Tag: Francisco Rodríguez Page 1 of 2

TWIWBL 65.2 Spotlight on the Los Angeles Angels

On August 27, 2024

A team still in search of identity, but you can see some reason for optimism. I mean, if you squint.

The Angels inherit players from their namesake and from the New York Mets.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Angels sit at exactly .500, closer to last than to first in the Cum Posey Division (5 games behind division leaders San Francisco, 3.5 games out ahead of last place Portland).

Honestly, a .500 finish is probably the goal for the year, so as far as that goes, they’re on track. It’s just hard to get all that excited about that. But you can see things happening for this team, both offensively and, if you look at the talent scattered throughout their minor league system, on the mound.

THE OFFENSE

There’s a budding superstar here, surrounded by a fair number of question marks. That’s not quite fair: Mike Trout is a budding superstar, but Bobby Grich and Doug Rader are both solid, Kal Daniels continues to demonstrate all the tools, and rookie OF Ichiro Suzuki looks set for a long WBL career.

Currently, though, this offense is just about the definition of league average, sitting 9th or 10th in almost all statistical categories.

#What’s Going Right

Trout is still not an elite power hitter, but every other part of his game is on point and Grich, who leads the team in HR with 10, produces far above the norm offensively for 2B. Veteran Carlos Delgado continues to deliver, and may end up being a pretty attractive trade piece if Los Angeles loses contact with the division leaders.

George Wright‘s return from injury has helped to settle the situation at SS, but Wright will always struggle to add much with the bat.

#What’s Not Going Right

Steve Garvey‘s continued struggles may send him down to the minors, and more and more it looks like his future will be at 1B, not 3B. C is a mess, with the platoon of AJ Pierzynski and Jeff Torborg struggling enough that the team plans to recall John Stearns from AAA this week.

With Suzuki, Wright, Garvey, and Mark Ellis all seeing at least semi-regular playing time, the Angels have a lot of players who are pretty allergic to taking a walk.

THE PITCHING

Los Angeles has somehow put together a top end pitching staff. It’s not likely to last top to bottom, but the higher end talent is very encouraging.

#What’s Going Right

Doc Gooden has been spectacular, with the 22 year old sporting a 2.60 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, but only a 4-3 record across 8 starts. Last year’s ace, Gerrit Cole, has struggled a bit, but the contributions of Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) and Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60), along with the steady innings eating ability of Pud Galvin, has given Los Angeles a very strong rotation. And Cole, at 25, is the veteran of the bunch.

Roy Patterson, Ross Reynolds, and Mike Smith have been excellent in the middle innings, and Joe Nathan has 8 saves.

Perhaps most of all, the Angels decision to send Nolan Ryan and Chuck Finley to the minors seems to have paid off, with each of them performing well at AA.

#What’s Not Going Right

Not a lot, although the back end of the bullpen has been a little weak, with Francisco Rodríguez and Julio Teheran struggling and Nathan’s peripheral numbers being far rougher than his record may indicate.

Lefty Noah Lowry has been very ineffective, and his holding on to his roster spot by his fingernails.

Derrek Lee has struggled, and is in danger of losing his job to Wally Joyner, although that would leave the Angels with 2 lefties at 1B.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

This is not a great system, although if you count Ryan and Finley (who passed their rookie limits last season) it looks much better. IF Xander Bogaerts and closer Bryan Harvey are probably the highest ceiling prospects, followed by IF Marcus Semien, professional hitter Babe Herman, and OFs Dwayne Murphy, Brian Nimmo, and Billy Hamilton.

Of those, only Bogaerts is doing well.

Veteran help is available at AAA in the form of OF Elmer Valo, Stearns, 1Bs Wally Joyner and Jack Hannifin, and 3B Pedro Álvarez.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense has to improve faster than the offense reverts to the mean.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? This has been resoundingly answered so far, with the pitching staff performing as well as any in the league.
Will anyone step up at C? Not yet, no. We’ll see if Stearns, who will replace Torborg, improves the situation here.

FEATURED SERIES

The Angels head to Memphis for 4 games to start the week; we’ll follow those games as it will give us a chance to see the bulk of their rotation.

Projected Starters

Los Angeles starter listed first.

Brett Anderson (3-2, 4.60) @ Jon Lester (2-1, 5.53)
Tom Seaver (3-2, 3.88) @ Bill Doak (3-3, 4.53)
Gerrit Cole (1-4, 5.37) @ Len Barker (1-6, 4.63)
Dwight Gooden (4-3, 2.60) @ Stubby Overmire (2-4, 4.9-2)

Game One

This is what happens when your bullpen is toast. With Joe Nathan and Francisco Rodríguez needing rest, the Angels were forced to turn to Noah Lowry in a high leverage situation … and it did not go well.

Brett Anderson was strong over 6 plus innings, and the Angels held a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. But Roy Patterson and Lowry collapsed, giving up 5 runs, including a go-ahead 3 run shot by Manny Ramírez as Memphis claimed a come from behind victory.

LAA 7 (Lowry 2-1, 3 B Sv) @ MEM 8 (Miller 3-; Papelbon 4 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Trout (9), Daniels (6); MEM – Williams (9), Smith (11), Ramírez (9).
Box Score

Game Two

More of the same. Los Angeles roared out of the gate, with back-to-back homeruns to lead off the game from Don Buford and Kal Daniels. Bobby Grich added a 2 run shot later in the inning, and the Angels were up 4-0. They touched Bill Doak for another run, leading 5-0 after 3.5.

And then Tom Seaver began to struggle, giving up homeruns to Manny Ramírez in consecutive innings, tying up the ballgame at 5. After Ross Reynolds was forced from the game with a forearm issue, David Ortíz greeted Roy Patterson with a solo shot to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

Bobby Grich hit his second of the game, taking Jonathan Papelbon deep in the 9th to tie it, but the Angels bullpen wasn’t up to the task, eventually surrendering a bases loaded single to Mookie Betts for the walkoff win for Memphis.

LAA 6 (Patterson 1-1) @ MEM 7 (Papelbon 2-2, 3 B Sv; Bell 3 H; Miller 4 H)
HRs: LAA – Daniels (7), Buford (9), Grich 2 (12); MEM – Ramírez 2 (11), Ortíz (6).
Box Score

The game was costly for each team, as Memphis’ Dobie Moore also left with an injury. Reynolds will miss about a week, landing him on the DL, with the Angels recalling Scott Rice from AAA. Rice has a shot at taking Noah Lowry‘s role as the pen lefty, depending on how his initial WBL outings go.

Moore’s status is still unknown.

Game Three

Don Buford led off the game with a homerun for the second consecutive game, staking Gerrit Cole to an early 1-0 lead. Cole wasn’t up for the task, giving up 1 in the bottom of the first and a whopping 6 in the 2nd before being chased from the game by a Mookie Betts blast in the 4th.

The Angels offense did well against Len Barker, touching him for 6 runs in 6 innings, and staying close enough that a George Wright homerun (!) in the 8th could make it a 1 run game, 11-10 Memphis. They put two runners on base against Heath Bell in the 9th, but were unable to break through, and the Red Sox take the first 3 games of the series.

Wade Boggs had 3 doubles for Memphis and scored 4 times.

LAA 10 (Cole 1-5) @ MEM 11 (Barker 2-6; Callahan 1 H; Bell 2 Sv)
HRs: LAA – Buford (10), Wright (3); MEM – Ramírez (12), Betts (5).
Box Score

Angels 3B Doug Rader had to leave the game, but isn’t likely to require a trip to the DL. There was great news for Memphis as well, as Dobie Moore will only miss about a day with his bruised shin.

Game Four

Don Buford didn’t lead off this one with a homer: he waited until the 5th inning to launch a 3 run shot, putting the Angels up, 3-2. Steve Garvey and Ichiro Suzuki added 2 RBIs each in the 6th, increasing the lead to 7-2.

Doc Gooden had given up a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 1st to David Ortíz, but had shut Memphis down after that, lasting 7 innings in a very strong outing. Scott Rice relieved Gooden for his WBL debut … and it did not go well, with Rice giving up 3 runs, allowing the Red Sox to close the gap to 9-5.

With a 4 run lead, the Angels turned to Francisco Rodríguez … who promptly loaded the bases to start the bottom of the 9th. A walk to Ted Williams made it 9-6, and brought in Los Angeles’ closer, Joe Nathan. Nathan whiffed two … and then gave up a walkoff grand slam homerun to Billy Bryan, giving the Red Sox the series sweep.

Buford–who had a great series–finished the game with 5 RBIs, giving him 3 homers and 7 RBIs over the 4 games.

LAA 9 (Nathan 3-2, 1 B Sv) @ MEM 10 (Callahan 1-1)
HRs: LAA – Buford (11); MEM – Ortíz (7), Bryan (4).
Box Score

What a miserable series … 4 winnable games, 4 collapses from the Angels’ bullpen, 4 different ways to steal defeat from the jars of victory leading to 4 straight 1 run losses.

TWIWBL 62.3: Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On June 24, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Eddie Collins had 4 hits (including his first homerun of the year) and Mike Fiore had a Mike Fiore day with 3 walks and a homerun leading the American Giants to a 6-3 win over Baltimore. Despite a decent outing, Mark Buehrle was thwarted in his attempt to win his 6th game of the year, with the victory going to Hoyt Wilhelm in relief while AJ Minter picked up his 5th save.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels hit five homeruns to back another strong effort from Doc Gooden, who lowered his ERA under 2.00 in an 8-0 blanking of Miami. Doug Rader, Carlos Delgado, Eddie Joost, Kal Daniels, and Mike Trout all went deep for Los Angeles, while Gooden combined with Francisco Rodríguez on the 4 hit shutout.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Miami used back-to-back-to-back homeruns from Ryan Braun (his second of the game), José Canseco, and Jim Thome to surge ahead, then held on to escape with a 6-5 win over Los Angeles. Freddie Fitzsimmons was effective for the first time all year, improving to 2-3 and Sandy Consuegra continued to be borderline unhittable, picking up his 3rd save and lowering his ERA to 0.69.

Well this was a surprise. Kenshin Kawakami was recalled to make a start due to a lack of options. The 32 year old delivered 7 shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits and striking out 6, combining with 3 relievers on a 5 hit shutout as the Cuban Giants defeated the Angels 4-0.

Braden Looper was forced from a game with a sore shoulder, and would hit the DL. 25 year old Bob Gillespie–dominant at Orlando so far–was recalled to take his place.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

With Tommy Bridges headed to the DL, the Sea Lions recalled newly signed reliever Huston Street.

Reggie Jackson went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Memphis, 8-6. Jackson did it again, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 4 in a 9-8 win over the Red Sox. Jimmie Foxx also hit 2 out as the Sea Lions went yard 7 times (Jack Clark, Bobby Bonds, and Mickey Cochrane also went deep) and held on despite giving up 5 runs in the last 2 innings.

Rickey Henderson stole 6 bases, overtaking teammate Dick Lundy for the league lead, but the Sea Lions fell to Portland, 5-3.

WBL Year II Statistics

I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

2. Bob Bescher (IND); Craig Biggio (HOU), Ty Cobb (DET); Willie McGee (KCM); Tim Raines (OTT).

3+ 2B Games

4. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE).
3. Craig Biggio (HOU); Ron Cey (BRK); Cupid Childs (BBB); Ty Cobb (DET); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Josh Gibson (HOM); Hank Greenberg (DET); Joe Jackson (CAG); Joe Morgan (IND); Frank Robinson (BAL); Pete Runnels (NYG); Reggie Smith (MEM); Mike Trout (LAA).

3+ HBP Games

3. Jack Doyle (CAG).

3+ HR Games

3. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ed Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Carlos Beltrán (OTT); Lance Berkman (CLE); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Ryan Braun (MCG); José Canseco (MCG); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); George Gore (HOD); Stan Musial (KCM); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Álex Rodríguez (OTT); Babe Ruth (NYY); Sammy Sosa (HOD); Mike Trout (LAA); Larry Walker (OTT).

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

4. Ed Bailey (DET); Eddie Collins (CAG); Mike Epstein (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Andrew McCutchen (HOM), Joey Votto (IND).

4+ CS Games

4. Johnny Bench (IND); Gabby Hartnett (MEM); Jorge Posada (HOU).

4+ Run Games

5. Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Tris Speaker (CLE).
4. Roberto Alomar x2 (OTT); Jeff Bagwell x2 (HOU); Bob Bailey (DET); Ed Bailey (DET); Johnny Bates x2 (CLE); Albert Belle (BBB); Curt Blefary x2 (BAL); Dan Brouthers (BRK); Ron Cey (BRK); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Mike Epstein (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Benny Kauff (NYG); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Babe Ruth (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG); Jim Wynn (HOU).

4+ SB Games

6. Rickey Henderson (SFS).
4. Frank Chance (HOD); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Dick Lundy (SFS).

5+ Hit Games

5. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Don Buford (LAA); Joe Jackson (CAG); Chuck Knoblauch (CLE); Mike Trout (LAA).

5+ SO Games

5. Beals Becker (BRK); Bobby Bonds (SFS); Ron Cey (BRK); Larry Doby (CLE); Héctor López (NYY); Dale Murphy (KCM).

6+ RBI Games

7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Charlie Gehringer (DET); Manny Machado (BAL); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
6. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Bailey (DET); Ernie Banks (HOD); Johnny Callison (NYG); Gavvy Cravath (BAL); Chili Davis (DET); Josh Gibson (HOM); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Mike Piazza (BRK); Manny Ramírez (MEM); Babe Ruth x3 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Roy White (BRK).

Longest HRs

{Note: OOTP clearly has something weird happening with overpowered HRs. It’s getting better, and, at some point, I’m going to reduce these by roughly 10%, which would leave the list at only 3 at 500 ft+ for the season so far, which seems much more realistic to me, but am waiting to see if I get any additional info/guidance from the game dev’s.}

595 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
558 ft. Aaron Judge (PHA).
555 ft. Albert Pujols (KCM).
551 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
550 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE).
544 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
542 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Evan Longoria (CLE).
539 ft. Johnny Bates (CLE); Craig Biggio (HOU).
538 ft. Josh Gibson (HOM), Pete Hill (HOU); Buster Posey (NYG).
535 ft. Buster Posey (NYG).
534 ft. Robinson Canó (KCM).
530 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
528 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Willie Mays (NYG).
527 ft. Joe Adcock (NYG).
525 ft. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
522 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
519 ft. Babe Ruth (NYY).
518 ft. Willie Mays (NYG).
516 ft. Hank Aaron (BBB); Bob Nieman (BBB).
514 ft. Ron Cey (BRK); Oscar Gamble (DET).
512 ft. Tony Gwynn (HOU).
511 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE); Dan Brouthers (BRK).
510 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
509 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG); Jack Clark (SFS); Bryce Harper (BAL); Ted Simmons (KCM).
508 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE); Boog Powell (KCM); Travis Shaw (MEM).
507 ft. Ted Simmons (KCM).
505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA).
503 ft. Larry Doyle (NYG); Ryne Sandberg (HOD); Oscar Gamble (DET).
502 ft. Ernie Banks (HOD); Albert Belle (BBB); Robinson Canó (KCM); Ray Dandridge (BRK); Mike Epstein (HOM).
501 ft. Derek Jeter (NYA).
500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

99. José Rijo (KCM).
97. JM Ward (PHI).
93. Frank Castillo (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
92. Bump Hadley (SFS).
91. Frank Knauss (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU)
90. Brian Anderson (LAA); A. Rube Foster (KCM); Alejandro Peña (BBB); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Joe Rogan (PHI).
89. Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).
88. Luis Padrón (IND); Bill Steen (CLE); Justin Verlander (DET).
87. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Jim Whitney (BBB).
86. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Doc Gooden (LAA).
85. Roger Clemens (HOU); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Eddie Plank (SFS); Jameson Taillon (MEM); Ed Walsh (CAG).
84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Ron Guidry (NYY); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Ed Walsh (CAG).
83. Bob Friend (HOM); Mike Mussina (BAL).
82. Mark Buehrle (CAG); Bill Doak (MEM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
80. Walter Johnson (POR); The Only Nolan (IND); Andy Pettitte (NYY); Toad Ramsey (HOU).

10+ Strikeout Games

14. Frank Castillo (KCM); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
13. Brian Anderson (LAA); Ron Guidry (NYY); Charlie Root (DET).
12. Johnny Cueto (IND); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Mike Mussina (BAL); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); José Rijo (KCM); Bill Steen (CLE); JM Ward (PHI).
11. Johnny Cueto (IND); Ron Guidry (NYY); Connie Johnson (BAL); Walter Johnson (POR); Frank Knauss (BRG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); The Only Nolan (IND); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey x2 (HOU); Don Sutton (NYG); Justin Verlander (DET); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Steve Carlton (PHI); Frank Castillo (KCM); Watty Clark (SFS); Bob Friend (HOM); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Frank Knauss (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Billy Pierce (HOM); Don Sutton (NYG); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).

8+ Walk Games

8. Ed Brandt (MCG); Hardie Henderson (PHI).
9. Randy Johnson (OTT).

Shutouts

NO HITS. José Rijo (IND).
1 Hit. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Luis Padrón (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
2 Hits. A. Rube Foster (KCM); Lefty Grove (SFS); Bump Hadley (SFS); Frank Knauss (BRK); Francisco Liriano (HOM); Dennis Martínez (BAL); Joe Rogan (PHI).
3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Eddie Plank (SFS); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
4 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Doc Gooden (LAA); Lefty Grove (SFS); Jim Whitney (BBB).

Shutouts (Combined)

1 Hit. Justin Verlander / Mike Henneman (DET); Bill Steen / Terry Adams (CLE).
2 Hits. Jameson Taillon / Skel Roach / Andrew Miller (MEM); Ed Walsh / Tom Williams (CAG).
3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI); Orel Hershiser / Eric Gagne (BRK).
4 Hits. Toad Ramsey / Bones Ely (HOU); Hardie Henderson / Brad Kilby / Tim Belcher / Ted Kennedy (PHI); Dwight Gooden / Francisco Rodríguez (LAA); Bump Hadley / Jim Devlin / Ken Howell / Rod Beck (SFS); Greg Maddux / John Malarkey / Bruce Chen / Juan Rincón (BBB).
5 Hits. Kenshin Kawakami / Barry Latman / Ed Brandt / Sandy Consuegra (MCG); Len Barker / David Bush / Andrew Miller (MEM); Johnny Cueto / Sad Sam Jones / Rob Murphy / Rob Dibble (IND); Smoky Joe Wood / Mike Kume (KCM).

Year II Season Preview: Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On March 27, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Playoff contention.

Best Case

Gerrit Cole and Pud Galvin pitch as they have and someone, or actually a few someone’s, from the group of Doc Gooden, Elmer Smith, Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Sid Fernandez make good on their immense potential while Mike Trout develops into a true superstar, Carlos Delgado holds off age for another year, and 1st round pick Ichiro Suzuki comes good.

Worst Case

The pitching remains a hot mess, Doug Rader reverts to form, and Delgado, Don Buford, and George Wright all feel the effects of age.

Key Questions

Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen?
Will anyone step up at C?

In addition to Suzuki, draft picks Babe Herman, John Lackey, and Bryan Harvey all have a shot at making the team.

Trade Bait

Nothing immediately, but the team could do a rebuild at some point and there are some that could be valuable.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C						Pierzynski Torborg
1B		Delgado		Lee
2B		Grich				Ellis
3B	Rader			Garvey
SS				Wright
LF/ RF			Buford Daniels			Suzuki
CF		Trout
SP		Cole	Anderson Galvin	Gooden	Seaver
End			Nathan Rodríguez			Teheran
RP		~~Venters~~				DeSclafani Lowry Patterson Smith

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

That’s a lot in the unknown column, and with Rader and Delgado both likely to regress … it could be a long California summer.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	1B Carlos Delgado	1B Jack Hannifin
Batting Eye	2B Bobby Grich	OF Jack Gleason
Contact	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Elmer Valo
Running Speed	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Billy Hamilton
Base Stealing	OF Mike Trout	OF Billy Hamilton
IF Defense	3B Doug Rader	3B Pedro Álvarez
OF Defense	OF Ichiro Suzuki	OF Ender Inciarte
Stuff	P Elmer Smith	P Nolan Ryan
Control	SP Pud Galvin	P Brian Anderson
Velocity	RP Joe Nathan RP Francisco Rodríguez	P Nolan Ryan

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (19)	25	P/OF	Elmer Smith
2 (85)	22	P	John Lackey
3 (90)	21	P	Randy Tate
4 (92)	21	IF	Marcus Semien
5 (95)	23	P	Joey Lucchesi
6 (141)	23	P	Tom Seaver
7 (154)	22	P	Esteban Loaiza
8 (157)	25	P	Ross Reynolds
9 (178)	25	P	Brian Anderson
10 (187)	22	OF	Brandon Nimmo

Others: RP Bryan Harvey.

The lack of top end talent is a serious issue, but the presence of quite a bit of decent pitching is a very significant advantage, especially when considering how underrated some of the prospects are–Mr. Seaver, we’re looking at you.

	Most	Least
Age	P Jose Contreras, 38	P Blue Moon Odom, 19
Height	P Chuck Finley, 6’6″ P John Lackey, 6’6″ P John O’Donoghue, 6’6″	OF Albie Pearson, 5’5″
OPS	OF Ned Harris, 1.230(—)	OF Jack Gleason, .545 (—)
HR	OF Ned Harris, 58 (—)	OF Albie Pearson, 1 (—)
SB	OF Mike Trout, 37 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	OF Mike Trout, 6.0 (WBL)	OF Jack Gleason, -2.0 (—)
W	Gerrit Cole, 16 (WBL)	Carl Willis, 1 (—)
SV	Joe Nathan, 22 (WBL)
ERA	Jose Contreras, 3.04 (—)	Jesse Tannehill, 6.72 (—)
WAR	Jose Contreras, 6.5 (—)	Brian Anderson, -0.9 (AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Season Review: Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On December 19, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

72 - 82, .467 pct.
4th in Bill James Division, 17 games behind.

Overall

Perhaps no team in the WBL has a larger gap between their obvious talent on the mound and their performance. Until the Angels figure that out, they are no better than a .500 team, if that, in spite of some useful pieces on offense.

What Went Right

Doug Rader had a career year, leading the WBL in RBIs up to the final few days of the season (his 134 finished 1 behind Babe Ruth, no shame in that), but perhaps the best news was the season-long development of CF Mike Trout, who only needs to add some power to move into the elite of the league.

Carlos Delgado–acquired when the Angels were still in the hunt–continued to mash the ball, and Bobby Grich was excellent at 2B all year long.

It’s unclear if the performances of Don Buford, John Stearns, or George Wright went right or wrong. They weren’t bad, but they also weren’t especially good.

For a team whose struggles were attributed to their pitching, the Angels had some surprising bright spots: the starting trio of Gerrit Cole, Pud Galvin, and Brett Anderson were excellent (when Anderson was healthy) and Jonny Venters and Francisco Rodríguez were excellent out of the bullpen. Cole, of course, was one of the better in the league for much of the year, finishing with 16 wins and Rodríguez will most likely challenge Joe Nathan for the closer role next season.

ALL STARS
P Gerrit Cole; 3B Doug Rader

What Went Wrong

There is so much talent on the mound here: the ball just explodes out of the hand for Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Chuck Finley. But of them, only Gooden had anything close to a good season, and he finished 8-10 with an ERA over 5. It’s really that simple: if two of this group step up, they’re a borderline playoff team; if three of them step up, they’ll challenge for the division championship; if all four of them deliver, they could challenge for a championship.

Too much mediocrity from position players: C never got settled (John Stearns was decent, Ron Hassey poor), RF was OK, although Kal Daniels–for all his tools–is probably better suited for a platoon arrangement.

It’s unclear if the performances of Don Buford or George Wright went right or wrong. They weren’t bad, but they also weren’t especially good.

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Rusty Staub to Ottawa for IF Steve Garvey & OF Spud Johnson

Garvey played very well for LA, so call this one a push.

P Dave Bennett, OF Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens & P Sean O'Sullivan to Ottawa for 1B Carlos Delgado

Remember, they were in contention. As such, it’s not a bad deal, although Los Angeles clearly did give up more talent.

C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, P Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for OF Wally Moon, OF Dwayne Murphy, 4th Round Pick {John Lackey} & 6th Round Pick {Omar Olivares}

Feels like a win overall.

July

None

Looking Forward

SP

If things develop as expected, the Angels are loaded, looking at a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden and Pud Galvin. And those are only the arms under long term deals.

RP

Lots of talent here, both at the WBL (Joe Nathan, Jonny Venters, Francisco Rodríguez) and in the minors, led by Carlos Mármol, Darren Holmes, Larry Anderson, and some others.

C

An area of need, especially if John Stearns cannot step up.

1B

Needs some talent long term, but Carlos Delgado has it for a little while. The Wally’s–Joyner and Pipp–have shown some promise as well. Steve Garvey may end up here, but it’s not clear if he’ll hit enough to warrant an everyday slot.

2B

Bobby Grich for the foreseeable.

3B

Doug Rader for now, with very little behind.

SS

George Wright is elite defensively, but offers little else. Andrelton Simmons should take over at some point.

LF

Don Buford was good enough, but they could take an upgrade here.

CF

Mike Trout, Mike Trout, Mike Trout.

RF

If Kal Daniels continues to struggle against lefties, a platoon may be in order.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

Los Angeles needs star power. With the 8th pick in the first round, they get a player who should step right into the RF spot: Ichiro Suzuki. The Angels should spend the rest of the draft adding offensive talent–a luxury few franchises have, but the sheer glut of pitching potential in their system sort of necessitates it.

In the 2nd round, they took Babe Herman, who is probably a year away, but look like a masher; and in round 3, Marcus Semien, who is a few years away, giving him time to figure out where on the infield he might settle.

Los Angeles has back-to-back picks in the 4th round and looked to add some pitching in franchise pick John Lackey and using their final franchise exception on Estaban Loiza.

Rounds 5-8

The Angels’ 5th round pick, OF Brandon Nimmo, has aspirations to carry Mike Trout’s luggage.

They followed that with P Omar Olivares and Bryan Harvey with back-to-back selections in the 6th round and continued the focus on pitching with Tom Morgan in round 7 and Al Jackson in round 8.

Rounds 9-12

P Tom Hausman; 1B Casey Kotchman; IF Tony Womack; and P Randy Tate.

The Angels’ 10th round pick, Casey Kotchman, refused Los Angeles’ final offer, preferring to go back into next year’s draft.

Series XXXVII Featured Matchup: Los Angeles Angels @ New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On August 16, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Gerrit Cole @ Waite Hoyt

Lou Gehrig‘s 25th homerun of the year and an RBI single from Thurman Munson put the Black Yankees on top 2-0, but Waite Hoyt was unable to hold it, surrendering 2 runs in the top of the 3rd to tie the game.

Hoyt was chased by singles from Mike Trout and Doug Rader to leadoff the 5th, with AJ Burnett coming in for New York. Burnett escaped further damage but Gerrit Cole gave up the lead in the bottom of the inning as Mickey Mantle led off the frame with his 26th homer.

Burnett walked Trout with the bases loaded to tie the game again, and then gave up a 2 run single to Rader. Dave Righetti was brought on, but Carlos Delgado delivered an RBI single, and Elmer Valo a run-scoring double and when the smoke cleared, the Angels were up, 7-3.

They would add 5 more in the following inning, and the score was only respectable due to Babe Ruth hitting his 45th homer of the year in the 9th inning.

Trout and Rader had 4 hits each, and Delgado added 3. The 3 of them drove in 11 runs, with Rader maintaining his overall lead in the RBI race over Ruth, 131 to 130.

LAA 12 (Cole 16-9) @ NYY 7 (Burnett 5-3)
HRs: LAA – Delgado (11); Gehrig (25), Mantle (26), Ruth (45).
Box Score

With Cleveland losing, this was a lost opportunity for New York, who end the day still 3 games out of the final wild card spot and 5 behind the Spiders for the division lead.

#Game 2: Pud Galvin @ Jack Scott

Mike Trout‘s 21st homerun of the year put the Angels up 2-0 in the top of the first. Two more homeruns (Bobby Grich‘s 12th and Doug Rader‘s 18th) doubled the lead in the 3rd to 4-0. RBI singles from Thurman Munson and Don Mattingly cut it back to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning.

Both pitchers were laboring and New York’s Jack Scott was relieved by Bryan Hickerson with 1 out in the top of the 6th while Pud Galvin gave way to Chuck Finley in the bottom of the frame.

Harry Howell led off the 7th with a pinch hit triple, but was gunned down at the plate on a nice throw from Albert Belle.

Rader doubled in another run–his 133rd RBI of the year–in the top of the 8th, extending Los Angeles’ lead to 5-2. That run loomed large after the bottom of the 8th, when Mattingly hit his 27th homerun of the year after a leadoff double from Munson (his 40th of the year) made it 5-4.

The Angels brought in their closer in the bottom of the 9th, but Joe Nathan was greeted by a leadoff homerun from Mickey Mantle. That sent us to extra innings.

Kal Daniels took Aroldis Chapman deep in the top of the 12th after Hi Myers led off with a walk. And that was it: Francisco Rodríguez held on in the bottom of the 12th as the Angels put another dent in the Black Yankees’ post-season hopes.

Daniels finished with 3 hits for the Angels.

LAA 7 (Rodríguez 4-3; Nathan 9 B Sv; Finley 6 H; Seaver 2 H) @ NYY 5 (Chapman 1-1) [12 Innings]
HRs: LAA – Trout (21), Grich (12), Rader (18), Daniels (14); NYY – Mattingly (27), Mantle (27).
Box Score

#Game 3: Jason Vargas @ Ron Guidry

The Black Yankees enter game 3 of the series 3.5 games back of the final wild card slot with 6 games left in their season. Not only do they need to, essentially, win out, they need help.

But all they can control is trying to win out.

Consecutive doubles by Thurman Munson and Doug DeCinces gave New York the lead in the 2nd, and a 2-run homerun from Hardy Richardson (the first of his career) extend it to 4-0- in the 4th. Ron Guidry was dominant early, but began to struggle in the 5th walking in a run and giving up another on a sacrifice fly, but a 2-run shot from Don Mattingly essentially ended the contest, giving New York a 6-2 edge.

As always, New York’s bullpen is a question mark, but AJ Burnett, Dick Tidrow, and Rheal Cormier were solid in relief of Guidry, and the Black Yankees remain alive.

LAA 2 (Vargas 1-3) @ NYY 7 (Guidry 8-12)
HRs: LAA – none; NYY – Richardson (1), Mattingly (28).
Box Score

#Game 4: Brett Anderson @ Red Ruffing

The Black Yankees bypass Jamie Moyer‘s spot in the rotation, sending out a rested Red Ruffing to face Los Angeles’ Brett Anderson.

Don Buford greeted Ruffing with a dinger to lead off the game, but Thurman Munson–who else for New York?–tied it up with a single in the 2nd, scoring Lou Gehrig. Derek Jeter would bring Munson home, giving the Black Yankees a 2-1 edge.

Both pitchers settled, and the score stayed that way until the bottom of the 5th, when Babe Ruth launched one over 450 feet for his 46th of the year and a 4-1 lead for New York.

Ruffing had to leave injured in the 7th, but he was likely coming out anyway after giving up a leadoff single to Mike Trout. The Angels scored one off Goose Gossage on a double by Don Buford, and then loaded the bases with one out against Aroldis Chapman. Steve Garvey lofted a deep fly to center to make it a 1-run game, but Hi Myers grounded out to end it.

LAA 3 (Anderson 7-8) @ NYY 4 (Ruffing 14-9; Chapman 13 Sv; Righetti 1 H; Gossage 7 H)
HRs: LAA – Buford (18); NYY – Ruth (46).
Box Score

Series XXXVII Preview: Los Angeles Angels @ New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On August 14, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

The Los Angeles Angels have only featured in 3 series (Series V, VIII, XXIII), but they head into the penultimate series of the season with a chance to play spoiler. We’ve seen the New York Black Yankees more often (Series XI, XV, XIX, XXIX), but after early season dominance, and despite an offense that is probably the best in the league, they are fighting for their playoff life.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have some interesting pieces. For a while, Gerrit Cole (15-9, 4.30) was in the argument for the best starter in the league, and he still is an unquestioned ace. 3B Doug Rader (333/395/535, a league leading 128 RBI) will finish in the top 4 or 5 in the MVP race, and CF Mike Trout (315/383/492) is coming into his own. Trout leads the team in HR with 20 (Carlos Delgado has 21, but only 10 with LA), and while 6 other players are in double figures, there is an overall lack of power in the lineup. But they hit for average and they get on base, and especially with Delgado, Kal Daniels, and Elmer Valo, they are very strong against righties.

As the season winds down, the Angels are looking to get Wally Backman (a 1.244 OPS in his first dozen games) and Ps Mike Smith and Harry Howell some time in the field as well as they look to next year.

Brett Anderson has pitched almost as well as Cole, and his return from the DL is a welcome site. But beyond that, the pitching staff is a whole lot of potential, but little else: Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Doc Gooden, and Pud Galvin have each had moments of promise, but on the whole, have been somewhere between mediocre and downright bad.

Francisco Rodríguez has done well in the bullpen, and an argument could be made that he should replace Joe Nathan as closer.

#New York Black Yankees

Let’s start with the new good news: the Black Yankees have run through something like 4 closers this season, but the position has finally been solidified with the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has a dozen saves and a 1.50 ERA for the Black Yankees, and 31 saves overall, and is the clear bright spot in the bullpen.

And then there is the old good news. This team can flat-out rake. We’ve spilled plenty of ink on Babe Ruth, but he deserves it, leading the league in OPS (1.095), HR (44), BB (104), and a few other things as well. Then there’s Mickey Mantle, who has taken over from Eric Davis as the second best hitter on the team. Mantle is slashing 323/424/555, and has only escaped being hailed as a superstar due to Ruth’s presence. 5 other regulars, plus 4th OF Albert Belle, all have OPS’ over .800. A mark of how deep the lineup is can be seen by Lou Gehrig (24 HR, .883 OPS) being criticized for an off year. Davis has 32 HR, and Mantle, Gehrig, Don Mattingly, and Mike Schmidt all have more than 20.

Even the backup catcher, Manny Sanguillén, has an OPS over .800.

And then the old meh news. The rotation is … fine? I mean, it’s fine, right? The quartet of Waite Hoyt (10-6, 3.95), Ron Guidry (7-12, 4.51), Jack Scott (14-5, 4.46), and Red Ruffing (13-9, 4.15) are … OK? Guidry’s secondary numbers (a 3.91 FIP, a 1.24 WHIP) are good, Scott’s aren’t. So … fine?

And then there is the Achilles’ heel of this club: the bullpen. Another midseason acquisition, Rheal Cormier, has been decent. But the rest–Dick Tidrow, Goose Gossage, Ralph Citarella–have fallen short again and again and again throughout the season. Gossage has shown signs of turning it around, even replacing Citarella as the primary RH setup man, but still … for a team that may need to win 6 of their final 8 games to make the postseason, the bullpen must be solid.

#Projected Starters

Los Angeles pitcher listed first.

Gerrit Cole (15-9, 4.30) @ Waite Hoyt (10-6, 3.95)
Pud Galvin (6-7, 4.75) @ Jack Scott (14-5, 4.46)
Jason Vargas (1-2, 3.03) @ Jamie Moyer (6-8, 5.05)
Brett Anderson (7-7, 3.75) @ Ron Guidry (7-12, 4.51)

Series XXXIV Best Games

By mknn

On July 3, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A good collection of games overall … a few pitching duels, a few intriguing games.

We’ll start with two games from the series between San Francisco and the New York Black Yankees–first a great pitching matchup, then a bit of a see-saw.

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Black Yankees, Games 2 and 4

The opening game of the series saw a great pitching matchup where, honestly, the better performance lost. Ron Guidry continued a bit of a hard-luck season, falling to 7-11 on the year despite allowing only 2 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9. But an error by Eric Davis (1 of 2 on the day by the Black Yankees’ CF) led to a run in the 6th and a solo shot by Sal Bando in the 7th put the Sea Lions up, 2-0. That was all San Francisco’s starter, Eddie Plank, needed, as San Francisco’s starter allowed 4 hits and 0 runs in his time. Plank improved to 11-6 on the season with Rod Beck picking up his 29th save.

SFS 2 (Plank 11-6; Beck 29 Sv) @ NYY 0 (Guidry 7-11)
HRs: None.
Box Score

San Francisco, powered by key hits from Bob Cerv and Pedro Guerrero, held a 5-3 edge going into the bottom of the 7th inning (Babe Ruth‘s 43rd and 44th homeruns of the year, both off Lefty Grove, had kept the Black Yankees in the game). Late season call-up Roger Maris started New York off with a pinch hit single. Maris was replaced at first by Tommy Herr, who, along with Thurman Munson, scored on a single by Mickey Mantle to tie the game. Mike Schmidt followed with a 2-run shot to put New York up, 8-5.

The Black Yankees bullpen continues to be weak, with Ralph Citarella giving up 2 runs (one one on a solo shot by Gene Oliver, the other on an RBI from Jack Clark) in the 8th. Aroldis Chapman had a rough 9th, but did survive to earn his 10th save with the Black Yankees and 30th overall.

Mantle had 3 hits on the day, Ruth scored 3 times, and Schmidt drove in 3.

After the game, San Francisco’s Mickey Cochrane hit the DL, with the Sea Lions recalling Brian Downing.

SFS 8 (Howell 4-5, 4 B Sv; Shields 2 H) @ NYY 9 (Lavelle 1-3; Chapman 10 Sv; Citarella 11 H; Cormier 3 H)
HRs: SFS – Oliver (2); NYY – Ruth 2 (44), Mantle (24), Schmidt (21).
Box Score

Let’s look at a few other games with fantastic efforts by the starting pitchers, starting with Miami‘s visit to Indianapolis then heading to Kansas City, where the Monarchs, and one of the most mercurial arms in the league, hosted Brooklyn.

#Miami Cuban Giants @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 2

Johnny Cueto and José Méndez each delivered their best start of the year, with Cueto’s 7 scoreless innings topped by Méndez’ 8 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball. Neither would figure in the decision. Cookie Rojas put Miami ahead with a solo shot in the top of the 9th, but Indianapolis tied it on an Ed Charles single in the bottom of the frame. The ABC’s walked off in the bottom of the 10th on a Jake Stenzel single, with Octavio Dotel earning the victory with an inning of scoreless relief.

MCG 1 (López 3-2; Looper 2 B Sv) @ IND 2 (Dotel 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Rojas (2); IND – none.
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City Monarchs, Game 4

Kansas City’s Luke Hamlin is one of the more frustrating pitchers in the league. He turned in his 3rd start with a Game Score over 80 in this one, allowing only 3 hits over 9 innings. But he also has four starts this year with a Game Score below 30. And it’s hard to build a rotation around someone that mercurial: the 87 pitch gem he threw today merely improved his record to 9-12 with an above-league-average 4.80 ERA.

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss was the hard-luck loser here, giving up a single to Stan Musial to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Knauss was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, who surrendered a deep fly to Ducky Medwick, scoring Jack Rowe, who had pinch-run for Musial.

BRK 0 (Knauss 11-5) @ KCM 1 (Hamlin 9-12)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Two more season finales of note.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4

Memphis‘ Bill Doak turned in a strong start, but Philadelphia used a late comeback to force extra innings in this one. The game entered the 9th inning tied at 2, but a homerun by one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, young RF Aaron Judge, gave the Stars a 1 run lead.

It wouldn’t last, as Memphis’ Claude Ritchey followed up a Vern Stephens sacrifice fly with a 2-run triple, putting the Red Sox up, 5-3 with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Papelbon was hit hard: a single by Juan Samuel was followed by a triple from Willie Davis and a double from Bobby Abreu, tying the contest at 5.

Sammy Sosa–who is playing fantastically for Memphis after being brought over from the House of David–singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th and eventually scored the winning run on a Manny Ramírez double.

PHI 5 (Howry 3-7; Rojas 2 B Sv) @ MEM 6 (Farrell 3-4; Papelbon 5 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (17), Judge (4); MEM – none.
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 4

Homeruns by Mike Trout and Steve Garvey helped the Angels to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, but a 2-out rally fueled by 2 walks, a wild pitch, and a 2 run single by Ty Cobb pulled Detroit back into the lead, 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Los Angeles’ Elmer Valo tied the game in the 8th, and the bullpens took over from there.

The 11th was eventful, as Oscar Gamble touched Francisco Rodríguez for a solo shot, giving Detroit a 1 run lead. The Wolverines turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, who promptly blew the game, allowing a single and 2 walks to load the bases, followed by a sharp single from Trout that allowed the winning run to score when Chili Davis‘ throw was wildly errant.

Gamble and Cobb had 3 hits each for Detroit; Trout and John Stearns had 3 hits for the Angels, with Trout driving in 4.

DET 6 (Henneman 1-6, 5 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ LAA 7 (Venters 5-3; Smith 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: DET – Gamble (26); LAA – Trout (18), Garvey (3).
Box Score

Series XXV Best Games

By mknn

On January 25, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Some very nice see-saw rides in series XXV.

San Francisco Sea Lions @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4

The conclusion of the clash of the sea creatures did not disappoint …

The Sea Lions scored in the first in typical fashion: Rickey Henderson bunted for a base hit, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Rogers Hornsby scored Kent Hrbek with a double into the gap.

Guerrero scored Bonds for a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived, as a Bobby Murcer triple scored Harry Hooper and Iván Rodríguez, putting Portland up, 3-2. Portland looked in good shape at that point, good enough that Gary Pettis replaced Murcer in CF for better defense. Well, perhaps not only defense: after a horrid start to the year, Pettis has pushed his average well over .300.

San Francisco would tie the game in the top of the 9th in a decidedly unexpected way. With one out, John Beckwith, who is barely retaining his spot on the roster, pinch hit for Jimmy Bloodworth and singled. Phil Garner pinch ran for Beckwith and, after a walk to Sal Bando, light-hitting Miguel Cairo, forced to remain in the game for defensive purposes, doubled home the tying run off Portland’s Elmer Brown.

And there it stayed, until the 15th inning. San Francisco had turned the game over to Charlie Root, Portland to José Muñoz, and each were excellent. Mickey Cochrane–much maligned and in danger of losing his job–singled to lead off the 15th. Portland had nobody on the bench to pinch-run–or catch in the bottom of the frame–so Cochrane stayed in the game, moving to 2nd on a wild pitch by Muñoz and to third on a groundout. He scored on a single from Garner, and Root closed it out.

SFS 4 (Root 5-4) @ POR 3 (Muñoz 3-5; Brown 1 BSv; Cuellar 8 H) [15 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

Homestead Grays @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 1

Willie Stargell led off the top of the 2nd with a solo homerun to kick off the scoring and while a 2-RBI double from Billy Bryan put Memphis ahead briefly, Stargell would do the same in the 4th, leading off with a homerun which, combined with an RBI groundout from Arky Vaughan that scored Chief Wilson, tied the game at 3. The teams would trade runs until, in th ebottom of the 5th, Ted Williams sent one deep to put Memphis up by 2, 6-4.

And then the Grays exploded, with a bases-clearing double from Stargell and a 2-run shot from Wilson putting Homestead up, 10-6. Each team would add a run, and Homestead would head to the bottom of the 9th, up 11-7. Should be safe, right? Especially with their closer, Michael Jackson, on the mound.

Wade Boggs doubled to start the inning, Williams walked, and Bill White doubled, scoring Boggs. Josh Lindblom promptly uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Williams and, when David Justice reached on an error from Homestead’s CF, Andrew McCutcheon, scoring White, the score was 11-10 with no outs. Manny Ramírez singled, but a fantastic throw from Rick Reichardt nailed Justice at the plate. Lindblom retired Bryan and Reggie Smith on flyouts, and the Grays squeaked through with a game that looked well in hand.

Boggs, Stargell, and Wilson each had 4 hits, with Pops driving in 5 and scoring 4.

HOM 11 (Pierce 1-2; Giusti 1 H) @ MEM 10 (Gibson 0-1; Callahan 1 BSv)
HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (18), Wilson (8); MEM – Williams (19)
Box Score

Kansas City Monarchs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

New York’s Ron Guidry keeps putting in good performances to little results: in this one, he went 7 innings, giving up only 1 run. He was matched by a trio of Monarchs’ arms as Smokey Joe Wood (injured in the 4th), Joe Blong, and Trevor Rosenthal combined to also allow 1 run through 7.

And then the bullpens collapsed–expected for the Black Yankees, but a surprise for Kansas City. First, New York’s Goose Gossage and Gary Lavelle combine to give up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, with the key hits being 2-out RBI’s from Stan Musial and Ducky Medwick. But Craig Kimbrel was equally weak for the Monarchs, giving up back-to-back doubles to Eric Davis and Thurman Munson to start the frame, and a 2-run homerun to Don Mattingly to give the Black Yankees a 5-4 lead.

But no lead is safe for New York: Lavelle gave up a single, a walk, and an error to tie the game, and Ralph Citarella gave up a go-ahead single to Albert Pujols. Kansas City’s Jeff Pfeffer had no such struggles, picking up his 12th save in closing the game out.

KCM 6 (Kimbrel 3-2, 2 BSv; Pfeffer 12 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lavelle 0-3)
HRs: KCM – none; NYY – Mattingly (20).
Box Score

Ottawa Mounties @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

A successful suicide squeeze from Jim Stephens scored Anthony Rendon for Ottawa, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 4th. In the next inning, Rendon would single in a run before Larry Parrish went deep with a 3-run blast to put the Mounties up, 5-1. The Angels would roar back, taking a 7-5 lead behind RBI hits from Don Buford, Bobby Grich, Mike Trout, and Carlos Delgado.

But Ottawa doesn’t fold as easily as they did earlier in the season, with George Van Haltren sending Francisco Rodríguez‘ 4th pitch of the ballgame into the bleachers for a 3-run homerun, putting the Mounties back on top, 8-7. Ted Bowsfield, Steve Howe, and Ryan Dempster closed the game out with 3.1 hitless innings.

OTT 8 (Bowsfield 5-2; Dempster 4 Sv; Dubiel 2 BSv; Howe 4 H) @ LAA 7 (Rodríguez 3-2, 1 BSv)
HRs: OTT – Parrish (2), Van Haltren (2); LAA – none.
Box Score

Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss has been great all year. Miami’s Roenis Eliás less so. But they matched frame for frame in this one, each tossing 7.1 IP while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. The game remained tied at 1 into the 10th, when Miami’s closer Aroldis Chapman was left in to pitch a second inning. He gave up a walk to Art Griggs, a single to Duke Farrell, and a walk to Al López. That brought José Méndez in from the pen for the Cuban Giants … who promptly gave up a walkoff, grand slam shot to Beals Becker.

MCG 1 (Chapman 4-3) @ BRG 5 (Gagne 4-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Canseco (24); BRG – Becker (16).
Box Score

TWIWBL 24.10: Mid-Season Reviews – Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On March 7, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

Not bad. Not great, but not bad. A .500 record and only 4 games back, the Angels have some talent, and are close enough to try to make a push this season.

What’s Gone Right

The Rooster. Doug Rader has been a force, leading the Angels with 12 homeruns and leading the league with 73 RBIs.

No Weak Links. Behind Rader, no fewer than seven players (eight if you count the recently recalled Ron Hassey) have OPS’ between .830 and .720. None of them are spectacular, but none of them are a weak link, either. It makes the lineup very challenging to navigate.

Front of the Rotation. Gerrit Cole has gotten the attention with his 11-3 record, but Brett Anderson has probably been more effective over the front half of the season.

What’s Gone Wrong

Moving From the Pen. Both Chuck Finley and Nolan Ryan were pretty spectacular (especially Finley) coming out of the pen. The results have been much shakier since they moved into the rotation

Backstops. Brian Downing and Jim Stephens were so bad the Angels replaced both of them. John Stearns has struggled as half their replacement (although he’s doing better than they were), and the jury is still out on Hassey.

Power. It’s a familiar story, but the Angels are 19th in the WBL in homeruns. Rader leads the way with 12, but nobody else is in double digits (Kal Daniels and George Wright have 9). The Angels have hit enough doubles to keep their SLG up decently, but still some more longballs would be a welcome sight.

Key Storylines

Can they find enough pitching, and do they have any value to offer to try to improve the team?

The commitment to the left-handed duo of Daniels and Elmer Valo seems to be working out, as the pair have hit consistently.

Mike Trout has consistently improved, but he has yet to really show the potential he has–if he does, the lineup would move from good to frightening.

Trading Outlook

BUYING?

It’s a matter of fit. Many of the current contributors are in their early 30s, making it a win now sort of moment. There is a lot of talent at AA, but it’s not clear there is enough to bring in strong enough talent.

That may result in the Angels holding pat until the later trade deadline.

AAA Shuttle

Francisco Rodríguez has played at all three levels, and looks to be a solid addition. He and Hassey have been the decent call-ups.

Midseason Changes

Pud Galvin moves to AAA for reasons of general ineffectiveness, as do Andrelton Simmons and Tim Wallach. Dave LaRoche and Anthony Young join the big league pitching staff. José Reyes is recalled to replace Simmons on the roster, and High Pockets Kelly is added to the bench to provide some power.

Awards

All Stars: Gerrit Cole (P); Doug Rader (3B).

Player of the Week: Doug Rader (6/19)

Offensive MVP: Doug Rader (3B)
Pitching MVP: Gerrit Cole (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Las Vegas Aces

Next to the Show: IF José Reyes, RP Dave LaRoche

Prospects: Tom Seaver (22).

Projects: 1B Wally Joyner and High Pockets Kelly (both 29). SP Sid Fernandez and Brian Anderson (both 25). P Anthony Young (29), P Dave LaRoche (28).

Suspects: SS Kevin Elster (29), OF Kevin McReynolds (34), OF Carlos Beltrán (24), P Huck Betts (36).

AA: San Diego Padres

Prospects: 2B Tyler Pastornicky (22), OF Norm Miller (22), 3B Xander Bogaerts (22), 2B Wally Backman (22). RP Dave Bennett (18), C Mark Salas (23), P Sean O’Sullivan (28).

Projects: 2B Cookie Lavagetto (25), P/OF Mike Smith (24), OF Bill Lamar (27), Blue Moon Odom (19).

Suspects: Skip Lockwood (18), OF Billy Hamilton (23).