he'll be looking for CC Sabathia-type money from his potential suitors.

Before Friday, it was absolutely imperative that the Angels re-sign Lackey and continue to run him out there for as many Opening Days as possible, whatever the cost.

Now, post-trade, negotiations may end up being shorter than they would have been.

The Angels will still make Lackey a priority in the offseason, along with Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu, but it is unlikely that they will offer him any more than they offered Sabathia last offseason—five years, $100 million.

With a Kazmir-colored safety net, there's no reason to think they'll go any higher.

Sabathia reportedly turned the Angels' offer down because it came with a 24-hour expiration date. He clearly wanted time to shop around and compare other offers, and eventually he found one that easily surpassed that of the Angels.

If Lackey receives the same offer the Angels presented to Sabathia—which is a very real possibility—then we can kiss our ace goodbye.

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers have already expressed interest in the big right-hander.

Because their wallet is deep than their outfield fences, the Yankees can never be counted out of any negotiations, but Texas may have the inside track.

Arlington, where the Rangers play, is only minutes from Lackey's hometown.

All is not lost, though.

In the first place, there is still plenty of baseball left to be played this season, so these issues are still quite a ways off.

And besides which, even if Lackey does depart, Kazmir is not a bad backup.

At the tender age of 25, Kazmir is already a two-time All-Star who helped lead the Rays out of the AL East basement last season and into their first World Series.

Sure, he's been struggling a bit this year, but, considering his past achievements, there's certainly no question he has the ability to lead this Angels squad in the future.

Given his age, he still has room to grow into an even more dominant pitcher, especially since he already has a comfortable relationship with Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher.

The two worked together when Rays manager Joe Maddon brought Butcher to Tampa a couple of years ago.

Wednesday will mark Kazmir's first start in an Angels uniform, and everything after that is anyone's guess. But if Lackey does walk, Kaz may turn out to be a suitable replacement.

Remember, fears abounded when Mark Teixeira left for the bright lights of New York, but Kendry Morales has absolutely erased Big Tex from our memories.

Maybe Kazmir will do the same for Big John.

L.A. Angels Should Bring Back 4-Man Rotation for the Stretch Run

Johnathan Kroncke — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:39:50 -0400

The offense has officially come back to Earth, and it has hit the ground with a thud.

So naturally, the issue that needs to be addressed is pitching.

Once the most prolific lineup in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have scored just 34 runs in their last eight games.

Compare that to their 35-run barrage during a three-game sweep in Minnesota earlier this month.

But as good as they've been, the Angels bats have really overachieved during the last two months, scoring at a rate this franchise has never seen. So the recent hitting slump is nothing manager Mike Scioscia hasn't dealt with, and overcome, before.

In the past, the Angels have relied on outstanding pitching—from the starters and the relievers—to back their below average batters.

This year, that hasn't been the case.

Angels pitchers hold the third highest team ERA in the league, and quality starts are as rare as a rain-out in Anaheim.

In August alone, Halo hurlers have racked up a 5.08 ERA—the highest of any month for the team this season.

They've particularly struggled with starters at the back end of the rotation.

Earlier in the season, pitchers like Shane Loux, Dustin Moseley, Matt Palmer, and Anthony Ortega did a poor job filling in for injured aces John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana.

Even after they returned, Lackey and Santana struggled to find their All-Star form.

Joe Saunders, who began the season strong, started bleeding runs and homers by the time the calendar switched to June.

But those days are behind us.

After a quick stint on the DL to give his arm some rest, Saunders is looking strong once again, while Lackey and Santana have finally settled into a groove.

With the exception of a couple shaky starts, Jered Weaver has also looked good this season, recording four complete games, including two shutouts.

The only question mark that remains with this rotation is the No. 5 spot.

Rookies Sean O'Sullivan and Trevor Bell were both given shots to secure the job for the stretch run. But after each failed to pitch more than two innings into their starts in Toronto, who will command the final spot remains a mystery.

Brad Penny's name has come up in rumors after he was released by the Red Sox on Thursday, and the Angels will certainly look at adding him to the roster.

But any move at this point is ultimately unnecessary.

The Angels have no solid options to fill the No 5. spot in the rotation, so why not just eliminate it?

Teams featured four-man rotations for decades before they started working a fifth pitcher into the mix. There is no reason the Angels can't bring those days back, if only for the final month of this season.

The argument that throwing a guy every fifth day saves his arm and helps prevent injuries has long been removed from conversation.

Pitchers constantly suffer arm fatigue, shoulder soreness, forearm stiffness, finger blisters, cracked nails, and just about every other ailment you could conceive for an appendage.

They also seem to be on the DL far more often than position players.

So, pitching a guy like Lackey or Weaver on four days' rest should have no ill effects.

The Angels are also coming up on some very important series that they must survive if they hope to win a third consecutive division crown.

They face the bottom-dwelling Oakland A's—a deceptively talented squad that shut the Angels out on Thursday—nine more times and the second-place Texas Rangers seven more times before all is said and done.

Three of those games against the Rangers will be in Texas and come in the middle of a tough nine-game stretch in which the Angels will also face the Red Sox in Boston and the New York Yankees at home.

Reliable starting pitching will be key to getting through all of these matchups, and guys like O'Sullivan and Bell have proven they are not the answer.

Penny obviously hasn't done the job either. In 24 starts with the Red Sox, he accrued a shockingly high 5.61 ERA—far from an improvement over what the Angels have featured this season.

In truth, the No. 5 spot has only served as a speed bump this year, a place in the rotation the team has only hoped to get past in order to return to reliability at the top.

But by eliminating the spot altogether, the Angels can throw their stronger pitchers more often, giving them a far greater chance to succeed down the stretch and reach the postseason.

It is not likely that we will ever see a full-scale return to the four-man rotation, and the rookies who have appeared for the Angels have plenty of time to hone their craft before making a permanent leap to the bigs.

For now though, giving Lackey, Santana, Weaver, and Saunders an extra start each will do far more good for this team than continuing to feature a revolving door of mediocrity every fifth day.

Vladimir Guerrero: What To Do With an Aging Slugger?

Johnathan Kroncke — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:52:51 -0400

Only Vlad could look so bad and still be so good.

In his first two at-bats during Saturday's game in Toronto, Vladimir Guerrero struck out.

But that doesn't really tell the whole story.

He flailed at pitches in the dirt like a baby fresh from the womb.

There's no excusing his approach, and there's no explaining it.

After embarrassing himself his first time up, Guerrero took the first pitch of his second at-bat—a fat strike right down the middle—as if to say, “Aha, you won't fool me again.”

Then he swung at the same pitch he had the first time around for strike three.

Even the announcers were laughing.

Commentators Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler gave a verbal shrug and sighed, the way the owner of a bad dog might when he comes home to find his couch chewed in half.

You know it's going to happen, you just have to except it. And the only reason the Los Angeles Angels do is because they know what Guerrero is capable of with every swing.

In his third at-bad, Big Daddy arrived, crushing a solo—and eventually game-winning—home run over the left field wall.

Had Guerrero not come through in that situation, who knows how the game might have gone for the Halos? Maybe Ervin Santana doesn't bear down and make the tough pitches to get out of jams.

Maybe manager Mike Scioscia doesn't bring in Darren Oliver and Kevin Jepsen from the bullpen to seal the victory, and instead goes with rookie Rafael Rodriguez, who's looked unpolished at best this year.

Maybe Juan Rivera tightens up at the plate, trying desperately to put his team ahead, and doesn't relax enough to pop an opposite field, two-run insurance homer in the later innings.

Guerrero is a game-changer, plain and simple. He is someone who can fail miserably like he did early on and still be forgiven because you know he'll come through when it counts.

And that begs the question: What are the Angels going to do with him at the end of the year?

For those of you who may remember, or are studious enough to research my past articles, I did call for Guerrero's head earlier in the season.

He appeared washed up, striking out at an alarming rate and grounding into double plays whenever he came up with men on base.

The only useful quality he had left was his past reputation, which the Angels could have used to pawn him off on some poor, unsuspecting team for a few younger specimens.

But to his credit, Guerrero has grown stronger, healthier, and is starting to swing like the Vlad of old. So, what to do, what to do?

The Angels will almost certainly make some small offer when offseason negotiations begin. Hey, the guy's been the greatest slugger to ever don a halo—He deserves at least that much.

Rest assured, though; L.A. of A. won't be the only team in contention.

Guerrero has put on quite a show since returning from his latest DL stint and is proving that he still has a lot to offer between the lines.

At 36 years of age, he certainly won't garner the long-term deals he once received, but it's doubtful whatever Minor League deal the Angels cobble together will stand as the highest bid.

Contending teams looking for a veteran bat—like the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, or even the Baltimore Orioles—will have no problem taking a flier on someone like Guerrero.

In the first place, he is unlikely to go anywhere outside of the American League. His knees simply won't allow him to be a starting outfielder anymore, and Vlad isn't the kind of player who would do well on the bench.

No, if Guerrero is to continue on after this season, it will have to be as a designated hitter,a position he would fit nicely in with almost any team.

Not only does he bring power to the DH spot in the order, but his name alone will put fans in the seats. And for the above-mentioned teams, that is no small consideration.

So where does that leave the Angels? At the moment, this team has no true DH, outside of Guerrero.

If Gary Matthews, Jr. is still around next season, and they manage to re-sign Bobby Abreu—another big item on the Angels' to-do list—then Scioscia could rotate his four outfielders (Matthews, Abreu, Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera) in and out of the DH position.

But doing that is sort of like putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound. It's a temporary fix for a problem that requires a long-term solution.

The Angels need a more viable alternative than using whichever outfielder needs to rest his legs, and at the moment, Guerrero is the only alternative the Angels have.

He is not long for this profession, so a respectable one- to two-year contract should do it.

Offer him a reasonable step down from his current yearly salary, which is in the $15 million range, and throw in a club option at the end of the deal.

Guerrero should have no problem making his “X” on that dotted line. He'll get to finish his career in an ideal environment, with an organization he is comfortable in and among fans who absolutely adore him.

We don't even mind when he strikes out on balls in the dirt, so long as he keeps following them up with game-winning homers.