Aston’s Angels Report [Game 77 @ LA Dodgers-Win]

                            AAR: Aston’s Angels Report                    June 24, 2011
                            Game 77: Crazy Game                             Vol. 1, Issue 79
                                                       Win 7-3. Record: 38-39

Technically, the road trip was still going, even though the Angels had the day off on Thursday to travel back home, because Friday’s series was being played about 30 miles from their home ball park vs. the hometown rivals LA Dodgers. Those who know my sports tendencies know I don’t like the Dodgers- I would rank them just ahead of the Yankees of teams I hate the most. It all stems from what could be termed as an example of nurture vs. nature shaping my thought processes; my Dad was born and raised in northern California, growing up disliking the Dodgers from their time in Brooklyn and even more when they moved to LA and became the main rival for the San Francisco Giants, the home team in his neck of the woods. That anti-Dodger sentiment was bestowed to me from the onset of my baseball watching times, as we rooted against the Dodgers together, while watching my first World Series in 1988- when the Dodgers beat the (nor-Cal) Oakland Athletics. It helped also that the Dodgers won, because my Mom also preferred to cheer for the underdog and the Dodgers were anything but, especially compared to the Angels teams of the late 80s and early 90s …. Back to the present, this was an odd game, to say the least, with a bunch of base running mistakes (by the Angels), including two runners picked off of first by the carcher, then there was a play where another catcher tried the same thing but no one was there, along with some other unusal occurrences (some of which I have never seen before), but it was certainly entertaining.
　
Dan Haren took the mound for the Angels, sporting knee-high stirrups , to go along with some white-tongued black shoes, going with an old-school look out there. He looked different all the way around, allowing 10 hits in 6 innings of work, allowing at least two base runners in each of the first five innings, as he was forced to throw a lot of pitches early. It didn’t help that the Angels elected to go to a more-offensive lineup, sacrificing some defensive stability, with Howie Kendrick in left field instead of using Bourjos in center (and Wells in LF). The move was partly due to the absence of Torii Hunter, who suffered bruised ribs on Wednesday, but it also revolved around wanting Alberto Callaspo at 3B, while keeping Izturis and Kendrick in the lineup. It was yet another example of how managing in the National League is much more difficult, without the DH spot to help keep your better offensive players in the lineup. I don’t agree with it, because I’d rather have a better defense in the outfield, with Bourjos playing CF instead of forcing Callaspo into the lineup, when Izturis is at least as good at 3B and is a better overall hitter. Bobby Abreu played RF, so Vernon Wells would need to cover a lot of ground as CF in this one (another reason to have a more experienced outfielder in LF).
　
The Dodgers had their rookie fire-baller Rubby De La Rosa, making his 4^th start of his major league career, after spending some time in the bullpen earlier in the season. The Angels lineup put together quite a few hits early, but had just as many base running mistakes to take themselves out of a number of scoring opportunities. Izturis led off the game with a line drive single up the middle, on an 86 MPH off-speed pitch. With Erick Aybar up, Izturis ran to 2^nd as part of a hit-and-run play, but Aybar swung and missed and Izturis was thrown out on a one-hop throw by Dodger catcher Dioner Navarro, Aybar eventually struck out on a 3-2 fastball, then Abreu drew a two-out walk and stole 2^nd base on the first pitch to Wells. He then whacked the next pitch back up the middle, and for some reason Abreu was held up at 3^rd as the throw from CF Matt Kemp came in. That wasn’t the worst part, as Vernon Wells made a bone-headed base running play, heading for 2^nd on the throw, but it was cut off and he was now in a run down that would end the inning. I have no idea why Abreu was held at 3^rd with two outs and I have even less idea why Wells decided to try for 2^nd. Wells stayed in the rundown for a couple of throws, and Abreu ran home to try and squeeze a run in since an out was inevitable, but the throw went home to get him out easily and end the inning. With that result, it brings on even more second-guessing, as they should have just sent the runner home on the hit, if the worst outcome could be the out at home (that happened anyway).
　
The Dodgers got on the board early even though Haren got the first two hitters out in the 1^st. RF Andre Ethier has hit well against Haren in the past, from his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it continued in this game, starting with a line drive single into right, pulling an outside off-speed pitch. Now Haren had to face Matt Kemp who is probably the best player in the National League so far this season (.333, 20+ HR, 20+ SB already), and Kemp showed why, launching the first pitch he saw- a 90 MPH fastball over the outer edge- into deep right center field for a 2-run homer. 1B James Loney lined out to 2^nd to end the inning, but it was a 2-0 lead after one inning.


3B Alberto Callaspo led off the 2^nd, taking a 3-2 fastball outside for the free pass to 1^st, but Kendrick struck out on three pitches. 1B Mark Trumbo was jammed by an inside fastball, and hit a soft line drive into right field, but Callaspo didn’t even round 2^nd base with the thought of going to 3^rd, and stopped at 2^nd on a play that the Angels are famous for making a 1^st-to-3^rd run around the bases on. Either Callaspo was not hustling or he is still favoring his hamstring that was injured a couple of weeks ago, but either way he shouldn’t be in the lineup if he can’t do what is expected of him, in my opinion. Catcher Jeff Mathis came up to the plate, to watch the Dodgers catcher do what he usually does, firing one to 1^st base to pick off Mark Trumbo, on another dumb careening error, for the 2^nd out of the inning. The Dodgers still chose to pitch to Mathis, with first base open and the pitcher on deck, but they walked him nonetheless. The reason they didn’t immediately just walk him to face Haren is his career .225 batting average, and his near.400 average last year when he played in the NL. Haren helped himself, since someone had to do it, hitting a line drive into right field to score Callaspo from 2^nd. That almost didn’t happen, as Jeff Mathis made another dumb base running attempt, going for 3^rd on the single to right, even though Ethier was playing shallow, charging the ball and has a good arm (not to mention Mathis is a catcher). He was thrown out at 3^rd but luckily the out was recorded just after the run scored, so it still counted. It was a risky move that nearly backfired completely and cost them a run, and did cost them a chance to score more, with two men on and their leadoff hitter up, but the score was 2-1 now, and that was the important thing.
　
Former Yankee and Tiger, LF Marcus Thames led off the bottom of the 2^nd, hitting a high mistake slider deep into left field, that should have been caught, but Kendrick turned the wrong way as he went back to the fence, and the ball bounced off of it, and rolled away for a double. Something happened to Thames as he rounded the bases, hurting himself to the point that he had to be immediately replaced by pinch-runner Tony Gwynn, Jr. Catcher Dioner Navarro pulled an outside slider to 2^nd for the out, but it moved Gwynn over to 3^rd which was his primary objective. The Angels infield played in as 2B Jamey Carroll, a very good contact hitter, came up to hit. He punched a grounder to Aybar at SS, who quickly threw the ball home, to get the Gwynn out at home, as Mathis blocked the plate, and tagged him as he tried to tag the base with his hand as he slid around him. De La Rosa is no slouch at the plate either, and he returned the favor, hitting a hard grounder towards Aybar, that went off his glove into left for a two-out hit. With runners at 1^st and 2^nd, lead off man SS Dee Gordon hit a sinking liner into left, and Kendrick ran in and made a good sliding catch to rob him of a hit, save a run, and make up for his blunder to start the inning, all at once.
　
Izturis started the 3^rd by striking out on a high fastball, then Aybar hit a low and away 97 MPH fastball back up the middle for a clean single. Abreu struck out on a 2-2 slider in the dirt, and Aybar was picked off at 1^st, as yet another Angels player had their head up their butt on the base paths. They found another way to end an inning with a double play, but it wasn’t all that surprising given the way they played up until that point.
… Dan Haren faced some more adversity in the 3rd, and managed to squeeze out of another jam, with little luck on his side, this time. After striking out 3B Juan Uribe to start the inning, but Ethier pulled another outside off-speed pitch (that stayed straight) for a single into right. Kemp followed with a single, taking an inside out swing to hit a line drive single into right, moving Ethier up one base. Loney blooped a 1-2 low splitter into LF, that Kendrick got a late jump on it and tried to make another sliding catch but was way too late, and the ball rolled past him. I was waiting for the score to change, assuming that Ethier must have scored on the play, since Kendrick the ball rolled a few feet away from Kendrick as he sat on the ground and it seemed like forever before the ball was thrown back into the infield, but Ethier stopped at 3^rd base, for some reason. It was a lucky break for the Angels and they kept him at 3^rd, as Haren struck out Gwynn on a good 1-2 splitter down and out of the zone, and then induced an easy groundout to 1^st by Navarro to end the inning, and leave the bases loaded.
　
The Angels didn’t take the momentum right away, going down 1-2-3 in the top of the 4^th, as Wells and Kendrick each hit fly outs, book ending the strikeout by Callaspo. That quick inning set the stage for another scoring chance by the Dodgers in the bottom half of the inning, who got another leadoff double, this time by Jamey Carroll who used his short contact swing approach to punch a 1-2 high slider (another high mistake by Haren) down the right field line for an easy double. De La Rosa laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt down the 1^st base line to move another runner to 3^rd with one out. Gordon hit a 1-1 low splitter on the ground to 2B Izturis, and he made a quick throw home and Mathis blocked the plate again and tagged out Carroll for another out made at home plate, to keep the score close. Uribe ended the inning with a groundout to 3^rd, and once again Haren squeezed out of the inning, with just a 2-1 deficit.
　
The Angels put together some two-out magic, in the 4^th to finally get to the Dodgers’ rookie phenom, taking advantage of the fact he hasn’t perfected his breaking pitch yet. Trumbo led off hitting the first pitch changeup for a hard groundout to 3^rd, as Uribe went to one knee to stop the one hop scorcher. De La Rosa’s first mistake of the inning was walking the light-hitting catcher, Mathis, on four straight balls, and Haren sacrificed him up to 2^nd with a good bunt. Izturis came up with two outs and a runner in scoring position, and took advantage of De La Rosa’s 2^nd mistake of the inning, a 1-2 high slider, hitting a line drive over Loney’s head, down the right field line, for an RBI-double. De La Rosa was ahead of Aybar 1-2, then the count went full after two pitches no where close, and Aybar yanked an inside 94 MPH fastball deep, down the right field line, for a 2-run homerun, a few rows beyond the short fence near the foul pole. Abreu struck out on a 3-2 changeup but the score was now 4-2 in the Angels favor, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. De La Rosa’s best pitches are the fastball and changeup, but he went to the slider too often and he paid for it, even though the homer came on a fastball.
　
The lead stayed in tact, but the Angels were lucky it did, after what happened in the bottom of the 5^th. Ethier connected for his third hit off Haren, on another outside pitch (try a new tactic, Dan!), whacking a double to the wall in right center. After the Dodgers’ third leadoff double in five tries, Kemp took a mighty swing at a hanging 1-2 high slider and hit a hard line drive deep into left field that was caught by Kendrick. Haren was lucky that pitch wasn’t hit farther than his first homerun, but it was still just another out in the box score, and he was due some luck. Loney saw another hanging 83 MPH off-speed pitch and hit a hard line drive into center, and the Angels had some luck on their side again, as Ethier stopped at 3^rd after getting a late break going to 3^rd when he hesitated and watched the ball go into the outfield thinking it might be caught by an infielder. Gwynn hit a grounder heading for right field, but Izturis made a diving stop going to his left, and threw to 2^nd to get the force out. The run scored to make it 4-3, but it could have been so much worse, especially considering the strange play that happened right after. Gwynn ran to 2^nd on a steal attempt, and Mathis fired a strike…to 1^st base, as Gwynn slid in at 2^nd base- a play I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Obviously Mathis already had his pick off throw to 1^st planned out, but it fit right in with the bone-headed plays they made throughout this game, so it wasn’t all that surprising. Thankfully, Navarro popped up to record the final out, and the Dodgers only scored one run despite it all.
　
Vernon Wells led off the 6^th with a single, lining the first pitch fastball right back up the middle. Callaspo made the first out, flying out to center, and then Wells tried to steal 2^nd and was thrown out by another one-hop throw from Navarro (and a good short hop catch and tag by Carroll). It wasn’t a surprise they made another out on the base paths, and it almost makes sense that Kendrick clobbered the very next pitch- a 1-1 hanging slider, deep into left field for a solo homerun, and push the lead back to two runs. Of course they would hit a homer right after a runner gets himself out trying to steal, but at least they got the run back, although it felt like more could be had.
　
Haren had his best inning in the bottom of the 6^th, working around a one-out walk to the pinch-hitter Casey Blake- Haren’s first of the game. After Gordon hit a weak fly ball to left, Blake made it to 2^nd on a wild pitch, but he was stranded there when Uribe grounded out to 2^nd, for Haren’s last out of the game….Mike MacDougal came in to pitch the top of the 7^th, and retired the Angels in order, and another oddity happened in that inning too. Haren was due up 2^nd and hit for himself, grounding out to the SS just like Mathis did before him, even though he wasn’t going to go out and pitch the next inning. That was a rarity unto itself, but it just added to the abnormalities that sprouted throughout this game, as the Angels carried a 5-3 lead into the 7^th inning stretch.
　
Hisanori Takahashi came in to pitch the bottom of the 7^th, and continued his string of strong recent performances, plowing through the heart of the Dodgers’ lineup. Peter Bourjos was put in the game to play CF, shifting Wells over to RF, kicking Abreu out of the game and giving a little more defensive stability. Kendrick was still out in LF, but he made another great play, to save a hit by the first hitter, Ethier, who hit a slicing dipping line drive into shallow left, and Howie tracked it as he ran in, and made a diving catch. He evened things out, with his second very good catch, to cancel out the two bad plays that allowed base runners earlier in the game. Takahashi then struck out Kemp swinging, with his fastball/ changeup combination, to go along with his hesitation leg-kick that all worked to keep Kemp off-balance. That changeup seems to be the pitch that has enabled Takahashi to get more hitters out recently, and his control has been much better, locating his fastball much better, to make that changeup more effective. He retired the other left-handed batter, Loney on an easy groundout to 1^st.
　
The Angels had a little more luck, and some help from the Dodgers defense in the top of the 8^th. Left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo came in to pitch, coming off his battle with an anxiety disorder (which is odd, but at least it’s better than what normally puts him on the DL- an arm injury). Erick Aybar hit right-handed, and hit the first-pitch fastball into right, with a line drive that tipped off of the Carroll’s glove as he leapt to try and snag it. Peter Bourjos hit in Abreu’s spot, so he was next, and up there to bunt. Kuo threw a high inside fastball- a good pitch when the hitter is bunting- and Bourjos bunted the ball into the air between the pitcher and 1^st base, but it wasn’t a pop up high in the air, so it turned out even better than a grounder. The ball was placed perfectly, as it got past Kuo who made diving attempt as he came off the mound, and once it hit the ground it was an easy base hit for Bourjos. The 1^st baseman, James Loney, made matters much worse, by picking up the ball and trying to throw Bourjos out at 1^st, even though he had no real play, and fired the ball past Carroll covering 1^st, into right field. Aybar was already heading to 3^rd when Loney was making the throw to 1^st, with some excellent base running, which was atypical for this game, and he sprinted all the way home, scoring way ahead of the throw from Ethier near in shallow right. Bourjos also did a good job, racing all the way to 3^rd, as the throw went home. A sacrifice bunt, turned into an infield hit and a two base error, resulting in a run. This fortuitous turn of events made the score 6-3, and put Bourjos at 3^rd with no outs, still. Kuo struck out Wells looking on a 3-2 fastball, as Wells picked an odd time to take a pitch, and then he was pulled from the game. Right-hander Blake Hawksworth was brought in, and the Angels wasted no time at all agasint him. Callaspo reached out for a first-pitch outside changeup, and pulled it through the drawn-in infield, into right field, for an RBI single and a 7-3 lead. Kendrick grounded into a double play to end the inning, probably because they were due for one, to meet their game quota.
　
Takahashi came back out to pitch the 8^th, and was even more impressive than the last inning, setting the Dodgers down in order again, including two strikeouts. Gwynn struck out on a slider in the dirt, then Navarro grounded out to the SS, and even the contact hitter Carroll struck out on a 1-2 changeup, to end the inning. It looks like the Angels may have found the way to fill the void in the bullpen leading up to their closer, left by Rodney being on the DL. They may just have to use their two lefties, Takashashi and Downs, who have proven to be the best relievers in their bullpen so far, since the right-handers (with the possible exception of Thompson) haven't performed that well.
　
The Angels added one more run in their last at-bat, in the 9^th, just for good measure, as they manufactured a run after another Dodger error provided a base runner. Trumbo led off and hit a grounder to Uribe at 3^rd base, but he hesitated, then moved back and tried to side step and make the grab as his body turned, but he failed, allowing Trumbo to reach on his fielding error. Trumbo stole 2^nd, even though it was a hit-and-run play and Mathis missed the ball, and then Mathis put down a sacrifice bunt that the pitcher fielded, to move Trumbo to 3^rd. Russell Branyan was announced as the pinch-hitter, so the Dodgers brought in their lefty reliever, Scott Elbert to pitch, and then the Angels countered that by putting in Bobby Wilson, as the pinch hitter instead. I wonder if Branyan gets credit for playing in the game, even though he was only announced, and never even stepped to the plate before he was replaced by a right-handed batter… Wilson came through with a fly ball deep enough to right, to allow Trumbo to score on the sacrifice fly, and the score was now 8-3. Izturis ended the inning, popping up to right, and the game was nearly over.
　
Michael Kohn was called upon to finish the game for the Angels. He continued the dominance by the bullpen, finishing the game with another 1-2-3 inning, so, between he and Takahashi, all 9 hitters were set down in order to end the game. It was a fitting end to a very strange game, that ended with a blowout score, after it looked like the Angels were going to run themselves right into a loss, the way they played in the first 4 innings. Now they are one game closer to the .500 mark they have been chasing for about a month now, one win away from guaranteeing their fourth series win in a row, and one win away from a legitimate winning streak (three games in a row is a big step for some teams, okay!) They were very lucky to keep the game close and eventually pull away with a victory, despite all the mental errors, base running mistakes, and misplays in the outfield, so they probably should try to put a better defensive lineup in the field in the last couple of interleague games. We shall what Saturday brings, but it will be hard to top the entertaining and unexpected occurrences of this game … and it was of course even more satisfying, because they beat the stinkin’ Dodgers, but that‘s my anti-Dodger bias talking.