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- Dugout Digest – Dan Haren cannot buy a win
20 May 2012 at 1:44pm
I firmly believe that the best Angels starting pitcher is Dan Haren. Typically, he gets overshadowed by Jered Weaver, but Haren’s dominance is completely understated. He hasn’t has a FIP above 4.00 since 2006 in Oakland, and he had eight straight four win seasons. This year, however, Haren is is 1-5 after last night’s loss to the Padres, which was a quality start for Haren. He just got no run support from his team, and this was a game started by Eric Stults…not exactly a top ten pitcher. Despite a walk rate this year that’s the highest its been since Haren was a Cardinal (which is still really, really low), Haren’s pitching well enough to win games. He’s allowed more than three runs in a start just three times this year, and never more than five. The Angels have given Haren more than three runs of support just one time all year, and a whopping total of four runs over his last five starts. Sometimes, it just sucks to be an Angel.
Game of the Night: Twins 5,…
Dugout Digest – Dan Haren cannot buy a win - Game Recap 5/19/2012 — Yawn?!?! — Angels 2 Padres 3
20 May 2012 at 1:31pm
Sometimes baseball can be boring. This doesn’t happen very often, but once in a blue moon a game comes along with very little interest to it. Such is the case with last night’s Angel’s loss. Sure, there was quality pitching and a couple of nice plays defensively, but other than that I can’t say the game yieldeed anything of merit. It was just one of those things.Angels 2 Padres 3Game Notes — Nice to see Erick Aybar have a breakout game. Aybar has been scuffling since signing his extension but have largely been overlooked by the struggles of a certain well paid first baseman. But last night ERick exploded with a 4-4 night including a run and an RBI. Aybar hitting is a huge deal since it strengthen’s the bottom of the line-up and gives the Halos another dangerous bat for a change.– Anybody else find themselves mildly shocked that when Ryan Langerhans came up in the ninth inning you acutally found yourself clammoring for Vernon Wells? I know, it was weird huh?– I…
Game Recap 5/19/2012 — Yawn?!?! — Angels 2 Padres 3 - Former Padre Frieri now starring in Halos ‘pen
20 May 2012 at 5:49am
SAN DIEGO Who knows what emotions washed over Ernesto Frieri as he walked from the bullpen to the pitcher’s mound Friday night at Petco Park?This used to be his home, the place where he spent parts of the past four seasons working as a relief pitcher for the San Diego Padres. But when he entered the game in the ninth inning, he was an employee of the Angels.
And in a way, he was sad about that.
“It’s tough to see your (former) teammates and then see yourself in a different uniform,” Frieri said later. “I miss those guys. I was with the Padres for 10 years. I still can’t believe I’m here, but this is baseball; it’s business. One day you’re here, the next day you’re with another team. I’ve still got to keep throwing strikes.”
Trades are part of the game, but they rarely come without some emotion for players. Frieri was the longest tenured player in the Padres’ organization when he was traded to the Angels on May 3 for infielder Alexi Amarista and pitcher Donn Roach. He was 17 when the Padres signed him in 2003 and sent him from his home in Colombia to the minors.
Now, he has become a valued member of the Angels’ bullpen, a right-hander whose fastball has been unhittable. In six games since joining the team, Frieri has yet to give up a hit or run over 5 23 innings. He has struck out 12 batters.
“If you look at his history, his numbers are great,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He might not be able to keep the pace that he’s keeping right now, but he’s not a fluke.”
Frieri, 26, is far from that. In 105 appearances for the Padres from 2009 to this season, he had 137 strikeouts in 108 13 innings. He also had 56 walks and hit 11 batters.
Frieri may miss his old teammates, who beat the Angels 3-2 on Saturday, but he’s getting an opportunity with the Angels that he didn’t have in San Diego.
With the Padres, he was a middle-innings reliever, working behind Andrew Cashner, Luke Gregerson and Huston Street. With the Angels, he’s getting a chance to pitch in the late innings. He could have earned his first career save in the big leagues Friday, but the Angels scored three runs in the top of the ninth, extending their lead from 4-2 to 7-2.
Although Angels left-hander Scott Downs remains Scioscia’s closer, the manager said he’s not averse to using Frieri and a revived Jordan Walden in the ninth inning. If given a chance, Frieri believes he can be an effective closer.
“That’s one of my goals,” he said. “I want to be a closer to bad, but I’m patient. I’m the kind of guy that will wait for the chance, and whenever they give it to me, I’ll take advantage of it. I’m just going to pitch, even if I pitch in the first, second or ninth inning. I’m going to do the same thing throw strikes and get people out.”
Bud Black, the Padres manager, believes Frieri has the potential to be a late-innings pitcher, if not a closer. His biggest hurdle will be keeping his fastball under control.
“It’s unfair to put a tag on any pitcher, because a lot of times t…
Former Padre Frieri now starring in Halos ‘pen - Angels’ Trumbo benefiting from experience
19 May 2012 at 7:57am
First baseman Mark Trumbo’s power was obvious as a rookie. He led the Los Angeles Angels in home runs (29) and RBI (87), the first rookie in franchise history to pull off that double in his debut season. But Trumbo had his limitations — he walked just 25 times in 573 plate appearances and had an unsightly .291 on-base percentage. This year, though, Trumbo is looking like a much more mature hitter. “I really think experience is the best teacher in this game,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Mark is a really intelligent guy and he understands some things that happened last year. His plate discipline has grown through that experience and it’s led to more walks. “But you’re also seeing him getting more pitches to hit because he’s stayed inside the zone rather than last year when he expanded it at times.” The result of Trumbo’s improved plate discipline is a .365 average and .426 on-base percentage after he went 1-for-4 with a wal…
Angels’ Trumbo benefiting from experience - Angels’ Trout fits right in, will keep improving
19 May 2012 at 6:43am
SAN DIEGO Jim Eppard, the new Angels hitting coach, likes to tell a story about the time in spring training two years ago when Mike Trout accompanied the team to a game in Tucson.At batting practice, Angels manager Mike Scioscia called out to Trout and asked him, “What do you think about when you hit a ball to right-center field?”
“Triple,” Trout answered.
Good answer. In the game, Trout drove a pitch into right-center and sprinted to third with a triple.
“That’s pretty awesome,” Eppard said.
So is Trout, who has been the energizer the Angels were hoping for when they called him up from the minors on April 28. He’s still a work in progress, but since he became the team’s everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter, Trout has been a whirlwind of speed, aggressiveness and daring.
He wants to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He’s a threat to steal a base at any time. He knows how to work counts and doesn’t fear striking out.
Rather than try to rein him in, the Angels would prefer to let him go, believing he’ll become a smarter risk taker as he gains big-league experience. He’s only 20, and these things take time.
“This guy’s got a special talent,” Scioscia said. “He’ll mold it himself as he understands the league and learns a little more. But he needs to get out there and run. He’s like a mustang. He needs to be out there running, and we want him to keep doing it.”
After going hitless in his first seven at-bats following his call-up, Trout is batting .338 with nine extra-base hits and 13 runs scored. In Friday night’s 7-2 win over the Padres, he was 3 for 4 and reached base four times on a walk, an infield single, an RBI triple to left that didn’t even draw a throw to the bag and another single. His triple drove in Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, who singled earlier.
Asked if he was worried that Trout might pass him on the bases, Weaver smiled and said, “I would’ve needed eyes in the back of my head to watch him. He’s a tremendous talent.”
The victory was the Angels’ third in four games and left them with a 10-7 record this month hardly worth toasting but a sign they finally might be rising to a higher level after their ugly April start.
Trout deserves some credit, but so does Mark Trumbo, who drove in a run with a double to extend his hitting streak to nine games and has 15 hits in his past 26 at-bats. And Weaver, who rebounded from his worst outing of the season to pitch seven innings and earn his seventh win.
Trout acknowledges that he’s much more relaxed this season than he was in 2011, when his promotion from the minors caused a stir. He was just 19 years old and already had been named minor league player of the year by Baseball America. In his first game, he received a rousing ovation from the Angel Stadium crowd.
Now, in some ways, he has the look a veteran or at least someone who feels at home in a big-league clubhouse.
“It was definitely a whirlwind when I got called up the first time,” he said. “I didn’…
Angels’ Trout fits right in, will keep improving - First baseman Pujols could help Angels at third
19 May 2012 at 1:33am
SAN DIEGO Albert Pujols has won two Gold Gloves for his work at first base, but it’s possible he may get a chance to play third base this season for the Angels.Manager Mike Scioscia said Pujols came to him recently and offered to play third, and the idea is currently under consideration.
If it happens, though, it’s not likely to be soon.
“It’s a long way off,” Scioscia said Friday before the Angels opened a three-game interleague series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. “Not this series obviously, but you always want to understand the versatility your team has and see if you can tap into it. Short term, a game or two, I don’t think that would be a problem.
“I don’t think it’s something we would want to take an extended look at, but we’ll see.”
The subject came up as Scioscia discussed the fact that Kendrys Morales, who is usually the team’s designated hitter, may sit against the Padres. In National League parks, pitchers are required to hit, so Angels starter Jered Weaver, who has 26 big league at-bats under his belt, was in the lineup.
Morales has been taking ground balls at first base and may get a chance to play there at some point, Scioscia said. As a way to get Pujols, Morales and Mark Trumbo in the same lineup in interleague games, he could use Pujols at third.
“He feels really comfortable down there, so we’ll take a look at it and see,” Scioscia said. “He’s taken ground balls on the left side already.”
Pujols has some familiarity with the position. He played third base in seven games last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, although with mixed success, making three errors in 17 chances, an .824 fielding percentage. In 12 big-league seasons, he’s played third in 103 games, compared to 1,372 games at first.
“In the NL parks, you could keep Trumbo, Albert and Kendrys’ bats in the same lineup,” Scioscia said. “It’s a long way off. I don’t think it’s anything we need to make a decision on right now. We’re going to progress with Kendrys’ work at first and see if it becomes anything that’s a possibility later in the summer.”
It surely wouldn’t happen before the Angels play the Colorado Rockies and Dodgers on the road for six games in June.
“You’re hoping Albert is out there at first base all the time,” Scioscia said, “but if Albert was down a little bit of time and you’re in a National League park and wanted to get Trumbo’s and Morales’ bats in the lineup, you would use it.”
First baseman Pujols could help Angels at third - Albert Pujols Finds Center Field
18 May 2012 at 8:30pm
Big news in Los Angeles of Anaheim these past couple days: Albert Pujols has hit home runs in back-to-back games. Just as after Pujols hit his first homer of the season back on May 6th, one question rules Angels-related discourse: is Albert back? Pujols did hit in six of his next eight games following that first home run, but the result was just a .265/.285/.265 line. Is anything different this time around? Can Angels fans finally start to believe? A quick look at where these home runs fell suggests yes, a rebound should be here soon for Pujols.First, see the first home run, hit off Drew Hutchison of the Blue Jays:
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Pujols hit it well, but it was more about how strong he is than the quality of the swing. He was out leaning and just used his massive frame to get the ball over the left field fence. This has been a problem for Pujols the entire season ? his approach has been so extremely pull heavy that according to our splits, he was pulli…
Albert Pujols Finds Center Field - There’s a chance that Vernon Wells might not be awful anymore
18 May 2012 at 5:00pm
You may not have Vernon Wells to kick around anymore, Angels fans.
No, Vernon isn’t on the verge of getting released as an early Christmas present to all the Halo faithful. As strange as it may sound, Wells might be on the verge of losing his status as Public Enemy #1 thanks to the fact that he, wait for it…
might be remembering how to hit!
Gasp! Guffaw! Other onomatopoeia!
I know, I was just as shocked to learn this as you are, but the numbers don’t lie.
Here are Vernon’s numbers from April 2012:AVG
OBP
SLG
BB%
K%
ISO
wOBA
BABIP.225
.244
.425
2.4%
15.9%
.200
.288
.222Ew, gross. But you know this because you know how bad Wells was in 2011 and those April 2012 numbers are appreciably worse. This caused many fans, myself included, to want to write Wells off as a lost cause.
But lo and behold, the calendar turned to May and now look out our boy:AVG
OBP
SLG
BB%
K%
ISO
wOBA
BABIP.277
.320
.447
6.0%
8.0…
There’s a chance that Vernon Wells might not be awful anymore - David Ortiz on slumping Albert Pujols: He?s a bad motherf***er
18 May 2012 at 1:32pm
Albert Pujols has managed to end his home run drought in Los Angeles, but the numbers are still far from cutting it. A quarter of the way through the season, the $240 million man is still hitting .214 with an on-base percentage of only .248. He has driven in only 18 runs and has three homers, but Pujols is finally showing signs of life at the plate. As someone who knows plenty about starting the year off in a horrible slump, David Ortiz says he is not worried about Albert turning it around ? and we shouldn?t be either.
?Albert Pujols? Let me tell you something about Albert Pujols,? Ortiz said according to ESPNBoston.com. ?Albert Pujols is a bad mother f?er. The baseball world needs Albert Pujols.
?I spent two months with one home run, and I got exhausted mentally and physically. But it was more mental because it was too much of me trying different things and trying to figure out why I wasn?t hitting homers.?Since joining the Red Sox, Ortiz has always seemed to start incredibly slow. Despite crawling out of the gate, his power numbers are always among the best in the American League when the season concludes. At this point, we have no reason to expect the same won?t be true for Pujols.
?One day I just thought, ?Wait a minute,? Ortiz continued. ??When I used to play little league, there was nobody telling me what to do, so let me go back to those days. I?m going to the field with a fresh mind and watch no video, no nothing, and I?m not going to listen to nobody. I?m just going to go see the ball and hit it.? That was it. That?s all it takes. That?s all it took me.?
Maybe Albert needs to channel his inner 11-year-old and everything will fall into place. What we do know is that Ortiz is right about it being mental. With how good of a player Pujols is, there?s no way he would be hitting this poorly if he wasn?t thinking too much. As soon as he starts seeing the ball and reacting, he?ll go on a tear. The problem is that sometimes the longer it lasts the harder it is to snap out of it.
David Ortiz on slumping Albert Pujols: He?s a bad motherf***er - Halo Headlines: Hunter will stay with his son indefinitely, Scioscia feeling …
18 May 2012 at 1:00pm
The May 18th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Hunter will stay with his son indefinitely, Scio…
Halo Headlines: Hunter will stay with his son indefinitely, Scioscia feeling … - Pujols might be finding power stroke
17 May 2012 at 11:58pm
The Angels are like farmers examining every rain cloud for signs of a drought-breaking storm. Every positive at-bat from slumping first baseman Albert Pujols is examined and held onto as a sign that he is about to turn around his disappointing season. “He has a special presence in the batter’s box,” manager Mike Scioscia said after Pujols hit a three-run home run in Wednesday’s victory over the White Sox. “When he’s on, he’ll carry you for a long time. Hopefully, we’re seeing him start to get a little frisky, get into that zone. “He’s told us, ‘You’ll know when I find it.’ We’ll see it. I do think he’s attacked the ball better than his numbers show. He’s hit some balls hard right at people because he’s been hitting everything to the left side and they’re bunching him (with defensive shifts). “That pitch was middle-in but he stayed inside it and hit it to left-center. I think that’s the swi…
Pujols might be finding power stroke - Halo Headlines: Dipoto and Scioscia talk Hatcher firing, Details on arrest of…
17 May 2012 at 1:00pm
The May 17th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Dipoto and Scioscia talk about Hatcher’s firing, details …
Halo Headlines: Dipoto and Scioscia talk Hatcher firing, Details on arrest of… - Pujols’ 2nd homer shows swing on the mend
17 May 2012 at 6:00am
ANAHEIM, Calif. It shouldn’t be news when Albert Pujols hits a home run, but given Pujols’ languid season and the circumstances of the past two days, it’s worth taking notice when he does.The shot he hit Wednesday night in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox soared into the night and landed over the fence in left-center field at Angel Stadium. You figured by this time Pujols would have hit many more like that, but in fact it was only his second home run of the season and his first since May 6.
Pujols hasn’t exactly put his troubles behind him, but he’s got his average up to .213, and his 17 RBIs now lead the Angels, who beat the White Sox 7-2.
“It feels good any time you hit a ball like that,” Pujols said. “It’s been a while. In that situation, you don’t try to do too much. You just stick with your approach, and that’s what I did.”
It’s tempting to say that Pujols is beginning to drive the ball better, but his stroke is still not where it should be. He popped up in two other at-bats and struck out in another, so he’s still probably not satisfied with his results.
But perhaps he’s getting there.
“It was good that he got a pitch middle in and stayed inside a little bit better and drove it out to left-center,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Albert’s got a special presence in the batter’s box, and when he’s on, he’s the type of guy that will carry you for a long time. Hopefully he’s starting to get a little frisky and getting into that zone.”
Before the game, Pujols declined to address the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher on Tuesday. Two weeks ago, Pujols had been visibly perturbed that Hatcher revealed some innocuous comments made by the Angels first baseman during a hitters’ meeting.
After Wednesday’s game, Pujols balked at discussing Hatcher again, then finally said, “One thing I can say is that I have a lot of respect for Mickey. He never took his job for granted. He was a guy that was always positive, even though we were going through some struggles, and that was something that I always admired. He was in the cage every day to try to get you going. It’s a tough situation.”
General manager Jerry Dipoto, asked if the Pujols-Hatcher issue played a part in Hatcher’s firing, answered with a terse, “No.”
Even though Pujols is still in search of his stroke, he’s driving in runs five in two games and 12 in his past 10 games.
Is he feeling close to getting locked in?
“There are some times I feel good at the plate and hit some hard balls, but you just don’t catch any breaks,” he said. “There’s other times you feel lost out there and try to do too much. Every at-bat, no matter how I feel, I try to take it like it’s my last at-bat of my career. I don’t take this game for granted.”
He knows his teammates are waiting for him to begin thriving on pitchers as he had in the past. When he starts hitting, he can be a catalyst for an Angels revival.
He knows it, too.
“I’m one of the leaders here in this clubhouse, and even though…
Pujols’ 2nd homer shows swing on the mend - New Angels hitting coach Jim Eppard debuts
17 May 2012 at 2:59am
When Peter Bourjos was in triple-A Salt Lake two years ago, hitting coach Jim Eppard emphasized one of the principles of his teaching: Have a plan, and stick to it.For Bourjos, it was look for the outside fastball and drive it to right-center field.
Bourjos finished with a record 60 hits that July and was summoned Aug. 3 to the major leagues, where he remains.
Eppard joined his former student Wednesday, replacing Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, who was fired Tuesday after the team had sputtered to a 16-21 start while being shut out eight times, worst in the big leagues.
“He doesn’t dwell on mechanics,” Bourjos said of Eppard, a former Angel who spent the last 10 seasons as Salt Lake hitting coach. “It’s having a plan, executing by not deviating from your plan. When you’re at this level, your swing is your swing. If you have confidence in your approach, you’ll have success. Eppard simplifies your plan, he keeps it easy.”
The Angels, starting with slugger Albert Pujols (one home run), thus far have made hitting appear highly complex, ranking 12th in the American League in runs scored.
That’s highly disappointing, given the investment in Pujols, and this year’s contract extensions that went to second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar, who has dropped from the leadoff spot to No. 8 in the batting order by batting .187.
“Mickey brought energy, he worked his rear off, it’s tough to see him go,” Bourjos said. “I could never beat him to the field. … I think everyone feels bad. We always put it on ourselves.”
Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto decided to fire Hatcher before Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over the Oakland A’s, and Dipoto and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia — a former Dodgers teammate and longtime advocate of Hatcher — informed Hatcher of his firing after the game.
Scioscia stopped far short of saying he endorsed Hatcher’s firing, after late last month saying he was confident Hatcher was the right man to guide the Angels through their struggles on offense.
“Mickey was a great teacher and great hitting coach,” Scioscia said. “We all respect what the general manager’s office is looking out for … we were not in a funk because of Mickey Hatcher. We respect the decision, and go on.”
Said Angels outfielder Vernon Wells of Dipoto’s breaking the Scioscia-Hatcher bond: “Not everything in this game is going to make you happy. … It’s a tough day. It’s gotta be difficult on Scioscia.”
Eppard comes to Anaheim possessing what he called “a mental tape” of players such as Bourjos, slugger Mark Trumbo, leadoff hitter Mike Trout, Kendrick and others he helped in Salt Lake.
“The important thing is getting back to basics, hitting a good pitch, going after it,” Eppard said.
Eppard said he respects Pujols so much that “I ask Albert a lot of questions. I’m constantly trying to learn myself.” Eppard added that sorting out the slugger’s missing power will “be a topic for down the road.”
Shortly after, Scioscia interrupted Eppard’…
New Angels hitting coach Jim Eppard debuts - Halo Headlines: Mickey Hatcher fired, Pujols will stay in the three-hole, the…
16 May 2012 at 1:00pm
The May 16th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including reactions to Hatcher’s firing, Pujols will stay in the three-hole, th…
Halo Headlines: Mickey Hatcher fired, Pujols will stay in the three-hole, the… - Angels fire hitting coach Hatcher
16 May 2012 at 6:39am
Angels fire hitting coach Hatcher - Albert Pujols throws glove at Erick Aybar
10 May 2012 at 1:24pm
Erick Aybar apparently doesn’t understand the famous Albert Pujols Intensity yet.
If he did, he clearly would not have participated in such tomfoolery as smacking Pujols in his elbow/foreman rather than his hand during the postgame High 5 line.
In response, an angry Pujols retaliated.Hat tip: RedditSo, just for the record, in an Angels uniform Pujols has now angrily hit teammates with his fielding glove as often as he’s homered. And it’s May 10th.
Yeah, that’s probably not good.
I still think Pujols will bust out of his doldrums and have a solid season. And hey, even if he doesn’t, Adam Dunn is proving this year that a terrible one-year adjustment to the AL from the NL Central is not a harbinger of career-threatening ineffectiveness.
Just don’t tap Pujols in his funny bone. He clearly doesn’t think there is anything funny about it.
Albert Pujols throws glove at Erick Aybar
