Aston’s Angels Report [Game 74 @ FLA- Win]

                  AAR: Aston’s Angels Report                                June 20, 2011
                  Game 74: Weaver Wins Another Tight One          Vol. 1, Issue 76
                                                       Win 2-1 Record: 36-38

An hour and 45 minute rain delay stalled the Marlins’ first game under 80-year-old manager Jack McKeon, who just took over the reins after previous manager Edwin Rodriguez filed his quitting papers. He inherited a team on a 10-game losing streak, and they have lost 18 of the last 19 games, as the Angels rolled into Florida to try and continue that streak. McKeon has been involved with baseball for decades, and coached for the Marlins a few years back, taking over as interim manager then too, and coached them to a wild card playoff birth and eventual championship, with players like Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett who were just starting out at the time. He made his presence known right away, as he benched his struggling star SS Hanley Ramirez for being late to his first team meeting as coach (and for loafing around the field in the past I‘m sure), but he was only hitting .201 for the season, so maybe it wasn’t a bad move for their offense.

Usually when a team is playing its first game under a new coach, they tend to win, but McKeon’s team had to face one of the game’s best pitchers, the Angels’ Jared Weaver, who is in the top 5 in several categories amongst American League pitchers, including the 2^nd best ERA- a miniscule 2.06 (and if he got any run support at all, he would have more than 8 wins). His pitching counterpart was Anibal Sanchez, who has pretty pitched well this season, and has a no-hitter to his credit in the past.
　
The lone familiar face on the Marlins, to Angels fans at least, was their newly acquired 3^rd baseman, Jose Lopez, who played many seasons with the Mariners and was released by the Rockies earlier in the season after struggling in the National League. Alberto Callaspo was once again the odd man out for the Angels, who hasn’t played much lately even though he has recovered from his leg injury earlier in the month. Peter Bourjos was also given the day off, to allow Bobby Abreu into the lineup in LF and hitting 4th, so Vernon Wells shifted over to CF, his gold glove position in the past.
　
Angels 3B, Maicer Izturis, led off the game smashing a double to right field wall, as he waited on a hanging 1-2 curveball and pulled it over RF Greg Dobbs head. It was a promising start, and SS Erick Aybar moved him over to 3^rd with a productive out, grounding out to 2^nd. RF Torii Hunter just had to make contact to score the run, but he was called out on a check swing (by the home plate ump) on a 1-2 outside slider, for out #2. Abreu hit a 2-1 changeup hard, but right to the SS, so the Angels left their leadoff double on base.
　
Emilio Bonifacio took over SS for Ramirez, and hit lead off, and he struck out looking at a good 2-seam fastball on a full count pitch, that tailed over the middle of the plate after starting out inside. LF Logan Morrison, hit a grounder to 3B Izturis but he dropped the ball, transferring the ball from the glove to hand, for his 3^rd error of the season. 1B Gaby Sanchez, probably their best hitter this season, popped up a 1-2 curveball to the SS, and Greg Dobbs struck out struck out looking at another 2 seam fastball, on a 2-2 count, to end the inning. Weaver seemed to be in the pitching groove from the start, using his curveball often and locating his fastballs with pinpoint accuracy, which is always a good sign for him.
　
The Angels led off another inning with a hit, as Vernon Wells lined a fastball back up the middle for a single in the 2nd. He then went to 2^nd base, as the 1-1 pitch to 2B Howie Kendrick bounced in the dirt, and Marlins catcher, John Buck, made a futile attempt, trying to backhand the ball instead of blocking it, so the ball bounded away, allowing the runner to move up. Once again the Angels couldn’t capitalize on a runner on 2^nd with no outs, as Kendrick failed to move him along, with a grounder to the SS instead of to the right side of the infield. 1B Mark Trumbo broke his bat, hitting another grounder to the SS, and catcher Jeff Mathis ended the inning with a weak fly out to center.
　
The Marlins struck first, as Jose Lopez battled to get to a full count, then lined a fastball into left for a leadoff single, to start the rally. 2B Omar Infante (an All-star last year for the Braves as a utility player) hit a fly out to left, but John Buck hit a bloop inslge into right, breaking his bat on the first pitch fastball, and pushing Lopez to 3^rd. CF DeWayne Wise, hit the first pitch curveball in the air into right field, deep enough for a sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead. Anibal Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning, and took his 1 run lead into the 3^rd inning.
　
Sanchez struck out Weaver to start the 3^rd and only faced the minimum despite allowing an infield hit to Maicer Izturis, who hit a hard grounder to 1^st, that went off the glove of Gaby Sanchez as he dove for it to his right. Erick Aybar followed with another grounder towards 1^st, and Sanchez grabbed it going to his right, fired to Bonifacio covering 2^nd, who quickly turned the double play, throwing to the pitcher covering 1^st….Weaver set the Marlins down in order in the bottom of the 3^rd inning, getting ahead of each hitter. Bonifacio was retired on a lineout to 1^st, then Morrison grounded out, and Sanchez swung at a shoulder high fastball on a 1-2 pitch to strike out.
　
Another double play by the Angels allowed Sanchez to once again only face the minimum despite allowing a base runner. Hunter wasn’t the culprit this time, but he led off the inning with another strikeout instead. Abreu singled up the middle, on an 0-1 changeup, but Vernon Wells swung at the first pitch, a low outside slider and hit a grounder to 3B Lopez, who turned the double play… Weaver faced a little trouble in the bottom half, as Dobbs blooped a single into left center to lead off. Lopez swung at the first pitch fastball, and popped up to the SS, then Infante hit a fly out to center, on a sharp slider, and Buck struck out swinging at a 2-2 fastball to end the inning.
　
Howie Kendrick led off the 5^th blowing a chance to reach base, as he chased a bad outside slider on a 3-2 count, to strike out instead of taking the pitch for a walk. Mark Trumbo smashed a line drive single into left, that seemed to go through SS Bonifacio as he dove to try and catch it. Mathis struck out swinging at a belt-high slider on 2-2, and Weaver took an awkward swing at the first pitch fastball, grounding out to the 1B, to end the inning.
　
DeWayne Wise did some more damage, pulling a high outside changeup down the first base line, over the head of Trumbo for a leadoff single. Anibal Sanchez came up to try and bunt, and Weaver made two good inside fastballs, not allowing Sanchez to square the ball properly, forcing two foul balls, but threw a curveball on the 0-2 pitch, allowing Sanchez to get the sacrifice bunt down. Bonifacio was ahead 2-1, but he wasn’t expecting an inside fastball apparently, as he took a half swing, but made contact, grounding out to 3^rd. Morrison worked the count full, and Weaver’s inside fastball didn’t tail back over the plate, staying inside, and his first walk of the game. Gaby Sanchez had runners at 1^st and 3^rd with two outs, and he took a mighty swing at a 2-1 changeup, and it looked like a homerun off the bat, but it must have been towards the end of the bat, and Abreu ran it down near the left field corner, to end the inning.
　
The Angels finally got on the scoreboard in the 6^th, manufacturing a run, with a little help from the Marlins’ starter who got rattled and made a couple costly mistakes. After Izturis led off, striking out looking at an inside corner fastball, Erick Aybar dropped a drag bunt, between the two Sanchez’s for an infield single. With Hunter at the plate, Anibal Sanchez was called for a balk, when he hesitated before getting set to pitch the ball to Hunter, moving Aybar to 2^nd. Sanchez was visibly affected by the call, and threw a bad 0-1 curveball way inside, but the catcher was expecting a fastball so he reached up high as he stood up to catch it, but the ball broke down, and Buck couldn’t glove it, and the ball got away because of the crossed up call. Hunter worked the count full after a 1-2 count, and looked like he was pulling off the ball a bit too much instead of just trying to make contact- a problem he has sometimes. He quickly corrected the issue, and took a quick compact swing at an outside fastball, chopping a grounder back up the middle, through the drawn in infield, past the diving attempt by Infante, to tie the score 1-1. Abreu hit a line drive to left, but it hung up for Morrison to make the 2^nd out. Wells flailed at a 2-2 outside slider, striking out to end the inning, a far cry from the solid short approach that resulted in hits in recent games (and helped Hunter bring in the tying run in this inning). Sanchez made a couple of mistakes, and was angry at himself as he walked off the mound, knowing that he basically just gave the Angels a run.
　
Greg Dobbs led off the bottom of the 6^th, with another single off the end of his bat, serving a 1-2 outside curveball into left. Lopez popped up the 0-2 curve to SS Aybar, in shallow center, and Infante followed by popping up a good 1-2 outside slider for the 2^nd out. With Buck up to hit, Weaver threw one in the dirt that Mathis blocked just a foot or so in front of him, but the Dobbs took off for 2^nd, and Mathis pounced on the ball, grabbing it with his bare hand and making an off balance throw to 2^nd, that was right on the base, to get the runner out by a few feet, and end the inning. Perhaps the Marlins didn’t get the memo that Mathis is a defensive catcher, or just aren’t used to seeing catchers blocking balls properly, after seeing how their catcher tried to do it earlier in the game.
　
The Angels got another lead off man on board, in the 7^th, when Howie Kendrick lined a single to right, using his patented inside-out swing, to punch the inside fastball the other way. Of course, the accompanying companion to the leadoff hit for the Angels has been the double play far too often, and it happened once again. Trumbo hit a hard grounder headed for right field, but 2B Infante dove to stop it, then threw to Bonifacio covering 2^nd, who caught the low throw and fired to 1^st in one motion to turn the double play. Jeff Mathis struck out to end the inning, but it was a little bit of a blessing in disguise, since Weaver didn’t have to hit in the 7^th (and thus wasn’t pinch-hit for), so he could continue his outing (and eventually would allow him to earn the victory).
　
Weaver came out to pitch the bottom of the 7^th, having thrown 104 pitches thus far, and set down the Marlins in order. Buck grounded out to lead off, then Weaver finally got Wise out, striking him out on a high fastball, and Wes Helms pinch-hit for their pitcher and made the last out, flying out to center…. Steve Cishek came in to pitch the top of the 8^th to try to keep the score tied. Alberto Callaspo pinch hit for Weaver, and struck out to start the inning. Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar followed with back-to-back singles, and Aybar’s went to right, allowing Izturis to scoot over to 3^rd. With Hunter up, Aybar stole 2^nd base- a big play considering Hunter’s propensity for hitting into double plays (and the Angels as a team for that matter). The infield played in, and Hunter hit a groundball to 3^rd, but Izturis broke for home on the contact play perfectly, and Lopez only had the play at 1^st, as the run scored to give the Angels the 2-1 lead. Left-hander Randy Choate was brought in to face Abreu and retired him on a fly out to end the inning. Since Weaver was able to pitch the 7^th, once the Angels took the lead, it gave Weaver the chance for a victory, heading into the end of the game.
　
Scott Downs came in to hold the lead, and try and secure that victory in the bottom of the 8^th, and the Angels improved the defense, bringing in Bourjos to play center, moving Wells to left to replace Abreu. Downs didn’t even allow a ball to go into the outfield, while setting the Marlins down in order. Bonifacio and Sanchez grounded out, sandwiched around a strikeout by Morrison, for a smooth inning by Downs…. The Marlins brought in their closer, to ensure the Angels didn’t increase their lead, and he worked around a one-out double by Kendrick, who clobbered on into deep center field over Wise’s head. Trumbo grounded out and Mathis struck out to end the inning, and send the game into the bottom of the 9^th.
　
In all honesty, my DVR ran out, because of that rain delay at the start of the game, so I missed some of the end of this one. Angels closer Jordan Walden came in to close the game out, and retired the Marlins in order, for a rare 1-2-3 inning for him. I would have liked to see what pitches he was using, but the results are the important thing, as he struck out Dobbs to lead off the inning. Hanley Ramirez finally got his chance to play, but he struck out as a pinch hitter, taking a 3-2 fastball over the outside corner (I saw that one in highlights). Infante ended the game, grounding out to 2^nd, securing the save for Walden, and the 9^th win of the year for Weaver.
　
After that one-run performance, Weaver is now 9-4 and has a dazzling 2.01 ERA. He only allowed 5 hits, and one walk, while striking out 6, and needed a little luck to even be a candidate for the decision, but it worked out this time. He didn’t get much run support as usual, as his offense only scored twice, despite having 11 hits, but he kept his team in the game as usual, and got rewarded for it this time. The Marlins now have lost 11 in a row, and the Angels are one win away from their third straight road series victory. Both teams are going in opposite directions, so hopefully that trend continues, at least while the Angels are in town.