When a Cub Becomes a Bear

Well, that was certainly one way to start the season.

Some positives to start off:

+ Carlos Perez looked like he belonged behind the plate at a big league level.  He called a good game, was always cool under pressure and blocked the plate like a champ.  For a team that likes to build it's pitching around a great catcher, Carlos Perez could be that next guy, and it's exciting to watch.  Also, he was one of only three guys to get on base against Jake Arrieta last night.

+ At least we aren't the San Diego Padres right now...

....And the Negatives... I'll try to keep this to just three:

- Four Total Bases... FOUR.  I know Arrieta is the reigning NL Cy Young.. but FOUR total bases?  The Cubs managed three in the first inning.  The equipment manager should probably check the bats to make sure their aren't any baseball-sized holes comically drilled into them.

- Garrett Richards' consistency.  He was either striking guys out or putting them on base last night.  Only 3 came around to score on his watch, but nine guys reached base safely... His stuff can be nasty, but he needs to be able to locate it over and over again.

- The Bullpen looked ROUGH.  I know they were coming out in mostly a losing effort, but that's no excuse for six runs over four innings. My least favorite Angels tradition is crappy bullpens, so this is a bad start to 2016.


All that being said, we are less than 1% into the 2016 season and the Angels were facing one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Sorry San Diego, but I'll say it again... at least it wasn't 15-0...

You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half.

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Tonight sees Jon Lester and Andrew "Babyface" Heaney on the mound... there is pretty much nowhere to go but up from here.

Trout Begins Takeover of OC

It was only a matter of time before this kid took over the southland.  He already has more home runs than Pujols, more steals than Bourjos, and a higher average than anyone on the team (if he qualified, he'd be tied for the 5th highest average in the majors).

Since joining the team on April 28th, Mike Trout has helped the Angels to a 12-10 record.  It might not sound like much (and before the weekend collapse in San Diego, it was a far more impressive 12-8), but when you consider how this team started B.T.* (6-14, tied for the worst start in franchise history), its quite an improvement.

What really counts is that he is playing at his best when this team needs him the most.  The Angels are still 18-24, and after the rough weekend, are back in the cellar in the AL West.  This week could prove fruitful, as the next 7 games are against the A's and Mariners... so this could be the perfect opportunity to flirt with .500 before the Yankees come into town.

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I told you guys about Amarista... it was a mistake to let him go, even though Ernesto Frieri is a great arm for our bullpen, Ammy is going to be that little Mr. Everything for the Padres.  He almost single-handedly beat us on Saturday, then continued to play tough on Sunday.  I'd much rather have him coming off the bench than Macier Izturis.  I like Izzy as much as the next guy, but his production has almost fallen off the map the last couple seasons.

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* - B.T. = Before Trout.  B.T. and A.T. (After Trout) are how Angels Nation will be referring to the stages of the 2012 Angels campaign.