AAR: Aston’s Angels Report June 12, 2011
Game 67: Double Play Bonanza Vol. 1, Issue 69
Loss 9-0 Record: 31-36
You might think the Angels would have a really good chance in this game, coming off of their offensive outburst in the last game and facing a pitcher who had possibly the worst outing in baseball history, earlier in the year. Well, that’s what you get for thinking, apparently, because it certainly didn’t work out that way. They hit their way out of a 6-game losing streak last game, and Vin Mazzaro gave up 14 runs in less than 3 innings in a relief outing earlier in the season, the most runs allowed in such few innings since 1900, but they didn’t even come close to winning this one.
Tyler Chatwood started for the Angels, coming off of a stellar start in his last game, against these same Royals, with a respectable 3.79 ERA and 3-3 record so far this season. Mitch Maier started in RF for the Royals, giving Jeff Francoeur the day off, but otherwise the lineup was about the same as in recent meetings. Chatwood started out allright, despite facing a three-ball count to nearly every batter. Leadoff man LF Alex Gordon swung and missed what would have been ball four, on the 3-2 pitch, then CF Melky Cabrera swung at the first pitch and grounded out. 1B Eric Hosmer walked on four pitches- a problem for Chatwood all season long, especially with two outs in the inning. DH Billy Butler grounded out to end the inning.
Alberto Callaspo was not in the lineup, due to the injury suffered in the last game, so Maicer Izturis played 3rd base. Bobby Abreu was back as the DH, with Peter Bourjos back in CF and Wells taking over LF per the usual, Hank Conger got the start behind the plate. Izturis led off the 1st with a bloop single into left, but Hunter did what he apparently does best, and hit into another groundball double play to the SS. He now leads the major leagues in double plays with 18- not the category you want to lead in really. Abreu singled into left center on a 3-1 fastball, but Vernon Wells grounded out to end the inning. Mazarro came in with an inflated 17.47 ERA, allowing 22 runs in 11 innings, but he of course pitched his best game of the season against the Angels in this one. Two of the Angels five hits came in the first, so you can see this isn’t going to end well.
The Royals got their first run in the top of the 2nd, seemingly finding new ways to surrender runs. Chatwood walked the first batter, Mitch Maier on five pitches, then threw a wild pitch in the dirt during Mike Moustakas’ at bat, to move Maier to 2nd. Mustakas eventually struck out swinging at another ball in the dirt, but Maier moved to 3rd as the catcher threw out Moustakas on the dropped third strike play. Chatwood went to another 3-ball count to Treanor and before the 3-2 pitch, he flinched a little while reading the signs from Conger, and the umpire called a balk, so the run scored. It was now 1-0 after a walk, two wild pitches and a balk- not a good omen for the rest of the game. Getz hit a fly out to left to end the inning, but giving up a run like that was discouraging.
The Angels hit into a total of five double plays against Mazarro in his 7 innings of work. The only reason they had runners on base was the five walks they drew, but they foiled their own rallies most of the time. Howie Kendrick walked to leadoff the 2nd, and Mark Trumbo hit a single into right center with one out, but Conger hit a line drive out and Kendrick was doubled off the base to end that threat. Chatwood worked around a leadoff double by Alcides Escobar in the 3rd, striking out the next two hitters and getting a pop out from Hosmer to end the inning with the runner at 3rd. In the 3rd, the Angels went down in order on three straight groundouts.
The game got out of hand after that, in the 4th inning. Butler struck out to lead off the inning, but Chatwood fell back into poor habits, walking the next batter, Mitch Maier (who rarely plays at all) on four pitches, then Moustakas whacked a low fastball into right for a single, moving Maier to 3rd. Chatwood fell behind the catcher Matt Treanor 2-0 and his fastball was hit to the left field wall for an RBI double, making the score 2-0. With runners at 2nd and 3rd, 2B Chris Getz hit an RBI groundball single into left, on a strange play where Izturis was heading back to 3rd base to get a possible pickoff throw from the catcher, but the hit went the other way and would have been an out if he had stayed put. That made the score 3-0, and Escobar tried to knock in another with a grounder to 1st, but Trumbo looked at Treanor running from 3rd and got him out in a rundown. Runners made it to 2nd and 3rd, with two outs now, and Alex Gordon hit a clutch double into left center on a hanging 0-2 curveball down the middle, to make it 5-0 Royals. That was Chatwood’s last hitter of the game, and he exited after surrendering 5 earned runs and 3 walks, after 82 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings. Hisanori Takahashi came in to face Cabrera, but he picked off the runner at trying to steal 3rd to end the inning, instead.
Bobby Abreu led off the 4th with a walk, and after Wells popped out, Kendrick ended that inning with a double play grounder to Escobar who touched 2nd and threw him out at 1st. Takahashi continued his strong pitching over the last dozen games or so, and set the Royals down in order in the top of the 5th. The Angels failed to capitalize on a leadoff walk again in the bottom of the 5th, when Erick Aybar walked but was erased immediately by a double play grounder off the bat of Mark Trumbo. Conger ended the inning with a ground out and this game looked about over already.
Takahashi stayed in to pitch the 6th, but couldn’t keep them off the board this time. Maier led off with a groundball single up the middle, and after nine pitches to the rookie Moustakas Takahashi finally got him out on a harmless pop out. Maier stole 2nd on the 1-2 fastball that Treanor struck out swinging at, for the 2nd out, and Getz drove him, pulling a 2-2 outside slider into right field for an RBI single. The score was 6-0, and Trevor Bell came in to get the last out on a groundout by Escobar.
Bourjos led off the 6th, with an infield single on a slow grounder to the SS and Izturis followed by getting hit by the pitch to put two on with no outs. Hunter was due up so I expected a double play, but he hit a fly out to right instead. I was close, as the double play came from the next hitter, Abreu on a grounder to the SS- their fifth double play in 6 innings if you can believe that.
The Royals score two more in the 7th, after Gordon led off against Trevor Bell with a bloop single into center. Melky Cabrera hit a grounder to Kendrick and the out was recorded at 2nd, but Hosmer was hit on the shoulder by Bell on the 1-2 pitch to put two more on base. Butler knocked them both in with a hard grounder down the 3rd base line, that turned into a 2-run double, and turned the score to 8-0. The Angels had another chance to at least avoid the shutout, in the 7th. Kendrick walked with one out, and Aybar launched a deep flyball into right center that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. That was bad luck in itself, because the run would have scored if the ball didn’t bounce over the fence, but one run really wouldn’t have changed the game anyway. Trumbo flew out to medium depth left field, but they didn’t challenge the arm of Gordon in left this time, and Conger drew a 4-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs. Bourjos hit a grounder to the SS to end the inning, and the night for Mazzaro. He went 7 innings allowing just 5 hits, and didn’t strike out a single batter, while walking 5 others, but the key stat was the 0 runs scored.
The Royals scored their final run in the 8th, when they mounted a two-out rally against Bell to make it 9-0. Escobar, Gordon, and Cabrera hit consecutive singles after there were two outs and nobody on base, to drive in that final run. Blake Wood came in to pitch the final two innings for the Royals and allowed just a two out walk to Branyan in the 8th, in an otherwise perfect outing, to close out the shutout victory.
The Angels ended their home stand with possibly their worst game, despite only winning two games of the nine played in Anaheim. The leagues worst pitcher, by the numbers, just shut them out, and now they have to venture out on a long road trip that includes national league teams and try to turn their season around. The next stop is Seattle, so their pitchers will have to hold down the Mariners’ offense to have a chance at beating one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They have lost 8 of their last 10 games, and even though it is still early in the season, they need to have a wining streak of any sort in the not to distant future, to get back in the AL West race before it’s too late…
No comments:
Post a Comment