Results tagged ‘ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ’
Did Torii Hunter call out manager Mike Scioscia after loss?
How frustrated are the Angels after starting the season 6-12?
After last night’s 3-2 loss Torii Hunter talked to reporters about how everyone on the roster has “to dig deep” and then seemingly called out manager Mike Scioscia for his lack of in-game strategy.
Hunter specifically seemed upset about Scioscia’s failure to call a bunt with two runners on base in the second inning, which led to the Angels being held scoreless following back-to-back singles to begin the frame.
Hunter avoided flat-out ripping Scioscia, but based on his comments to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times it’s pretty easy to read between the lines:
We have to fight a little harder. I don’t think we believe we’re trying that hard. We’re just going through the motions. We have to do what we’re capable of doing. That’s everybody; not just the players.
Obviously “not just the players” is directed toward Scioscia, although DiGiovanna called it “a veiled criticism.” However, when asked specifically if a change in early game strategy could have turned the game around Hunter replied:
You mean if we bunted in the second? What can we do? All we do is play the game.
Meaning, of course, that the players can only follow orders from Scioscia in those spots.
Hunter has always been praised for his leadership and is generally one of the most well-liked players in baseball, but in times of adversity dating back to his days in Minnesota he’s shown a willingness to publicly rip teammates and, now apparently, managers.
UPDATE: DiGiovanna reports that the Angels are holding a players-only meeting before today’s game, adding: “Can’t say I’m surprising after the events of last night.”
Source: Hardball Talk
Angels starting Mark Trumbo everywhere but third base
Plans to give Mark Trumbo regular playing time at third base have gone by the wayside after he predictably struggled there defensively, so the Angels have used him at the hot corner just once in the past two weeks.
They have, however, used him just about everywhere else.
Trumbo started at designated hitter on April 19, left field on April 20, third base on April 21, first base on April, and right field yesterday. That’s five different positions in the span of five games, which shows the lengths manager Mike Scioscia will go to keep Trumbo’s bat in the lineup without suffering through his defense at third base.
With that said, Scioscia insisted to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that he hasn’t given up on Trumbo being a third baseman:
It’s a work in progress. I think in spring he showed the skill set to do what we feel a third baseman needs to do. It’s just that he had a couple of bumps in the road early, but we’re still working on it.
So far the Angels have played 149 innings this season and Trumbo has been at third base for 30 of them, committing three errors in just eight total chances. He is, however, hitting .324 with a .924 OPS.
Source: Hardball Talk
Bartolo Colon Throws 38 Straight Strikes
Last winter, some people wondered why the rebuilding Oakland Athletics would be interested in 38-year-old Bartolo Colón.
Well, somebody has to start every fifth game while the youngsters are developing. And if Colón keeps pitching remotely like he did Wednesday night, the A’s should be able to flip Colón and his tiny salary for a hot prospect in a month or two.
What did Colón do? Susan Slusser (via SFGate.com):
The A’s starter threw 38 consecutive strikes from the second pitch of the fifth inning through the seventh pitch of the eighth inning of Oakland’s 6-0 win over the Angels.
–snip–
The A’s and Angels are hoping to try to get some sort of information about where that might rank all-time, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s just wild to even think of that. Eleven batters in a row never saw a ball.
UPDATE: The data so far goes back to 1988, and Colon’s streak is the longest in that 24-year stretch. The next highest total in that time: 30 in a row by Tim Wakefield in 1998.
Colon – who now looks like a pure steal at $2 million for one year – worked eight scoreless innings against the powerful Angels and he allowed four hits, three of them coming with two outs.
Not Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay or any of the other great control artists. Tim Wakefield and (especially) Bartolo Colón. Go figure.
Oh, and if you want to see all 38 straight strikes, MLB.com‘s got them all queued up for you.
