Yardbarker: Los Angeles Angels

Biggest Needs for AL Playoff Contenders

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:44:33 -0500

Biggest Needs for AL Playoff Contenders

-The Red Sox are in pretty good shape, according to Perry. He points a finger at Jason Varitek's underachieving season but thinks the only real need they have is RH middle relief, assuming that Justin Masterson can settle in in the bullpen.
-The Yankees have a long list of players on the DL, with the chance that Matsui and Posada could be gone for the season. They need another bat and will likely be looking at the same players as the Mets, Holliday, Bay, Giles and Dunn.
-The Tampa Bay Rays need a RH left fielder to partner with Carl Crawford, who, with a .235 avg, can't hit lefty pitcher to save his life.
-The White Sox-With one of the worst farm systems in baseball, it's lucky for them, as Perry sees it that that so don't have a lot of holes to fill. They just need for Paul Konerko to start hitting and Jose Contreras to come off the DL in good shape.
-The Minnesota Twins need a third baseman. Perry sees Adrian Beltre as a good fit for them because he bring hitting and fine defense.
-The Angels should be on the hunt for another big bat as their production from their left fielder and their DH has been less than stellar. Third base is also a weak spot offensively.

AccuScore Closer Report - 7/23

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:51:08 -0500

With the trade deadline looming and injuries to several players, bullpen situations remain in flux throughout baseball. Jonathan Lee takes a look at recent moves and ranks all of MLB's closers.

Mark Shapiro should go nuts.... GO GET K-ROD

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:20:50 -0500

Why Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro should take a chance this off-season and make a run at Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez.

MLB Players with dreads

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:08:10 -0500

In baseball there aren't that many players with dreads. But we found some and here is a list of them. Vladimir Guerrero OF Angels Manny Ramirez OF Red Sox Andrew Mccutchen OF Pirates Lastings Milledge OF Nationals Desmond Jennings OF Rays Ervin Santana SP Angels Brian Barton OF Cardinals Jose Arredondo RP Angels

Mets Owner Says He A"Screwed UpA" on Randolph Firing

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:00:18 -0500

Fred Wilpon, the owner of the New York Mets said yesterday that he “screwed up” by allowing general manager Omar Minaya to fire manager Willie Randolph after a West Coast game against the Angels, instead of waiting until the next day where the New York press would have been able to cover the story. With the three hour time difference, Randolph’s firing occurred after 3am on the East Coast. As reported by Bloomberg News (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079 sid=a9aggCxw_ba8 refer=amsports): “I know I screwed up,'' Wilpon told reporters at SportsNet New York's Manhattan studios. ``I should have said, `wait a second.'''[…]Minaya told Wilpon of his decision on Randolph after the Mets' doubleheader against the Texas Rangers in New York on June 15. Wilpon said he told Minaya that he couldn't let Randolph go on Fathers Day and that they should talk about it again early the following day.[...-``I wasn't smart enough to say, `you are going to cut the New York press out?''' Wilpon said. ``I didn't even think of it.'' Since the Randolph firing, his replacement Jerry Manuel has moved the Mets from being 6.5 games out of first, into a tie for the NL East lead. As an aside, don’t think that any regretful decisions on Wilpon’s part has him considering selling the Mets. Everything has a price, but not the Mets,'' Wilpon said. ``I'm never going to sell, my family is going to have this asset.''Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Indians-11 Angels-14

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:56:25 -0500

Cle 11 FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Indians 2 0 0 2 2 0 1 3 1 11 14 0 Angels 0 2 0 3 5 2 2 0 x 14 19 2 TV: FSN West LAA 14 Recap | Game Trax | Box Score | Play by Play | Depth Chart | Head-to-Head | Cleveland Indians BATTER GAME SEASON AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB CS TB BB K LOB AVG OBP SLG G Sizemore CF 5 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 2 3 .272 .377 .544 D Dellucci DH 5 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 .225 .293 .386 B Francisco RF 5 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 .284 .346 .459 J Peralta SS 5 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 .267 .311 .488 S Choo LF 4 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 .252 .349 .449 R Garko 1B 5 2 3 4 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 1 3 .243 .317 .359 A Marte 3B 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 .186 .233 .278 a-C Blake PH-3B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .287 .364 .464 S Fasano C 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 .300 .391 .350 b-J Carroll PH 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .274 .351 .345 A Cabrera 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .186 .282 .249 Totals 41 11 14 11 3 0 2 0 0 23 3 9 21 - - - a-flied out for A.Marte in 8th b-singled for Fasano in 9th BATTING 2B: D Dellucci (14), B Francisco (21), S Choo (11) HR: G Sizemore (25, 8th inning off O'Day 0 on, 1 out), R Garko (8, 4th inning off Lackey 1 on, 0 out) RBI: G Sizemore (56), D Dellucci (33), J Peralta (52), S Choo 2 (23), R Garko 4 (49), A Marte (4), S Fasano (1) 2-out RBI: D Dellucci, R Garko 2, A Marte, S Fasano Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: D Dellucci, B Francisco, A Marte, C Blake, S Fasano, A Cabrera Team LOB: 10 Scoring Opportunities: 5/17 FIELDING DP: A.Marte to A.Cabrera to Garko PITCHER GAME SEASON IP H R ER BB K HR PIT B-S BFP ERA Opp AVG A Laffey (L, 5-7) 4.0 12 8 8 2 2 0 77 31-46 25 4.23 .281 T Mastny 1.1 3 4 4 2 2 1 34 17-17 9 14.90 .348 J Lewis 1.2 4 2 2 0 2 0 35 14-21 9 4.71 .288 J Rincon 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 7-8 3 6.15 .284 Wild Pitches: A Laffey Hit by Pitch: A Cabrera (by J Lackey), D Dellucci (by D O'Day), B Francisco (by D O'Day) Ground Balls: A Laffey 11, T Mastny 1, J Lewis 3, J Rincon 1 Fly Balls: A Laffey 4, T Mastny 3, J Lewis 2, J Rincon 1 Los Angeles Angels BATTER GAME SEASON AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB CS TB BB K LOB AVG OBP SLG C Figgins 3B 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .269 .368 .317 C Kotchman 1B 5 1 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 .289 .331 .433 E Aybar SS 5 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 .286 .315 .402 V Guerrero DH 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 .283 .342 .484 J Rivera RF 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 .248 .313 .376 R Willits RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .185 .308 .231 H Kendrick 2B 5 3 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 7 0 1 1 .341 .361 .514 G Anderson LF 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 .266 .305 .398 G Matthews Jr. CF 3 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 .233 .311 .346 J Mathis C 5 2 4 6 1 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 0 .228 .304 .389 Totals 42 14 19 13 7 0 1 0 0 29 4 7 20 - - - BATTING 2B: C Kotchman (24), E Aybar (11), H Kendrick 3 (23), G Anderson (15), J Mathis (5) HR: J Mathis (8, 5th inning off Mastny 3 on, 0 out) RBI: C Kotchman (48), E Aybar (25), H Kendrick 3 (32), G Matthews Jr. 2 (36), J Mathis 6 (34) Runners moved up: E Aybar, J Rivera, G Anderson2 2-out RBI: C Kotchman, E Aybar, H Kendrick 2, J Mathis 2 Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: C Figgins 2, V Guerrero, J Rivera GIDP: E Aybar Team LOB: 8 Scoring Opportunities: 7/19 FIELDING E: J Lackey (3), J Rivera (3) DP: PITCHER GAME SEASON IP H R ER BB K HR PIT B-S BFP ERA Opp AVG J Lackey (W, 8-2) 5.0 8 6 6 2 5 1 99 32-67 27 3.02 .245 J Speier 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 12 4-8 3 5.09 .248 D O'Day 1.1 3 4 4 0 1 1 30 12-18 9 3.89 .285 J Arredondo 1.1 3 1 1 1 2 0 27 9-18 8 1.33 .186 F Rodriguez (S, 42) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0-1 1 2.18 .176 Intentional Walks: G Anderson (by A Laffey) Ground Balls: J Lackey 5, J Speier 0, D O'Day 2, J Arredondo 1, F Rodriguez 1 Fly Balls: J Lackey 7, J Speier 2, D O'Day 3, J Arredondo 1, F Rodriguez 0

Futures Watch: Week 17

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:17:32 -0500

Oakland, 100:1 (VIP, Matchbook)
Current Record: 52-48
PECOTA Playoff Odds: 18.4%
Tampa Bay, 11.5:1 (5Dimes)
Current Record: 58-41
PECOTA: 78.6%

Tampa beat Oakland today, 4-3.

I think it's time to stop including Oakland every week. PECOTA still thinks they have a shot, but that's not particularly meaningful at this point. Not only have they traded away 2/5 of their rotation, but PECOTA was seemingly overrating their chances to begin with. The A's are available at 18-1 to win the division at Matchbook right now, and nobody is biting.

That's not to say that PECOTA was wrong about Oakland, or that their preseason odds (17-1 to win the division, at BetUS at least) weren't worth betting on. Their 4.5 game lead on the Angels in the Adjusted Standings indicates that things simply haven't broken their way; they could very easily be a few games up in the division, rather than 10 out. And if that were true, it's likely that Harden and Blanton would still be in their rotation right now. Things just didn't quite work out. It happens.

Milwaukee, +300 to win the NL Central (Carib)
+250 to win the NL Central (BetUS, Sportsbook)

These are just ridiculous. The Brewers are -180 to not win the division at Matchbook right now. They're one game back of the Cubs (assuming Chicago doesn't blow their current 10-3 lead against Arizona). Milwaukee's chances of winning the division are probably closer to 50-50 than 1 in 4.

How this discrepancy came to be is pretty obvious. A week ago, Milwaukee was five out, and in third place. They've since won six in a row, including three against the Cardinals (they've actually won seven straight overall, but they started the streak before the ASB). They're now three games ahead of an inferior St. Louis team in the loss column, with Sheets going against Wellemeyer on Thursday night.

What's up with Aaron Laffey?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:41:25 -0500

Tribe fans talk about next year's starting rotation and how thin it is. "We got Lee, Carmona and Laffey" they say. "After that who knows." Better put Aaron Laffey in the "who knows" category. On June 24, after holding the Giants to a run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings at the Jake, Laffey's ERA was 2.83. Five starts later, his ERA is 4.23, and he is 1-3 in those five starts. It's pretty difficult to add a run and a half to your ERA in five starts, but Laffey managed. Here's how: In the past five starts, Laffey has pitched 23 2/3 innings and allowed 22 earned runs. I don't even need my calculator to know that is darned near a 9.00 ERA. He has given up 38 hits and 12 walks during that stretch. Again, I don't need to my calculator to know that comes out to a WHIP of just over 2.00 and nearly 5 walks per 9 innings. Is his confidence rattled? Are his mechanics off? Has the league figured him out? That's hard to say sitting in my living room in suburban NY, but something is clearly out of kilter. So much so, that Tribe manager Eric Wedge wouldn't make any promises when asked whether Laffey might not be the guy to go down to Buffalo to get straightened out when Fausto Carmona comes back at the end of the week. After Laffey gave up 8 runs on 12 hits in just four innings plus in today's game in Anaheim, Wedge was non-committal when asked about the roster move coming up Friday - telling MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince: "We're not going to decide anything right now," manager Eric Wedge said. "We don't need to do anything until Friday night after the game, at the earliest. We haven't made any decisions just yet." Matt Ginter is the presumed odd-man-out, but he's put up two quality starts in two tries since joining the Tribe's rotation in what was supposed to be a cameo role. Jeremy Sowers, who has been a major disappointment this season could also go, but it is likely (at least I think so) that the Tribe - which has already farmed out Sowers this year for retooling - will want to keep him up in the hopes he can work things out on the big-league level between now and the end of September. Which brings us to the bullpen. I had planned to do a piece tonight about how the pen seems to be coming around and how it has been central to the Tribe's recent run of victories. An then today - and Tom Mastny and Jensen Lewis - happened. The duo combined to give up 6 runs over three innings in relief of Mastny, rendering moot any effort the Tribe's offense made to make a game of it. And that doesn't even count the 3 runs of Laffey's that Mastny gave up on a grand slam by Angel's catcher Jeff Mathis. In Mastny's defense, he last pitched 10 days ago. I've said it time and again this year and in the past, I don't know how Wedge expects his 4-7 relievers to be of any value whatsoever when he pitches them once every leap year or so. But still, Mastny was awful and Lewis wasn't much better. But the bullpen has been strong in the past 9 games before today - a stretch which saw the Tribe go 7-2. During that run, the pen has tossed 28 innings allowed 6 earned runs, 17 hits and 7 walks. That's an ERA of 1.92 and a WHIP of 0.86 (I'm not going to let the stats I dug up go top waste). Exclude one 4-run blowup by Juan Rincon, and the Tribe's bullpen ERA during the 9-game run is 0.64. Masa Kobayashi has 2 saves and Mastny, of all people, has the pen's lone win during the Tribe's recent hot streak. More importantly, a few key pitchers seem to be settling into roles. Raffy Perez, back firmly in the set-up role where he excelled last year, threw 7 innings in four appearances over the 9 games and did not allow a run. Kobayashi had the 2 saves and has pitched well in general since taking over the closer's role. Edward Mujica threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings during the stretch as he has begun to make a move toward the latter innings of games. The roles being established now though appear to be nothing more than an attempt to wrestle this season under control. While impressions will be made the rest of the way, it's doesn't appear as though anyone will be locking up their role for next season. In another piece for MLB.com, Castrovince reports that Wedge sees the bullpen situation as - shall we say - fluid. "The roles are wide open," Wedge said. "But I do see signs. We've got plenty of time to continue to look at these guys. They're going to have an opportunity to step up and figure out if they can play a prominent role in this thing." Still, in the same piece, Castrovince reports the Tribe doesn't think it will find its 2009 closer on its 2008 club, again quoting Wedge: "A lot would have to happen with the people we have down there now for us to not go out and get somebody," Wedge said. "Somebody would have to grab the role, really lock into it and prove that we can count on them. That's a lot to happen in two and a half months."

Boom goes the dynamite... Tribe Lose Barnburner

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:27:00 -0500

The Cleveland Indians lost a good old fashioned offensive battle against the Los Angeles Angels. Ryan Garko's big day wasn't enough to overcome the struggles of the Tribe pitching staff and starter Aaron Laffey.

Olney on Washburn

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:07:20 -0500

So, here I am yesterday, innocently reading Buster Olney's chat. Just interested in the latest trade rumors and such. But then he says this:

Sal (Connecticut): Hey Buster, why all the hate on the Yankees staff and bullpen when they have been very good especially the bullpen which has been exceptional and the Yankees have only lost 1 game when handing the ball over to the bullpen with a lead after 6 innings. 1!

Buster Olney: Sal: I have no idea what you are talking about. I haven't been critical of the Yankees' staff lately; it's the offense that I've been critical of. BTW: The Yankees are taking a look at Jarrod Washburn, who has a career ERA of 2.82 ERA in Yankee Stadium. He'd fit them perfectly, for 2008 and 2009 -- he had a sub-3.00 ERA in June and has similar numbers in July. We'll see what happens.

I'll get to the Yankee Stadium thing in a second. The June/July thing has been covered at USS Mariner, but it's worth going over again:

Rapidly improving 33-year old pitcher, or guy whose ERA has bounced around because five starts is a really small sample? You decide.

As for the other issue:

Jacob (Brooklyn): Do you really think Washburn is a good fit with the Yankees because he has a good ERA in 38.1 innings at Yankee Stadium?

Buster Olney: Jacob: I think it's a factor they will look at -- he's a lefty flyball pitcher who changes speeds well and has a nice post-season history. To me, he's a perfect fit for them, the way that George Sherrill makes complete sense for the Brewers or the Angels.

For the record, Washburn career @NYY: 38.1 IP, 5HR, 9BB, 16K, 2.82 ERA. 1-4 record.

So now we're switching the argument. It's not because he's pitched well in New York, it's because he's a good fit for the ballpark. Okay, I'll buy that. But we can't just stop there, of course.

Jarrod Washburn, career postseason: 36.2 IP, 8HR (yikes), 14BB, 21K, 4.91 ERA. 1-3 record. So what we're really saying here is that he "has a ~~nice~~ post-season history."

I just don't understand why people insist on complicating things. The Yankees are considering trading for Washburn. Why? Because Sidney Ponson is currently the #5 starter. Jarrod Washburn is better than Sidney Ponson. That's it. That's the reason. It's really not necessary to whip out all this meaningless, anecdotal evidence to explain their interest. It only serves to weaken the argument, by drawing attention away from what actually matters.

Now THERE'S the Tribe I Knowa??

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:22:45 -0500

A quality start by 31-year old Matt Ginter, where the righty allowed seven hits in six innings was all for naught. Granted, one of the hits was a home run by catcher (and .211-hitting) Jeff Mathis. However, the Indians provided two runs of support on seven hits. And that, folks, rarely gets the job done. The K's continued to roll in for the Angels, as 10 Indians went down on strikes. We struck out 11 times in the previous game, bringing our total to 21 with only four bases on balls. Not a great ratio by any means. Especially when you leave nine guys on base. Good news for the Tribe is that the bullpen joined Ginter in a solid night of pitching. Rafael Betancourt and Ricardo Rincon combined for two innings of one-hit ball. It just so happens that Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez combined for two innings of no-hit ball with four strikeouts. Showoffs. I'd like to take a second to question one thing: the ninth inning. With the bottom of the order coming to bat, Eric Wedge attempted to become the chessmaster. With the .217 average of Franklin Gutierrez coming to bat, Wedge decided to pinch-hit. Who did he send up to the plate? The .225-hitting David Dellucci. Result: Strikeout. Though recording two hits on the night, Asdrubal Cabrera grounded out to Rodriguez on the mound. Two down. Grady Sizemore walked, bringing Jamey Carroll (.270) to the plate - who was quickly swapped for Ryan Garko (.236, .194 in July). Garko proceeded to strike out swinging, thus ending the game. Am I missing something here? Carroll is batting .292 over the last 37 games. Granted, he has nary a home run, but are we looking for a long-ball at this point? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. At that point, it was like trying to build a house with toothpicks - I get that. What I don't get is taking the bat out of the hands of one of our better on-base guys (.348, 3rd on the team) for a guy that is slumping for an entire season. So, what say ye? Please fill me in…

Indians 2 Angels 3

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:59:21 -0500

Cle 2 FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Indians 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 Angels 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 x 3 8 1 TV: FSN West LAA 3 Recap | Game Trax | Box Score | Play by Play | Depth Chart | Head-to-Head | Angel Stadium of Anaheim - Anaheim, California Matt Ginter Ht: 6' 1" Wt: 220 Throws: Right Bats: Right Darren Oliver Ht: 6' 2" Wt: 200 Throws: Left Bats: Right L (1-1) IP H ER BB K ERA 6.0 7 3 0 1 2.45 W (4-1) IP H ER BB K ERA 2.2 1 0 0 1 3.30 Francisco Rodriguez Ht: 6' 0" Wt: 195 Throws: Right Bats: Right S (41) IP H ER BB K ERA 1.0 0 0 1 2 2.20 K-Rod hits career saves mark for Angels Francisco Rodriguez isn't pitching like someone moping around after losing $2.5 million in arbitration. If anything, he's pitching like someone who wants to break the bank when he becomes a free agent at season's end. Rodriguez recorded his 41st save Tuesday night, surpassing last season's total with 62 games remaining and securing a 3-2 victory for the Los Angeles Angels over the Cleveland Indians. "He obviously likes it here and wants to pitch here, but he also understands he's on the brink of what most players dream about - as far as leverage," manager Mike Scioscia said. Full Story Team Page: Indians | Angels Scoring Summary Top of 1st - Sizemore homered to right on a 3-1 count. Top of 2nd - Gutierrez tripled to center, Shoppach scored. Bottom of 2nd - Mathis grounded into fielder's choice, third baseman Marte to second baseman Carroll, Kendrick scored, Rivera out. - Willits singled to center, Mathis scored. Bottom of 5th - Mathis homered to left on a 2-2 count. Season Series Date Home Score Pitchers Mon 4/7 LAA CLE 4 at LAA 6 W: Shields L: Borowski Tue 4/8 LAA CLE 4 at LAA 3 W: Westbrook L: Speier Wed 4/9 LAA CLE 5 at LAA 9 W: Moseley L: Byrd Mon 7/21 LAA CLE 5 at LAA 2 W: Byrd L: Santana Tue 7/22 LAA CLE 2 at LAA 3 W: Oliver L: Ginter Date Home Time (ET) Wed 7/23 LAA 3:35 pm Fri 8/15 CLE 7:05 pm Sat 8/16 CLE 3:55 pm Sun 8/17 CLE 1:05 pm Box Scores Indians (44 - 55) Season Stats | Roster | Tickets Angels (61 - 39) Season Stats | Roster | Tickets Lineup Name AB R H RBI BB 1. G Sizemore, CF 4 1 1 1 1 2. J Carroll, 2B-3B 4 0 1 0 0 2. R Garko, PH 1 0 0 0 0 3. B Francisco, DH 3 0 0 0 1 4. C Blake, 1B 3 0 1 0 1 5. S Choo, LF 4 0 0 0 0 6. K Shoppach, C 2 1 1 0 1 7. A Marte, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 7. J Peralta, PH-SS 1 0 0 0 0 8. F Gutierrez, RF 3 0 1 1 0 8. D Dellucci, PH 1 0 0 0 0 9. A Cabrera, SS-2B 4 0 2 0 0 Totals 33 2 7 2 4 Lineup Name AB R H RBI BB 1. C Figgins, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2. C Kotchman, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 3. M Izturis, SS 4 0 2 0 0 4. V Guerrero, RF 3 0 0 0 0 5. G Anderson, DH 3 0 0 0 0 6. H Kendrick, 2B 3 1 2 0 0 7. J Rivera, LF 3 0 1 0 0 7. G Matthews Jr., CF 0 0 0 0 0 8. J Mathis, C 3 2 1 2 0 9. R Willits, CF-LF 3 0 2 1 0 Totals 30 3 8 3 0 Pitcher Name IP H R ER BB K ERA* M Ginter (L, 1-1) 6.0 7 3 3 0 1 2.45 R Betancourt 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 5.86 J Rincon 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 6.34 Pitcher Name IP H R ER BB K ERA* J Weaver 3.0 3 2 2 2 4 4.08 D Oliver (W, 4-1) 2.2 1 0 0 0 1 3.30 J Arredondo (H, 9) 1.1 3 0 0 0 1 1.05 S Shields (H, 21) 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 2.95 F Rodriguez (S, 41) 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 2.20 * = Season Stat BATTING 2B: C Blake (24) 3B: F Gutierrez (2) HR: G Sizemore (24) BASERUNNING SB: G Sizemore (24)CS: J Carroll (2), A Cabrera (2) BATTING HR: J Mathis (7) BASERUNNING SB: H Kendrick (7), J Mathis (2) Complete Box Score Player News Indians Fausto Carmona (CLE - P) News: Carmona (hip) has been cleared to rejoin the rotation on Saturday after a side session on Tuesday went well, the team's official site reports. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) Joshua Rodriguez (CLE) News: Rodriguez went 2-for-7 in a doubleheader on Monday for Double-A Akron. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) J.D. Martin (CLE) News: Martin has been sent down from Triple-A Buffalo to Double-A Akron, The Buffalo News reports. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) Angels Jered Weaver (LAA - P) News: Weaver left Tuesday's game against the Indians after three innings due back tightness. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) Sean Rodriguez (LAA - 2B) News: Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) Torii Hunter (LAA - CF) News: Hunter has been placed on the bereavement list after leaving the team on Tuesday to be with his ailing grandmother, the Orange County Register reports. (RotoWire - Tue. Jul 22, 2008) Injury Report Indians Name Injury Status S Elarton Non-baseball medical condition on 60-day DL J Barfield Surgery, left finger - out 6-8 weeks on 15-day DL V Martinez Right elbow surgery - out 6-8 weeks on 15-day DL J Westbrook Right elbow surgery - out for season on 60-day DL T Hafner Right shoulder strain on 15-day DL F Carmona Left hip strain on 15-day DL Angels Name Injury Status J Weaver Left game - Tightness in back day-to-day G Matthews Jr. Small tear in patella tendon, left knee day-to-day M Napoli Right shoulder inflammation on 15-day DL K Escobar Torn right labrum on 60-day DL

Matt Ginter Is Effective, Can Someone Tell Me What K-Rod Is Doing?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:27:35 -0500

Matt Ginter's last start for the Cleveland Indians went well, but he couldn't pick up the win against the Los Angeles Angels. Plus what exactly is K-Rod saying to the sky after games? Could he be asking for Sal Fasano's mustache? He'd be dumb not to.

Maybe it’s better when the Angels are under the radar

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:52:36 -0500

One thing many Angels fans complain about is the lack of attention and coverage the Angels get in the national sports media, especially when compared to the Red Sox and Yankees. Well, since the Angels swept the Red Sox over the weekend, three big-name baseball writers (Dan Shaughnessy, Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci) all decided to [...]

What Could Have Been: Maicer Izturis

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:23:01 -0500

What could have happened if Maicer Izturis was never traded by the Cleveland Indians? The Tribe Time Report takes a look at the Los Angeles Angels infielder and how he got away from the Indians organization.