Results tagged ‘ Trevor Bell ’
Winning Words
Tuesday night’s game versus the Mariners featured the same pitching match-up that we saw last week up in Seattle…Scott Kazmir and Felix Hernandez. Again, Kazmir was solid, going 7 innings and giving up 1 run on 3 hits. And again, Kazmir’s performance failed to garner him a much deserved win. But at least this time the Angels were the victors, winning it walk-off style in the 10th. As much as I don’t particularly like close games, “closer” (and I must use that term loosely) Brian Fuentes, had better get some time on the mound in these last few weeks or he will be a liability in the post-season. The second pitch home run he gave up to Mike Sweeney that forced a 10th inning was really hard to watch. When he followed that up with two walks, Jason Bulger had to come in and rescue the inning and ultimately, the game.
Jered Weaver had a good night on Wednesday, striking out 8 in 6 and 1/3. In all fairness, Ian Snell and Jason Vargas weren’t too shabby either. The difference in the game was what happened with runners in scoring position. The Angels were 3 for 10 with a base clearing double from Kendry Morales in the first inning. The Mariners were 0 for 7. It was almost a good thing that Trevor Bell gave up a run in the top of the 9th. Brian Fuentes needed the practice…and got the save, number 40. Of course, this is my favorite 40:
As we dig deeper into this final stretch, I can’t help but think about how consumed I am with my Angels and baseball. Consider how everyday words are taken over by baseball fans and now only pertain to the game and the road to the championship:
Clinch – Really…isn’t it everyones’ favorite verb? What other word can elicit the ultimate sigh of relief from a baseball fan?
Division – Math term? I think not. There’s three in each league and that’s all that matters.
Wild Card - Has nothing to do with poker all though the term “Texas Hold ’Em” may still apply.
Record - In this age of CDs and Ipods, this one’s easy. Wins and losses, plain and simple.
October - The only month that matters. April is a close second.
Yankees - Used to be only Scarlett O’Hara could make it sound like a curse word. Now we all can.
Let’s face it. Certain words hold special meanings for baseball fans during baseball season. Just last week my mom mentioned on the phone that she had bought an “Angel” something for my car. How very cool, I thought. It’ll be a great addition to my Angels license plate frame, Angels antenna ball and Angels window flag. I picked it up this weekend:
Ooops. Guess I forgot there are other kinds of angels. What can I say? It’s baseball season.
Baseball…we love to fly and it shows.
Win, Lose, Win and a New Angel
As planned, I headed out to the Big A for Wednesday’s day game, the last of three versus the Tigers. With my Angels in danger of losing 4 in a row, I had my rally monkey in tow and was ready to help my guys turn it around.
First of all, it was hot. Really, really hot. If you watched the game on TV, it I’m sure the stadium appeared to be practically empty. That was because nearly everyone with field level seats retreated up to the shade of the terrace level. Hardly any players were seen hanging out on the railing in front of the dugouts. They too opted for the shade-covered benches instead.
It may have been sizzling, but that stadium was a big, steaming bowl of yummy goodness! Torii Hunter had a two-run homer in the 1st, Joe Saunders looked great coming off the DL and we saw a couple great double-plays and Chone Figgins almost steal home. (Okay, so he AND the crowd missed the 3rd base ump call time-out…it was still a kick to watch and would’ve been the highlight of the game if he’d pulled it off!) Needless to say, I went to the game expecting a win and that’s exactly what I got.
Thursday night was another story. We were treated to the pre-game ceremony as Brian Downing and Chuck Finley were inducted into the Angels’ Hall of Fame. It was a very nice tribute to a couple of great players and the highlight reels were a trip down memory lane for everyone. It just would’ve been nice if the Angels could’ve won. Oh, and they didn’t just lose. They were shut-out. By Oakland. Ugh.
There’s not much to say about it. Once the game started and it wasn’t about Brian Downing and Chuck Finley anymore, it was all about Trevor Cahill. He was ON as he gave up just 2 hits in 7 full innings. Michael Wuertz pitched a clean 8th and Andrew Bailey got the save, giving up one additional hit. Ervin Santana had a decent outing himself, allowing the A’s only 2 runs in 6 innings and striking out six batters. Matt Palmer provided 3 innings of perfect relief. But the Angels’ offense just couldn’t get to Cahill. Torii Hunter had to bunt to get on base. I think that says it all. I must mention the incredible play Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar made in the 7th. If you haven’t already seen it on a high-light reel (it was #1 play of the day on ESPN), you really should check it out: Aybar and Izturis These two don’t get nearly enough credit. Even Torii Hunter called it one of the best plays he’s ever seen. The crowd clearly recognized brilliance when they saw it.
The game was another frustrating loss but it was a make-up game from April, the game that was to be played the night after Nick Adenhart’s tragic death. The Angels had a dismal month of April so we’ll just say “technically” it was an April game and move on.
I’ll just say, Friday night’s game began like an April game but ended like a 2002 October game. Kendry Morales had a solo HR in the 2nd but the A’s came right back and scored 5 runs in the 3rd after the Angels’ defense fumbled a couple of opportunities to get Trevor Bell out of the inning unscathed. The Angels were trailing 2-6 in the bottom of the 7th when their bats caught fire and blew the game wide open with a 7 run inning which included a 3 run shot by, again, Kendry Morales. When the smoke cleared, the Angels had won 11-7 and Kendry Morales had gone an amazing 5 for 5. He had a pair of doubles to go with his pair of HRs and tied his career high of 6 RBIs.
Ummm, no Tex. That’s SIX ribbies. You need two hands for that one.
Overall, it was a terrific come-from-behind win that seemed to wake up my boys and get them going. Combine the win with the Rangers’ loss to the Twins and the Angels are sitting 5 games ahead again.
After hearing the rumors all day, it was announced during the game that the Angels had acquired lefty Scott Kazmir from the Rays. Hopefully Kazmir will be just what the starting rotation needs to power through the rest of the season and beyond. He seems to have worked through any physical issues and had a strong outing in his last start, going 6 innings and striking out 10. In exchange for Kazmir, the Rays will get two promising prospects and…here’s the part that makes my stomach all queasy…”a player to be named later”. Those, without a doubt, are words no baseball fan likes to hear.
For those Rays fans who are mourning Scott Kazmir’s departure, it looks like I’ll be in your shoes very shortly. I know that being a fan means having to take the bad with the good. And it’s never easy.
Baseball…the road will never be the same.
XXXs and Orioles
The Angels finished up their four game series with the Orioles on Monday night. Can I just say that ending a series on a Monday really throws me off. All day I kept thinking it was Wednesday. No such luck. Oh well. At least the Angels ended their time in Baltimore on a high note, taking 3 of 4 games.
Ervin Santana had another good outing, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. But in a game where both teams each had 9 hits, the Angels made theirs count. Kendry Morales had his two run shot in the 2nd and Macier Izturis had a solo HR in the 6th. Homerun-itis then struck Vladimir Guerrero who launched his own 2 run shot in the 6th and followed that up with a 3 runner in the 7th. Vlady is making up for lost time. His numbers suffered from all the time he spent on the DL. I think those whispered rumors that he’d lost his mojo for good can definitely be put to rest. Super Vlad will not go quietly into that good night. Yippee!
The Angels roll into Cleveland on Tuesday for 3 games. The Indians have won their last two but as long as the Angels offense stays hot everything should be fine. I’d like to see rookie Trevor Bell get his first win. His first game was a no decision. Torii Hunter will be back in the line-up. He’s playing every other day for a little while since he’s fresh off the DL.
There’s certainly no need to rush things as we all want him to be 100%, along with every other player. The Angels schedule will only get tougher in the next few weeks and the Rangers aren’t showing any signs of backing down. The same can’t be said for a few other teams. While every team is entitled to a slump, the Red Sox meltdown couldn’t have come at a better time for the Yankees. It’s got to be so frustrating for Sox fans to watch their team falling from grace so swiftly as the Yankees charge forward. Not pretty.
And in the National League, Dodger fans, who have been riding the hot tamale train since the season started, could be starting to squirm just a little bit. They no longer can claim the best record in baseball and have seen the Rockies chip away at their comfortable lead. They are now just 4.5 games ahead of the Rockies. Even my Angels have a better record than the Dodgers but here in Southern California you’d never know it. The local media, which originates in Los Angeles, continues to ignore the Angels for the most part. Whatever. We’re used to it. In the end, it doesn’t matter. I’ll eat a Dodger dog if I’m wrong, but I’ve got a feeling the Dodger train is about to jump the tracks.
Baseball…It’s the only game in town.
Rays…A Drop of Golden Sun
My Angels completed their sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays today and it put me in such a chipper mood I thought I’d walk home from work.
Okay, not really. But I was singing in the car the whole way. Does that count? It was a great series for many different reasons. I’ll start with the obvious…we won all three games. Monday night was a back and forth battle as each team took turns scoring all the way until the 7th inning when Vladimir Guerrero hit his second homer of the night.
It was no ordinary homerun…it was Vlady’s 400th and as it turned out, was the game winner. How cool is that? Big Daddy Vlady is back!
Monday’s game may have been all about the offense, but Tuesday night’s game was a rubber match. Ervin Santana went toe-to-toe with David Price but the Angels eventually got to Price whereas the Rays were left lifeless by Santana.
He threw a complete game giving up only 3 hits in the 6-0 shutout. 5 of the Angels’ 6 RBIs came courtesy of Jeff Mathis and Reggie Willits, hitting in the #8 and #9 spots. Mathis came inches from having the Angels’ first grand slam of the season. He and Willits were perfect in the clutch but truly the night belonged to Santana. Ervin the All-Star is back!
Wednesday’s game marked the MLB debut of right-hander Trevor Bell. The 22 year-old was impressive through 5 and 1/3. The Angels were down 4-2 when Mike Scioscia pulled him but had Scioscia known what the Angels bats had in store for the second half of the game, I suspect he would’ve let Bell stick around.
In the bottom of the 6th, Gary Matthews, Jr. connected for a 3 run shot that literally got the ball rolling. That was followed up with Howie Kendrick’s own 3 run homer in the bottom of the 7th, which turned out to be a 5 run inning. Angels’ relievers allowed a combined 3 hits, 1 a solo HR to Pat Burrell given up by Jose Arredondo, who has rejoined the team after doing a little time in triple A. With a final score of 10-5, it was just one of those games that was a blast to watch. It had something for everyone, great pitching, great hitting, a few stolen bases and a couple of long balls thrown in for good measure. And once again, we got to watch a rookie make it to the big time. I always get a kick out of that.
The Angels are traveling to Baltimore Thursday and on Friday they play the first of 20 consecutive games without a day off. They are currently sitting 5 games ahead of the Rangers but I’d hardly call that a comfy cushion. I’m just glad they’ve been playing well on the road as they meet up with the Orioles, Indians and Blue Jays during this next road trip. I’m also loving the way each game is a sweet surprise as far who’s contributing the big hits. And my Torii Hunter is expected to be ready for Saturday’s game. I ask you, Angels fans…does it get any better???
Baseball…Play. Laugh. Grow.
lafmyers
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