Here are my first two posts for Halos Hangout:
8.15.2012
Change of Scenery
Change of scenery. I will be now blogging about the Angels for Halos Hangout via the Fansided network. Which means that this blog will focus less on the Angels-specifically and more on baseball in general. Stay tuned.
Here are my first two posts for Halos Hangout:
Here are my first two posts for Halos Hangout:
8.02.2012
Heartbreak in Texas and An Offensively Lost Mark Trumbo
Last night the Angels lost a heart breaker in ten innings. After going up six, the Texas Rangers chipped away( as they are known to do) and tied the game on a solo home run from Ian Kinsler in the bottom of the 9th.
Going into the tenth, the winds of Arlington picked up and the stadium became the bandbox it has a reputation for. The Angels answered with a home run from Chris Iannetta and a 2-run shot from Albert Pujols putting them up three and seemingly poised to take the game. Unfortunately, Ernesto Frieri and Jason Isringhausen got into the matchbox and lit a couple of gas cans, allowing the Rangers to put up a four spot for the game in the 10th.
Lost in the roller coaster of a game was Mark Trumbo. The slugger has been offensively lost a bit of late. In the last 10 games Trumbo has 1 home run and 4 RBIs with a .205 batting average. The one home run is his only extra base hit during that span.
Trumbo has been a surprise in 2012, cutting down his strikeout rate and simultaneously increasing his batting average and on-base percentage. However, in the last 10 games Trumbo has been looking more like his 2011 free-swinging self.
Two days ago it came out that Trumbo had some sort of nagging injury to his ribs. Perhaps that is the reason for his lack of recent offensive output. Either way, if the Angels are going to continue to compete for a wild card spot and even the division, Trumbo will need to return to form.
Also of note, the Angels struck out 16 times last night despite putting up ten runs.
Going into the tenth, the winds of Arlington picked up and the stadium became the bandbox it has a reputation for. The Angels answered with a home run from Chris Iannetta and a 2-run shot from Albert Pujols putting them up three and seemingly poised to take the game. Unfortunately, Ernesto Frieri and Jason Isringhausen got into the matchbox and lit a couple of gas cans, allowing the Rangers to put up a four spot for the game in the 10th.
Lost in the roller coaster of a game was Mark Trumbo. The slugger has been offensively lost a bit of late. In the last 10 games Trumbo has 1 home run and 4 RBIs with a .205 batting average. The one home run is his only extra base hit during that span.
Trumbo has been a surprise in 2012, cutting down his strikeout rate and simultaneously increasing his batting average and on-base percentage. However, in the last 10 games Trumbo has been looking more like his 2011 free-swinging self.
Two days ago it came out that Trumbo had some sort of nagging injury to his ribs. Perhaps that is the reason for his lack of recent offensive output. Either way, if the Angels are going to continue to compete for a wild card spot and even the division, Trumbo will need to return to form.
Also of note, the Angels struck out 16 times last night despite putting up ten runs.
Ernesto Frieri Has Come Back Down To Earth
The honeymoon with Ernesto Frieri is over. After breaking a few records and putting up ungodly numbers, the right-hander acquired earlier this year from the San Diego Padres has come back down to earth.
Since the all-star break Frieri has given up 7 earned runs in 8 innings of work. He's allowed three home runs, 7 hits, and walked 7.
Not much else to say. That's not closer material at all. That's not even 25-man roster material.
To put it simply, to continue to be a contender, our bullpen needs to be solid. Right now it looks shaky and the closer at the back-end might be the shakiest at this point.
Since the all-star break Frieri has given up 7 earned runs in 8 innings of work. He's allowed three home runs, 7 hits, and walked 7.
Not much else to say. That's not closer material at all. That's not even 25-man roster material.
To put it simply, to continue to be a contender, our bullpen needs to be solid. Right now it looks shaky and the closer at the back-end might be the shakiest at this point.
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