I underestimated two things in getting ready for last night's game against the Blue Jays. One was the talent of Brett Cecil on the mound, and the other was just how bad the Angels can play. It was a wasted effort from Joe Saunders (who despite the loss still pitched even better than the numbers will show), a truck load of poor defensive plays (including a horrible misread by Rivera in left that wasn't counted in the 2 errors), and a true weakness with the bats (6 starters went without a hit) that doomed us to a 0-6 to Toronto. It was a game that made me nostalgic for the Angels of old, by which I mean they looked like the crappy Halo teams of my youth that I adored.
Doesn't it hurt your feelings when a starter does well and his offense plays the role of a skunk out there? It kills me. Joey Joe Joe went 6.3 innings of 3 earned run ball, really only allowing 2 to cross the plate before a bullpen explosion in the 7th cost him another. Jason Bulger, usually a sort of rock in the pen, finished with an infinity ERA. 2 crossed the plate without Bulgie getting a single out. It was tough to watch. Cassevah and Gas Can shut the Jays out the rest of the way, but it was just pathetic. The defensive play was a joke. I'm talking about you, Aybar. Ball goes in the glove, ball falls out. Awful stuff. Joe falls to 3-6 on the year, poor guy.
Guess what? Brandon Wood is "dealing with a hip flexor issue." You know what I think of that. It's complete BS that guys get "hurt" when in reality they are just sucking. However, just to be nice, I'm giving Woody the benefit of the doubt. I will continue to believe he can turn it around, and that he has just ben hampered by the hip flexor, until he comes back from the injury. I hope that the Angels are telling the truth, and that he comes back better than we've seen.
The Angels only got 3 hits in the game last night, only putting two baserunners on the paths in the first seven innings of play. Partly that was the doing of Beenie Cecil, and partly it was the result of a lackluster offense. A .248 team batting average may be good enough for 7th in the AL, but it sure isn't good enough to grab a win against Cecil and the Jays.
You know who went 0 for 4 last night? Well, three different hitters did. But, I'm specifically talking about our dear leadoff hitter Erick Aybar. Oh, Erick. Everyone, including this guy typing right now believed that you would be able to replace Figgins as our speedy leadoff threat. Well, 47 games into things, we're getting a little nervous that we may have been wrong. Hitting .240 in 45 games on top of the lineup really doesn't look good. How about that OBP? .305 would be a nice average for a leadoff guy, but it certainly isn't a great OBP. Only 26 runs, just 6 steals, and getting caught stealing 5 times? Again, really poor start to the season.
Out of all 13 AL batters who have led off this season with at least 100 PAs, Erick Aybar is #12 in batting average and dead last in OBP. Please, we've been through this before. We need a leadoff solution. Do we have any options? What should we do??? Well, since the LSF is a solution machine for their team's problems, here is the answer:
Maicer Izturis.
To be honest, the Halos probably would have already moved to this option if he wouldn't have been hurt. However, all rumors are pointing to a Ma$e return later this week, and the LA Times is reporting that their are rumors that he'll play 4-5 games per day once he's back, mixing it up at 3B, SS, and 2B. To be honest, I think you can leave HK at second, and have Maicer rotate between replacing Aybar and the Wood/Frandsen combo at third. But, if you're smart, you'll always have Izzy at the leadoff spot, putting Aybar either at second or ninth in the order. You can't let Frandsen continue to hit .389 in the 9 hole, or expect Wood to produce "huge" numbers out of that bottom spot, and with HK settling into the two role, I think EA goes to 9 when Ma$e goes 1. Izzy has a .362 OBP this season, and he's the man to start the fire and set the table.
Sorry Aybar. Problem solved.
Tonight, my 21-26 Angels, now 5 back of the Rangers, go in the second game against the Jays. Ervin Santana (3-3, 3.75) will try to replicate his last duel with Ricky Romero (4-1, 2.71). Romero gave up one run over eight innings, but was beat by a slightly better Ervin, who was one strike away from a complete game shutout (a bomb by Lind ending that). Erv has held an 1.38 ERA in his last 2 outings, and hopes that he can keep it rolling along. The latest ESPN preview says that there is an outside shot that Ma$e could come back to the lineup, which would give my boys a chance to try my leadoff solution, and hopefully do well enough to disappoint Ricky Romero's family and friends who are coming to the stadium to cheer him on.
Revenge, Andrew.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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