Angels Having Worst Season in Team History

At least, that's what reading twitter on a nightly basis, or listening to Terry Smith take call-after-call on Angel Talk after the games would lead you to believe. Don't get me wrong. I'm incredibly glass-half-empty on a number of things, including my beloved Angels, but some of the stuff I've read and heard has been just silly. Between the Bullpen, Vernon Wells, Jeff Mathis, Scott Kazmir and our hitting with RISP, you'd think we were the worst team in baseball. We are 7-5... Is it great? No, but we are only two games back of the Rangers, who started 6-0. But I figured since its an off day, and I'm kinda bored, so lets play along!

So, its pretty clear through 12 games that this team isn't ready for any kind of sustained level of success. The bullpen has been MISERABLE, costing Ervin Santana wins in all three of his starts, and Dan Haren a win in one of his. Its like we gathered the guys scalping tickets on Gene Autry, slapped some random jerseys on their backs, and tossed them into our bullpen to blow our leads. That is, if we even get a lead!

The Angels have been historically bad offensively... I mean, I've got no stats here to back me up, but from what I've seen, with my own eyes, this is a bad team with runners in scoring position. We never come up with the big hits, or any hits at all for that matter. Its like we are taking negative steroids or something. To be honest though, this offensive haphazardness really begins and ends with our "big" off-season grab, Vernon BLEEPING Wells!

I don't think its possible to have a worse start to a season than the one Vernon Wells is having... I mean, isn't he only hitting like .100 now? What a bum! We trade beloved fan favorites Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli for this guy, and he just craps out all over the field. I don't know why he ever got a gold glove, dude plays the same level of defense as 35-year-old Garret Anderson. The Vernon Wells trade might be the worst one we have ever made, if it wasn't for some douche name Scott Kazmir!

(Ok, in all honesty here, I do not like the Scott Kazmir deal, and to be honest, the best option for him at this point is to let him go, eat the final year (years?) of his contract and just wash our hands of the whole thing. Find some sort of starter-by-committee with Palmer, Thompson, Takahashi and Chatwood. The only way out of this mess is to let him go. No foolin..)

So really, at this point, we are actually hoping and praying for the return of Erick Aybar, Joel Pineiro and Kendrys Morales? One guy who plays about the most average defense of anyone on our team, another guy who hasn't even given us a whole season of solid baseball, and a third who broke his leg celebrating? Good Grief. We are going to be lucky if we can squeak past the Mariners for third place...

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This was fun, we should do it again some time.

Tyler Chatwood: Already a Bust?

Of Course Chatwood isn't already a bust. That's just silly talk. Granted, he gave up 4 runs in 5 Innings on Monday Nights loss to the flaming hot Cleveland Indians. But that's not really all that bad. Add an inning and subtract a run, that's a Quality Start! However, there is obviously room for improvement, and he shouldn't be the long term solution for the Halos in 2011, but its pretty clear that he will be a solid option for 2012 and beyond.

It didn't help that the offense gave Chatwood exactly zero runs of support (the Dan Haren Treatment, already?). The Offense looked as bad as it has all season, only coming up with 4 measly hits.

Scott Downs was solid in his return from the DL (and debut in an Angel Uniform), but in a game that was already over, did it really mean anything? Only time will tell. It was another good outing for the Bullpen, however. Zero Earned over 4 innings, one of their best performances of the season.

If nothing else, Chatwood can take this away from his first major league start: At least I'm better than Scott Kazmir and Matt Palmer.

Oh Kendrys, Where Art Thou?

From down 5-0 to up 9-7, I thought this team had figured it out. Then Fernando Rodney walks the bases loaded in the 9th, and almost immediately Vernon Wells drops a ball in the outfield and lets the tying runs score. Then almost two hours and 4 Innings Later, Matt Treanor hits a walk-off three-run-homer off of a tired Jason Bulger.

There were a ton of problems with this game. First was Scott Kazmir, pitching what I can only hope in his final game as a member of the Angels, who allowed 5 runs in 1.2 Innings of "work". I was honestly shocked that Mike Scioscia pulled him as quickly as he did. I hope this is a sign that Scioscia is ready to move forward as an manger and will pull guys who aren't up to the task of playing at a Major League level (Read: Jeff Mathis).

Speaking of Jeff Mathis, our "Defensive-Presence" catcher who always "calls a good game", went 0-for-6 in the extra inning game, plummeting his 2011 batting average to .154. Not to mention his "great game calling" led to at 12-run outing by one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, and he has thrown out 1 of 9 would-be base-stealers. ONE! OF NINE!!! So this talk about Mathis being this "superior defensive catcher" is turning out to be total Bullshit. Unless he turns this around (either at the plate or, at the very least, behind it), Bobby Wilson or Hank Conger NEED to see more time in the lineup.

There were some bright spots in yesterdays game. The Angels hit 5 home runs (including 2 by Howie Kendrick), and Rich Thompson came in and pitched a great 3.1 innings of relief for Scott Kazmir, and really put the Angels back in the game. Jason Bulger showed he could be a decent option out of bullpen (Especially if its not for 3 innings). Jordan Walden showed he is as dominant as I think he can be, while Rodney came that much closer to losing his Closer role.

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I had planned on doing something yesterday recapping what happened around the league over Opening Weekend, but I really had no desire to write yesterday after the longest 5 hours of baseball I've ever watched. I might touch on some of the stuff going on around the league occasionally, since I'm currently working on a goal to watch at least one game of each team around the league. Philadelphia and Texas look better than I expected while Milwaukee and Boston look much worse.

Kazmir in Possession of Scandalous Moreno Photos

At this point, that's the only logical explanation as to why Kaz is still on the team, let alone being allowed to start games. After his 10 Run outing yesterday, many thought an announcement should be coming down the pipeline, and it would be the Angels either letting Kazmir go, or simply moving him to the pen. Granted, the Angels are fairly thin at Starting Rotation guys right now. Those that are in the minors are either not Major League material, or not really ready to start in the big leagues. Does that mean we are stuck with Kazmir? Not necessarily.

I've been making the case for Matt Palmer to take over all day on Twitter to mixed results. Some are thrilled with the idea, especially if its just a temporary solution while the team seeks another option (either via trade or free agency). I for one wouldn't mind seeing Matt Palmer toeing the slab every 5 or 6 days, especially against other 5th starters in the American League. Palmer, in 167 Innings Pitcher for his career, has a 4.40 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and a record of 12-6. Not miserable numbers, unlike what you'd be getting from Mr. Kazmir.

I'm all for giving guys second chances, like Brandon Wood, but what I've seen from Kaz for the last 20 months is pretty awful. He wasn't bad in 2009 in a few starts at the end of the season, but he wasn't the difference maker we thought he would be. Then in 2010 he has a historically bad season, and this spring he looks like someone who should ever see a Major League field again (expect maybe in a Pirates uniform).

I hope the Angels can put together good scoring tears during Kazmir's starts, because thats the only way we are going to be able to win those games. That, and some dumb luck.

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Former Angel and Legendary Humanitarian (I may have made that up) Kevin Frandsen was released by the Padres today. I think I speak for most Angels fans when I say I hope to see him spring up somewhere else in the league really soon (except maybe in a Pirates uniform).

Do Spring Injuries Dilute Opening Day?

I think its pretty obvious that in my mosaic above, The Joker (oh, that's Scott Downs? Holy Shit, Batman...) is the least important of the injuries above, but this is an Angels Blog, and he is an Angels player, and I like to keep things relative. That being said, this has been a tough Spring for some of the favorites to win it all (or at least some) this year.

Zack Greinke and Adam Wainwright, two NL Central Ace's, went down this spring, and while the Brewers (who just traded for Greinke in the offseason) are only going to miss about a month of their star pitcher, the Cardinals are going to lose Wainwright for likely the entirety of the 2011 season. These two looked to solidify the NL Central as one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, and while it still likely will be, this give the Reds a ton of room to sneak back into the discussion. If Greinke can bounce back and pitch like a Cy Young Caliber player, I still think the Brewers are the best bet, but if not... the Central is wide open.

In what seems to be an epidemic, strained obliques have put the Opening Day statuses of Yankees Outfield Curtis Granderson and Giants Closer (and Facial Hair Messiah) Brain Wilson into considerable doubt. Its just a precautionary step, but Wilson had his bullpen session yesterday cut short, and the team announced that he is doubtful for Opening Day. Similar reports are coming from Yankees camp regarding Granderson.

A little closer to home, the Angels are currently looking at two (possibly three) everyday starters beginning the season on the Disabled List. Kendrys Morales, who of course is still nursing that leg he broke into a million pieces back in May. Also on that list are guys who hurt themselves during Spring, Joel Pineiro and Scott Downs. It would seem that Pineiro would return very shortly into the season (a week or so), but Scott Downs is going to be out as long as it takes for his broken toe to heal. The toe he broke playing with his kids (great start to your Angel career, Scott).

In the case of the Angels, some of the setbacks are almost welcome, in the sense that we get to see Mark Trumbo face big league pitching to start the season, and it will continue the tale of Brandon Wood's heroic comeback. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for Kendrys to get back, but Trumbo is going to be a ton of fun to follow for the first month or so of the season. However, losing Downs to start the year is going to hurt an already thin bullpen, and god forbid Scott Kazmir start the season as horrendously as he ended 2010 and we have to move Takahashi to the Rotation.

I suppose my whole point of this article was "Do we really need 6 weeks of Spring Training?" It seems like right now, most players are ready for the season to start, and those who aren't, well, maybe they should re-evaluate their offseason routine. I'm all for watching a few innings of meaningless baseball for a couple days in March, and seeing some of the prospects face big-league pitchers is a fun distraction, but half those kids have already been sent packing back to the minors, and the other half are going soon. I like Spring Training as much as the next guy, but it seems like its been over-saturated, and cutting a week or two off could help put an end to some of these meaningless spring injuries that kinda put a wet blanket over the festivities of Opening Day.


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Coming Tomorrow: Part 1 of the 10 Greatest Seasons in Angels History

A Realistic Wishlist for the 2011 Season

The excitement for baseball to return is building up inside of me. I'll probably get back to writing a ton more, and today's post will just be a wish list of realistic expectations for the 2011 MLB Season.

• To Buy a new Hat. I'm kind of sick of the California Angels cap I bought before last season, and according to my wife, I always just buy a new hat at the Stadium the first time we go to a game in April. (Odds: Even)

• For Brandon Wood to never, ever start a game for the Angels. I think if Alberto Callaspo and Macier Izturis can stay healthy, this shouldn't be a problem. I mean, if he has to start some afternoon game I won't be able to watch anyway... that's ok. (Odds: 3-to-1)

• For Scott Kazmir to have an ERA under 5.00. Listen, buddy. Before 2009, you had never even posted an ERA above a 4.00. Then, you decided to stink it up for the Rays, and got traded here, where in 6 games, your ERA was a respectable 1.73. Then, last year happened. Your ERA was almost at 6.00, and for times, you were the league leader in runs allowed. Not Cool. I'm not asking for too much, not even a return to form, just have an average ERA for a 5th Starter. (Odds: 4-to-1)

• For Reggie Willits to make the Big League Roster. After a solid rookie campaign in 2007, Willits skid through 08 and 09, but Willits had a return-to-form in 2010, albeit in limited action. I'd like to see Reggie as a fourth outfielder, with the departure of Juan Rivera and Bobby Abreu's move to DH. Also, you don't lose any of the speed with Hunter, Bourjos or Wells out of the lineup. (Odds: 2-to-1)

• For Vernon Wells to hit .280, 28 HR, 90 RBI, .330 OBP. Pretty much his career averages in hitting and OBP, and respectable power numbers. If we can rely on a healthy Morales to hit 30 and 100, that's a pretty good 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup. (Odds: 4-to-1)

• A Wild-Card Spot. Yeah, thats right, the Rangers can have the West. When the Angels win the West, they are 2-8 in playoffs series. When they win the Wild Card? 3-0. However, the East should have 4 good teams, the Central should have 3 again, and the A's are always competitive. So that leaves 7 teams to compete for a Wild Card (including the Angels), that will be a sticky situation. (Odds: 10-to-1)

• A team that doesn't play in Boston or Philadelphia wins the World Series. I mean, we have already gone over how Carl Crawford is going to sabotage Boston, but Philadelphia has a Pitching Rotation for the ages. Once they get into October, they should be pretty unstoppable. (Odds: 20-to-1)

Thats pretty much it. I'm just so jazzed for baseball, that none of those things could happen (I don't get a new hat, Brandon Wood starts every game, Reggie Willits is stuck in Salt Lake all season, Vernon Wells has a season-ending injury on Opening Day, the A's win the Wild Card and Boston beats Philly in the World Series) and I'd still be thrilled that baseball is back. Other sports can cover up the fact that baseball is gone, but none could ever replace it.

I can smell the Aramark Cheese already......

Say It Aint So, Scott!

Rumors are running rampant that the Colorado Rockies would be interested in trading for Left Handed Pitcher Scott Kazmir. Uh... I'll throw in 20 bucks to sweeten the deal. Is this the Rockies really trying to improve their team? Is this them making up for sending us Brian Fuentes? (kind of a "No hard feelings"deal?)

No matter why the Rockies had this lapse in judgment, lets take advantage of it. I dont care if they want to send us a Turkey Sandwich and a bag of baseballs, if they are taking Kazmir and his contract, let them at it.

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In other news, former Angels Pitching Coach Bud Black won the National League Manager of the Year award. This is great news for Ron Roenicke, who will become the third former Angels Coach under Mike Scioscia to become a manager for another team. The first two, being Black and Rays Manager Joe Maddon, who won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2008.

Everyone here at Angels Nation is incredibly happy and proud for Bud, and wish the best for him in the future.

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In other, other news, Felix Hernandez was announced as the AL Cy Young Award winner today. While its rare that I'm happy for a Division Rival in such a way, its kind of nice. The 24-Year-Old had a stat line of 0-3, 4.13 ERA in 32.2 Innings Pitched against the Angels this past season. Thats right, one of the worst offensive teams in baseball slapped around the Cy Young Winner in 5 starts. Its not the best thing about this season for the Angels, but it will something nice to throw in the face of gloating Mariners fans.

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In More other news, Angels Nation would also like to congratulate the following:
Ron Gardenhire for winning AL Manager of the Year (after being the runner-up 5 times, twice to Mike Scioscia)
Roy Halladay for winning NL Cy Young (Duh..)
Buster Posey and Neftali Feliz for winning Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues.
Dan Uggla for getting the hell out of Florida (I bet Braves fans wish this move would have happened about 4 months ago)
Vladimir Guerrero for winning an AL Silver Slugger award. (No hard feelings, chap)

Sloppy Win and Deadline Silence.

So, after looking like the season was over in the second inning last night, down 5-0 to the division leading Rangers, who would have taken a 10 game lead with a win last night, The Angels stormed back with power hitting and aggressive baserunning.

While Ervin Santana had a shaky start (3 unearned runs in the first, 4 more runs scattered through the next 3 innings), he had a dominant 5th and 6th innings, then the Bullpen came in and actually shut the door on one of the best offenses in baseball.

It wasn't a pretty win, in fact, it was downright sloppy, but a win is a win. The Division lead is down to 8, with another "must-win" game tonight.

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Since trading for Dan Haren a week ago, the Angels have been all but silent on the Trade front. With the non-waiver deadline having come and gone, it looks like the Angels are just going to be making do with what they have, unless they can get a waiver deal done.

For those unfamiliar with Waiver trades, they can be much trickier, because any other team can snatch a player from waivers. However, many big names have been able to clear waivers in the past in order to get traded after July 31st. Last year, for example, the Angels were able to trade for Scott Kazmir on August 28th.

What's more likely for this year's Angels, however, is if the club once again finds themselves 9 or more games out of first place, its likely that they will trade away some aging players or expiring contracts.

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Dan Haren gets his second start as an Angel tonight against his former Oakland teammate, Rich Harden. Harden is making his first start since June, coming off the DL with a less than spectacular 5.68 ERA. I'll be lucky enough to be there, and honestly, I cannot wait. Haren's chance to be a division winner comes to fruition tonight.

Sean O'Savior?

After a few first inning jitters, which are totally excusable, considering not every 22-year-old is asked to make his first start of the season in Yankee Stadium in the middle of a pennant race, Sean ended up making the New York Yankees look more like Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

In the Angels commanding 10-2 win last night, there were two clear heroes: Mike Napoli and Sean O'Sullivan. Its pretty clear that the rest of the Angels lineup was pretty pleased to have Macier Izturis back in the lineup as well. This finally looks like a team that could make a serious playoff push.

In O'Sullivan's past major league appearances, including a few starts, he has always looked pretty average. But if you take into account that those were a 21-year-old O'Sullivan, getting his first taste of big league ball, you start to wonder if last night's start was a fluke, or the next wave of young Angel Pitching?

I can only hope that a dominant performance against the best team in baseball (with one of the best, if not the best offenses) is a sign of things to come.

On the bright side, its not going to take a whole lot to impress me more than the man he is replacing, the "Injured" Scott Kazmir.

AngelsNation.net 2010 Mid-Season Awards and Anti-All-Stars.

Ok, so its the slowest sports day of the year. No Baseball, and Basketball, Hockey and Football are all out of season. Lets give out some mid-season awards, in recognition of baseball's first-half greatness. Also, I'm not here to give out the regular awards (MVP, Cy Young, ROY), because those are boring, and I agree with most experts. So, lets have some fun, and then we will get to the Anti-All-Stars.

AL LVP (Least Valuable Player): John Lackey, BOS - P. This one is pretty easy. He got a huge paycheck this offseason, and he is making 18.7 Million Dollars to have an incredibly average year. He is by far the highest paid player on the team, and the only one in the top 25 in terms of salary. So far, he is 9-5. Not bad, sure... but I'm sure Boston didn't think they would be paying him at the clip of 2 million dollars a win. He also has an ERA nearing 5.00. Good Job, Lackey, hope you still enjoy playing in a ballpark where you have traditionally struggled.

NL LVP: Carlos Zambrano, CHC - P. Also pretty easy, even though he makes less than Carlos Beltran, who is out all season with an injury, he has been far more detrimental to his team. He also makes 18.7 Million Dollars, and he has been so remarkable bad this year, that it almost seems like his dugout tantrums are the least of the Cubs worries. Why this man still has a job in that city is beyond me. Any other manager would have stopped putting up with that crap weeks ago. Hell, Mike Scioscia probably would have cut him off the team two years ago when he beat up that Gatorade machine.

The Jeff Weaver Award for Why the **** are you still pitching?!?: Scott Kazmir, LAA. Sure, he has 7 wins, but his 9 losses is among league leaders. His near 7.00 ERA is unfathomable, and his 17 home runs allowed are staggering. Also, his 71 Earned Runs are tops in the majors. His 7 wins and past success are the only things that keep him going to the mound every 5 games. The Angels need to replace him to have ANY chance at keeping up with the Rangers.

The Brandon Wood Award for Why the **** are you still playing?!?: Brandon Wood, LAA. I'm sure this comes to no shock to anyone.

The Steve Finley Award for Worst Free-Agent Pickup: Chone Figgins, SEA. I don't need to throw the stats at you, but he is hitting poorly, not getting on base, and getting caught stealing. I know everyone in town misses him dearly, and think we would be better with him, but I disagree. Its clear that he has been in a regression for the better part of 2 seasons, and this season was the full nose-dive to obscurity.

Well, as we are coming to a close for the Mid-Season Awards, let us take this time to honor the Anti-All-Stars, the worst every-day players at every position. There will be a few surprises, I promise you.

National League:
C - Yadier Molina, STL
1B - Todd Helton, COL
2B - Akinori Iwamura, PIT
3B - Pedro Feliz, HOU
SS - Brenden Ryan, STL
OF - Tony Gwynn Jr, SD
OF - Nate McClouth, ATL (DL)
OF - Ryan Church, PIT
SP - Kenshin Kawakami, ATL
CP - Chad Qualls, ARI

American League:
C - Gerald Laird, DET
1B - Garrett Atkins, BAL
2B - Gordon Beckham, CHW
3B - Brandon Wood, LAA
SS - Jason Bartlett, TB
OF - Trevor Crowe, CLE
OF - Nolan Reimold, BAL
OF - Ryan Raburn, DET
DH - Justin Smoak, SEA
SP - Scott Kazmir, LAA
CP - David Aardsma, SEA

You might notice that Yadier Molina was on both the actual All-Star Team and this fictional Anti-All-Star Team. Well, he is having a downright awful season statistically, and should have never made the All-Star Team. Way to go, America. Also, Aardsma barely edged out Fuentes for closing duties on the Anti-All-Star Team.

Also, Congratulations on two-time honorees this evening, Brandon Wood and Scott Kazmir. You are both truly special, and I can't wait for an entire second-half of watching you two struggle to play baseball.

The All-Star Game: This Time, it Counts!

At this point, they should just have the Yankees take the field against the NL All-Stars. Whats the point of fan voting when every retaad in the country either votes Yankees or Red Sox, because those are the only damn teams that ever get covered on ESPN.

Granted, I'm really happy for Joe Mauer, that he lead all vote-getters with 5.something million votes... and I'm also REALLY happy that Teixeira and A-Rod arent starting the game (even though A-Rod still made the team, because Joe Girardi plays favorites).

Wait... No... I'm not letting Joe Girardi get by on just a footnote... what terrible decisions. I know the remaining pitchers and bench players arent entirely up to him. But there has got to be a reason the Phil Hughes makes the damn All-Star team, but Jared Weaver, the league leader in strikeouts (and a top 5 guy in most other categories) doesn't make the team. Oh yeah, because Joe Girardi is going to do what ever he can to get half his damn roster on the team.

I'm done being mad about this. For reference later, Votto and Youkilis are who you should vote for for the final vote (even though neither should have not made the team in the first place). Weaver and Barry Zito should have at least been candidates for the final vote.

Oh, and I'm ok with Strasburg not making the team... I also would have been ok with him making the team. There are terrific arguments for both sides.

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I regret calling Scott Kazmir our second-most consistent pitcher about a week ago, because its not true. One week, he looks like the Cy Young candidate he was with Tampa... then other games, like yesterday, he looks like someone who would struggle for a rotation spot with Pittsburgh. If anything, he has shown he is the least consistent pitcher in our rotation. This in a rotation with Saunders and Santana. Go figure.

Oh, and is it too late to write in Paul McAnulty (who will hereby be known as Paul McFatty, because thats far cooler than his actual name) for the All-Star Game? I'm really hoping this strange roster decision works out for the team.

Another strange roster choice was bringing up Cory Aldridge, who had 1 run on no hits with 4 k's in five major league at bats... 9 years ago in Atlanta. I can't possible see where this goes wrong. 0-4 with a strikeout in yesterdays game wasnt a good start.

Feels Good, Man.

It was not pretty. But Juan Rivera's sacrifice fly to win the game in the 11th inning might be the sweetest victory the Angels have had all year. Walk-off wins are always nice, but against the best team in baseball, and with the opportunity to gain a half-game on the two teams ahead of them in the division, this one felt good.

But, it should have never gotten to that point. Aybar even made getting lucky look difficult in the first inning, eventually scoring the first run of the game. Torii added a home run in the 3rd, and Napoli hit a no-doubter for two in the 4th. Pineiro was dominant all game, and left the game leading 4-0.

Rodney gave up a run, but otherwise looked solid. One run in a four run game isnt going to ruin anything. Then Brian Fuentes, with his newly added porno 'stache, looked to close the door on the game. After giving up a solo shot to the good Aybar (Willy), letting a couple guys get on, he gave up a two-out double to Evan Longoria, who drove in the tying run.

There were some fine defensive plays in the extra frames. Bulger came in and had a great showing. Trevor Bell struck out Longoria, and that ended up earning him the W.

Morales got a great opposite field single, Willits did his job and bunted him over, and with Rivera at the plate, a wild pitch (although it should have been a passed ball, I digress) got Morales to third, and a deep fly ball drove home Morales.

Great win for the Angels, and a great game to watch, even though it went almost 4 1/2 hours. Tonight, I'm hoping for an even better, and hopefully shorter, game. Its a match-up of Kazmir, who may or may not be facing the Rays for the first time since being traded last year, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm gonna say he is, because its a better story, and Jeff Niemann, someone who I've never seen pitch before, but is 2-0 with a nice ERA. Plus, its bucket cap night... aw yeah.

A few thoughts:
- Personally, I LOVE Fuentes' new Porno Stache. Its currently his only redeeming quality.
- Good to see Napoli FINALLY turning his season around. Thankfully its not too late.
- I'm still wondering why Brandon Wood is still starting. Frandsen has been nothing but solid.
- I'm also happy to see Trevor Bell back in the bigs. He had a rough go of it last year, but he is going to be a fantastic young pitcher.
- I'm not promising anything, but I would not be surprised if we are back over .500 by the end of this homestand.

Angels Record: 15-19
Outlook: Incredibly positive