Wherefore Art Thou Kendrys?

Almost 12 Months since his horrific injury celebrating a walk-off win against Seattle, Kendrys Morales received a grim bit of news. He won't be back for the 2011 season, and some are speculating he won't ever be back.

As it stands, the Angels are still 1.5 games ahead of Oakland and Texas for first place in the AL West, a division that looks far more winnable than it did a month ago when Texas started the season 9-1. Even more promising for the Halos is the surprisingly good play of youngsters Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger. Trumbo got the nod after spring training when the Angels learned Kendrys wouldn't be ready for Opening Day. Many thought he'd get a nice month/month and a half in the bigs before being sent back down to Salt Lake in favor of Morales.

Now, it would seem, that Trumbo is going to get to continue this audition for the rest of the season, and continue his Rookie of the Year campaign. Trumbo already leads AL rookie hitters in Hits, Home Runs, Doubles, RBI's and, wait for it, Stolen Bases! Granted, he also has 20 more AB's than the next closest rookie (Toronto's JP Arencibia), but his numbers speak for themselves. He is also second in Batting Average behind teammate Hank Conger.

If things don't work out for Kendrys, the Angels community will be upset, and it will be sad. This poor guy comes from Cuba just to play baseball (and for freedom, I suppose), and when things finally start to go his way, his career is cut short on a freak accident. But as an organization, the Angels will continue to stand strong, and that really is a testament to how amazingly well built an organization this is. Already this season, guys like Aybar, Morales, Kazmir, Pineiro, Downs, Izturis, Wells and Willits have all missed some time, but the Angels have prospered, and find themselves in the drivers seat of the American League West once again. Its a great season to be an Angels fan, Kendrys or no Kendrys.

The Curse of Jeff Mathis

A long time ago, on a baseball field far, far away (in Texas), a young man was being groomed. Being groomed to be the best, and to save a franchise.

Not many know what happened, but on a dark night in late 2009, after the dust had settled on a long postseason battle with the Yankees, Jeff Mathis turned. After being a hero in a losing effort, Mathis went mad. He alienated himself with his friends, teammates and mentors.

His mood changed, he went from a bright and sunny disposition to becoming of the most dark and brooding players in the league. He eventually slayed his best friend, a young warrior named Mike Napoli... leaving him for dead before he was allowed to flee for Canada.

Mathis came to destroy what he once loved, which was Angels Baseball and all it stood for. Mathis had defected to the dark side underneath the all-seeing eyes of Manager Mike Scioscia. He was filled with hate and darkness, spreading his piss-poor play to his teammates.

This is where our story comes, to the present day. With Jeff Mathis under the spell of the Dark Side, will our longtime leader Mike Scioscia and Angels Baseball's newest hope, Hank Conger, be able to thwart the plans of the evil Mathis before its too late? Or will Angels Baseball succumb to the dark side (and 4th Place)? Only time will tell. Stay tuned, baseball fans.

Halos Slide Past Sox for 4th Straight Win

Vernon Wells scored his 3rd run in 3 games. Hank Conger and Howie Kendrick left the yard. Tyler Chatwood held the Sox to 1 run over 7 Innings of work, for the first win of his big-league career. It was a solid day all around for the Angels, who beat the Sox 7-2 after a 130 minute rain delay on Saturday Afternoon.

The biggest story of the day might be happening behind the scenes, however. On Saturday, Conger made his third straight start (and his 5th start in the last 6 games), after the lineup was announced, former golden boy Jeff Mathis went right to the top and asked to have a behind-closed-doors meeting with Skipper Mike Scioscia. He said he wanted more playing time, then didn't talk to the press afterward. Scioscia said the meeting was positive and he liked that Mathis asked him to play more.

However, after a three-run home run by Conger in the 6th inning, he used his abilities to ask for more playing time. This contest to be the Staring Catcher could get interesting. Not only is Conger effective at the plate, he can also throw out runners. Something Mathis has struggled with in 2011. Mathis will block the plate a bit better, and some have said he calls a better game (Angels pitchers have still been solid in Conger's starts, so I don't buy that as a plus for Mathis), but Mathis is a liability at the plate. There are Pitchers with better hitting stats in the last season and a half than Mathis.

Should Conger continue to hit the ball well, Angel Fans should hope that gives Scioscia little choice but to play the Huntington Beach native. However, I think we all remember a guy named Mike Napoli who also hit the ball incredibly well, and lost significant playing time to Mathis. Lets just hope Hank Conger doesn't become Napoli 2.0.


----

Random Thoughts:

-Chatwood looked incredibly solid against the Sox today. Could it have been the cold weather? Maybe. Lets hold off on any incredulous judgments until he gets to face the Sox on Thursday (in Anaheim)

-These are the ugliest promotional giveaway caps of all-time:












They are supposed to resemble a "rally cap", which is when you turn a hat inside out and place it on your head for a rally. Instead, they look REALLY stupid.

----

Angels look to sweep the Chicago White Sox tomorrow when Dan Haren (3-0, 0.73) faces off against Mark Buerhle (1-0, 4.26). Haren is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in his career against Chicago, while Buerhle is 2-6 with a 4.38 ERA against the Angels. Haren hopes to get his 3rd win in 9 days.

Jeff Mathis = Jeff Awesome!

Well, maybe more like Jeff Mathis = Jeff Rightplacerightime, but the comment stands. Jeff Mathis won the game in the bottom of the 12th with a sac fly that scored Vernon Wells (!). It was a great pitching match-up, and the Angels bats were pretty cool all night. It seemed like the game would go on forever. Thankfully, Mathis got the key hit (er, flyout to center) which ended the game. This may continue to befuddle Mike Scioscia, as Hank Conger (who started the game) had a really solid game, both at the plate and behind it. But if Mathis can get key hits (again, flyouts to center), maybe this is a revitalization of his bat.

Or maybe he just came up with the Bases Loaded and 1 out, and all he had to do was hit the ball more than 300 feet.

I Told Ya So

Alberto Callaspo and Hank Conger led the Angels offense today, which helped push the club past the struggling Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3. Jered Weaver pitched an almost flawless game, his only real mistake coming on a solo shot to former Angel Sean Rodriguez (Yeah, the same one we traded to get Scott Kazmir). Jordan Walden made his first appearance as the Angels new Closer (a position anointed to him today), and shut down the Rays in the 9th.

So... I told ya so. Callaspo needs to find a way into the lineup everyday, and maybe Conger should split starts with Jeff Mathis 50/50. I know Mike Scioscia just made the move to get Walden closing games, and he isn't known for a ton of on-the-spot decisions at the same time, but the firing of Rodney (don't get too excited, he is still on the team) is a good start.

Dan Haren looks to improve the Angels to 3-3 tomorrow in the series closer against youngster Jeremy Hellickson, who was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 2010.

Angels Ride Their Future Into Second Place.

The postseason hopes might be done, but the season is far from over. With a win against Oakland last night, the Angels moved into a tie with the team for second place in the West at 77-80. Bragging rights for the second best team in one of the worst divisions in baseball might not seem like much, but its not so much why we are doing it, but who.

Guys like Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, Mark Trumbo, Jordan Walden Howie Kendrick, and Jeff Mathis have all played integral parts in the teams first two wins against this Athletics club. This is a great experience for these guys who, while they may not be on the 2011 Opening Day Roster, will play important roles in the Angels quest to reclaim the West Title.

A nice winning streak, a second place finish and a .500 record to end the season will go a long way to establishing confidence in these young players, not to mention the veterans who will be looking forward to the early vacation this year to help rest their bodies and minds.

I'll go further into the 2011 Angels later, but for right now, lets enjoy the last 4 1/2 games of the season (the Angels are currently tied with the A's 1-1 in their last home game of the year), wish our compadres in Texas well, and enjoy baseball while its still around.

Carl Crawford Countdown: 74 Days.