We suck again....

Now, before I chicken-little all over this blog. Many things were good today. Matt Palmer, Morales started hitting again, Hunter hits ANOTHER three-run bomb.

However, the million run 4th inning for the Tigers (I might be exaggerating that number a bit) TOTALLY killed us today. It seems like Pineiro isn't going to be this amazing savior of a pitcher, but someone who will be incredibly streaky.

He should fit in pretty well with the rest of the rotation.

Matt Palmer is my early candidate for the Nick Adenhart Award. He has come in and kept the team in the game during some pretty dire situations.

All that being said, this is going to be a LONG season. However, if the Rangers can beat the M's tonight (its currently tied, but Cliff Lee is dealing), all four teams in the American League West will be tied for first place.

Thats right, we will have played a months worth of baseball, and we will back to where we all started. Fantastic.

Record: 12-12
Outlook: The Sky is Falling, sort of.

All-Star Game: Who Deserves your votes?

So, its an Angels travel day, and there is really nothing better to talk about at this point than the All-Star Game coming to Angel Stadium in mid-July. There is no game on ESPN or MLB Network today, and there is no way in hell I'm going to watch the Dodgers play the Pirates.

So today's blog will be pretty simple. Who deserves your All-Star Votes, and why.

American League:
Catcher - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins - This is pretty easy. Mauer is the best hitting catcher in either league, and will probably go down as the greatest hitting catcher of all time.

First Base - Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins/Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox/Kendry Morales, Angels - This is probably the toughest one on the ballot. Morneau is raking the ball, Konerko is a come-back player of the year canidate, and Morales is a perfect homer pick. Flip a three sided coin on this one.

Second Base - Robinson Cano, New York Yankees - Again, pretty easy here. He his hitting almost .400 with 6 homers. No one else even comes close.

Third Base - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays - Lets please end A-Rod's streak of starting in the All Star Game now, folks. Longoria is more likable, less of a cheater, and is putting up better numbers the first month of the season.

Shortstop - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees - Who cares what his stats are? He is Derek Jeter.

Outfield - Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers/Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers/Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays/Shin-soo Choo, Cleveland Indians - There are four worthy candidates here. Guerrero is the only one that would be on my ballot every time. Pick 3 out of four and move along.

Designated Hitter - Hideki Matsui, Angels - Homer Pick. Everybody gets one.

National League:

Catcher - Ivan Rodriguez, Washington Nationals - There are no good candidates here. Brian McCann will probably win, but I'm voting for Pudge, for old times-sake.

First Base - Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - Duh.

Second Base - Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies - Double Duh.

Third Base - Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers - Most deserving, wont get voted in by the fans in a million years. Hopefully the manager will do the right thing. Doubt it though.

Shortstop - Orlando Cabrera, Cincinatti Reds - Another lack of candidates here. Hanley Ramirez will run away with this one, but OC is putting up great numbers in Ohio.

Outfield - Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers/Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers/Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals/Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs - Again, four solid candidates. Braun is a must. Pick two of the other three.

I'm also very sad that there is no DH spot for the NL for me to vote on, but if I could, Ryan Howard would likely get my vote.

I'm very hopeful that I will be able to attend the Midsummer Classic and surrounding festivities, but even if I'm not, I'm sure it will be a GREAT game, that the American League will run away with.

The Most Perfect Bunt I've Ever Seen.

Hello, and Welcome to Angels Nation. I love baseball. I love baseball more than my cat, more than my car, and almost as much as my girlfriend. While this will blog will mostly include news and thoughts on the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim), I'm also going to try and cover all 30 teams, at some point or another. Anyway, with that lame introduction out of the way, lets go over that fantastic game I just watched.

Jake Westbrook was dealing today. It looked like the Angels were well on their way towards another loss versus a lesser opponent from the AL Central. Then Torii Hunter turned the game around by completely obliterating a ball over the wall. The Angels finally got solid pitching from their bullpen, and Howie (the OTHER Howard) Kendrick bunted home the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. All-and-all, a great victory.

And it really could not have come at a better time, after a travel day tomorrow, the Angels play three in Detroit, fly to Boston (no off day) to play four against the rival Sox, then fly to Seattle (again, no off day) to close out the road trip with a three game set against the M's.

A huge 10 game road trip at the beginning of the season, with tons of air travel time, and no real travel days in between. That seems fair, sure. I think if the Angels can escape this trip with a 5-5 record, it can be called a success.

As far as my observations from todays game, I just jotted down a few things.

-Ryan Budde looked decent, but not that good. I hope Mathis recovers quicker than they are expecting.
-Jake Westbrook really hasnt been a relevant pitcher for 5 or 6 years, why did the Angels have such fits trying hit him early today? Dont blame the shadows, you are professionals, thats not a decent excuse anymore.
-Why is Mark Gubicza more tan than Victor Rojas now?


Regardless, it was another victory, Santana looked good, and so did the bullpen. I'm hopeful for a successful road-trip.

Angels Record: 12-11
My outlook: Optimistic