AAR: Aston’s Angels Report June 8, 2011
Game 64: Still Broken Vol. 1, Issue 66
Loss 4-3, 10 innings Record: 30-34
People say, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. so it only makes sense that Angels manager felt that he needed to make some changes, because their offense seems somewhat broken right now. Already on a four-game losing streak, they were just trying to avoid the series sweep to the Tampa Bay Rays, relying on their ace Jared Weaver to start the process of pulling themselves out of a tail spin. Manager Mike Scioscia tried to alter their fate, moving around hitters into unfamiliar spots in their lineup to try and shake things up. Both offenses would have their work cut out for them, having to face the other team’s top pitcher, with Jared Weaver and his 2nd best ERA in the American League (2.14) and the Rays’ James Shields (9th best 2.77) who already pitched a near complete game shutout this season against the Angels.
The Angels found themselves in an early deficit and their offense didn’t look to be up to the task with Shields on the mound, throwing his deadly changeup to get easy outs and at one time early in the game he struck out 5 straight hitters. Both pitchers started out well, and each picked off a runner to get an out to preserve the scoreless tie. The Rays went down in order in the 1st, as Johnny Damon was finally retired leading off a game in this series, and Weaver used his curveball to strikeout Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce. Erick Aybar was out of the lineup, so the SS today was Maicer Izturis and he led off the bottom of the 1st with a line drive single into left, but was picked off of 1st base by Shields. The major surprise in the Angels’ lineup was RF Torii Hunter hitting 2nd- a peculiar spot for a power hitting RBI contributor, who rarely bunts or does any situational hitting. He grounded out, then Alberto Callaspo hit an easy fly out, hitting in the 3rd position (not quite as odd as when he hit 4th but still somewhat high in the order, I think).
BJ Utpon led off the 2nd for the Rays with a single into left and went to 2nd on a groundout by Casey Kotchman. With Justin Ruggiano up, Upton was picked off of 2nd base as Weaver spun around and threw it to Izturis who came in behind the runner to cover 2nd to return the favor for the earlier pick off, and then he grounded out to end the inning. The Angels got two base runners into scoring position with no one out in the bottom of the 2nd, when the new cleanup hitter Bobby Abreu walked to lead off and Howie Kendrick whacked an 0-2 changeup into right field for a double. Unfortunately they fell into old habits, and failed to score anything as the next three batters struck out with runners at 2nd and 3rd. 1B Mark Trumbo swung at a 1-2 changeup, C Jeff Mathis swung at curveball in the dirt, and Bourjos capped the trio swinging at a high fastball.
That was a rare scoring chance against Shields, who allowed a two-out double to Hunter after finishing off his 5 consecutive strikeouts in the 3rd, and Callaspo popped up to end the inning. Before that failed attempt, the Rays scored their first run in the top of the 3rd, when Weaver got the first two out easily, but left a 1-1 curveball hanging up high in the strike zone to their 9th hitter, SS Reid Brignac, who hit his first homerun of the season just beyond the fence in right field. He was their most unlikely power threat, and only had one extra base hit all season until that point, so it was a big mistake to say the least, letting their weakest hitter
tee off like that.
After Weaver shut down the Rays, in the 4th and 5th, allowing one hit to Zobrist leading off the 4th, the Angels got one more shot to score against Shields, in the bottom of the 5th. Vernon Wells, the 7th place hitter in this new lineup, drew a leadoff walk, and Bourjos bunted one between the pitcher and 3rd baseman, Felipe Lopez, but neither really went for it so Bourjos was aboard with another bunt single. Jeff Mathis came up to try and bunt them over, but for some reason tried to bunt a high curveball as he was falling down and popped it up for an easy out and a completely wasted at bat. It was strange because he acted like it was a squeeze play or something and he had to bunt the pitch, even though he was trying to get out of the way and literally falling down, and this brain lapse cost an important out. Izturis followed with a pop up into shallow centerfield, that fell in front of their CF and out of the reach of their infielders running out, to load the bases with one out. It looked to me like BJ Upton simply didn’t try to catch the ball, after initially misreading the ball off the bat and breaking back instead of forward, he still seemed to have a chance at coming in to make the catch but jogged in, and nearly cost his team the lead. Luckily for him, the Angels terrible offense tends to find ways not to score runs, even with the bases loaded. Torii Hunter was up, hitting out of the #2 spot perhaps to try and avoid the double play situation since he hits into so many, but the situation came up again, and he hit into another one, almost like it is expected now. What’s new, another grounder to the SS for an easy double play to once again end the inning.
Weaver tried to keep it close, retiring 9 in a row after that leadoff hit in the 4th, setting them down in order again in the 6th, but once again Weaver got little to no run support. Shields retired them in order in the bottom of the 6th, working through the middle of their lineup, with a slight scare from a well hit fly ball to center by Abreu, but it was just a long out, into the glove of Upton in front of the wall. The Rays were able to extend their lead in the top of the 7th, as Matt Joyce led off with a bloop single, after he reached for a good 1-2 changeup, out of the strike zone and managed to poke one it into shallow right field. After getting Upton and Kotchman to make outs, that previously unknown fellow, Ruggiano came through again, hitting a first pitch curveball into deep right field off the wall, to score their 2nd run. The relay throw home from Kendrick would have been in plenty of time to get the runner out at home, but it was way up the first base side so Mathis couldn’t make the tag.
Shields worked around a two-out double by Bourjos who recorded his second hit of the game, whacking a hard grounder down the 3rd base line to get into scoring position in the 7th, but Hank Conger was called upon to pinch hit and hit a weak grounder to end the inning. The Rays added one more run in the top of the 8th, as Weaver came back out to start the inning, but wouldn’t finish it, suffering through more bad luck. He retired the first two hitters, including a great diving catch by Bourjos in shallow center to rob Brignac of a hit for the second out. He issued a two-out walk to Damon, then threw a wild pitch that Conger blocked in front of him and tried to throw out Damon running to 2nd but made matters worse with a terrible throw tailing far from 2nd into right center allowing Damon to go to 3rd. He threw another hanging high curveball and it was hit deep into right field again, this time by Ben Zobrist for an RBI triple. That was Weaver’s last batter, as Scott Downs was brought in to get the last out of the inning, keeping the Angels as close as possible.
The Angels finally got something going in the bottom of the 8th, with their backs firmly against the wall, down 3-0. Izturis led off, getting hit on the thigh on a curveball, to get on base, then Hunter hit another grounder with a runner at 1st, but it went under the glove of the diving SS into center for a clean single this time. Callaspo drew a walk to load the bases with no outs, and the Rays manager Joe Madden, took out his starter and brought in a lefty to face Abreu and try to preserve their lead. Cesar Ramos threw a first pitch slider and Abreu took it for a ball, then threw a fastball over the inner portion and Abreu clobbered a liner into right center, to clear the bases, and finally get the Angels on the board. That big hit tied the score, 3-3, and left the Angels with the go-ahead run at 2nd, still with no outs. Right-hander Joel Peralta was brought in, and got Kendrick on a grounder to the SS, moving Abreu to 3rd, and he nearly beat the throw from Brignac who took his sweet time after looking at Abreu running to 3rd before throwing to 1st and barely getting the out. The infield came in, and Trumbo had another chance with a runner at 3rd and less than two outs, but failed once again, popping it up to the SS for an easy out. Vernon Wells struck out and the Angels had to be satisfied with tying the score, despite failing to score the go-ahead run when the opportunity presented itself.
Jordan Walden came in to pitch the 9th, and set them down in order, but the Rays reliever, Juan Cruz returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, to send it into extra innings. It has become a familiar setting for the Angels, who played in their 13th extra inning game already, and unfortunately the outcome was all too familiar as well. Fernando Rodney started the 10th, and faced pinch hitter John Jaso, but must have thought he was facing Babe Ruth, because he only threw one fastball in at-bat that went to a full count, and the ominous leadoff walk ensued. Evan Longoria didn’t play at all up until this point in the series because of a stomach virus, but he pinch hit and contributed to their rally in the 10th. He lunged at a 0-2 slider and tapped it off the end of his bat, back up the middle, past Rodney who spins towards 1st when he pitches so the ball went behind him and it turned into an infield hit. With Brignac up, trying to bunt, Callaspo was charging the play, so Jaso decided to run to 3rd after the hitter took a high fastball and he saw that Callaspo wasn't covering the base. The throw from Conger was there but Callaspo missed it as he retreated back to 3rd, and to make matters worse Jaso slid past the base, but the ball was too far from Callaspo, so they lost an easy chance to get an out. The Rays tried the squeeze play instead, now with the runner at 3rd and that scored the winning run. Rodney retired the next two but it was too late, and his questionable choice to bypass his 97 MPH fastball and throw almost all changeups to a pinch hitter, probably cost them the game, or at least the chance to go further into extra innings. The missed throw by Callaspo at 3rd didn’t help, but the leadoff walk is almost always detrimental, and is the root of all evil in most of these situations. Closer Kyle Farnsworth came in to finish the game off, and did just that, with one slight blemish on a one-out walk to Callaspo before Abreu hit an easy fly out and Kendrick struck out to complete the loss.
Weaver allowed 3 runs in nearly 8 innings of work, punished for his mistakes on a couple of pitches, as he went to the curveball a few too many times perhaps. Once again he had little chance to win, as the offense only showed signs of life once he was out of the game, and had a chance to go ahead late, but failed to provide their closer with the lead late in the game, severely hindering their chances at a positive outcome. They are falling further out of contention after this 5-game losing streak, but if they weren’t in the sub-par American League West, they would be way out of contention, so are lucky in that respect.
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