SB Nation - Ervin Santana

No "Manifest Destiny" In La-La Land: Yankees Eliminate Angels

Nico — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:15:03 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Trainer Gene Mohahan tries to figure out exactly how it is that Derek Jeter can walk on water.

Final Score: Rich Team That Buys Victories 5, Angels 2.

There were times when it seemed nothing could slow down an Angels team brought together by the death of Nick Adenhart in a season that had already begun with John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar on the DL. Joe Saunders would pitch through pain, Scot Shields would be lost for the season, and Vlad the Impaler would look more and more each day like Vlad the Former Impaler.

No matter. The Angels just kept winning. And winning. And winning. Then they got to the ALCS and forgot how to play baseball. Mike Scioscia, widely considered to be one of baseball's best managers, would make several puzzling moves, including today's choices of sticking with Joe Saunders through thin and thin -- Saunders wobbled through every inning and never came close to getting it together -- and trying Scott "Let me try 25 pitches this inning and see if a few of them are good" Kazmir in a 3-2 game, while Jered Weaver -- he of precisely the breaking stuff the Yankees couldn't handle all series -- sat, and sat, and sat.

Not how I would have played it, but then again I would have caught Matsui's pop up, I would have taken the out at first on Melky Cabrera's ground ball, I would have thrown a bunt nearer to a base than to the malt vendor.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Derek Jeter has just sneezed. Fox will have the full story right after Tim McCarver says something inane. So that would be right now. Good effing grief, people.

Bye bye, Angels. Go Phillies!

ALCS Game 6 Postponed

Rev Halofan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:06:03 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

2 months ago: New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez puts pine tar on his baseball bat before batting practice Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Yankees are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Angels in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

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Is there a disturbance in the force, Sith-Rod?

The NY POST is reporting that ALCS Game 6 has been RAINED OUT and is postponed. The game will be played SUNDAY, first pitch at 5:20 PM Pacific Time. Game 7 is scheduled for Monday at 4:57 PM our time.

From all reports, the Yankees will stick with Andy Pettitte to start Game 6 as scheduled. The Angels have given no indication that it will be anyone but Joe Saunders starting Game 6. The possibility of bringing John Lackey back to start Game 7 on three days rest to face CC Sabathia will be the subject of much consideration should the Angels be victorious on Sunday.

If you are hanging out online tonight, Giguere says he is 100%, go visit ANAHEIM CALLING, the new SBN Ducks Blog!

Bronx Weather Link - Live TWITTER UPDATES from the NY Post in the Bronx Pressbox

Sunday Night Forecast: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s. East winds around 5 mph.

TONIGHT'S Forecast: Rain with isolated thunderstorms in the evening...then a chance of rain after midnight. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the evening. Breezy with lows in the mid 50s. South winds 15 to 20 mph...becoming northwest 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Poll

Since the Game has been Called, Where Are You Going Tonight?

I will just stay home

219 votes

Hang with friends at a bar or someone's pad

120 votes

My Hook Up is None of Your Business

137 votes

476 votes | Poll has closed

Sherman's Second Plan To Top Atlanta

Sam Page — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

Recently at the Post, Joel Sherman threw some water on the John Lackey dreams of many Mets fans, instead proposing a series of buy-low candidates the Mets would be prudent to acquire. His criteria reads:

So if the obvious avenues are blocked, where do the Mets go? I am going to recommend three starters that have this in common: They are AL flyball pitchers with high-end stuff, coming off bad years (all had 5.00-plus ERAs).

He is overstating the effect of switching leagues by totally ignoring qualified National League pitchers, but is definitely considering some qualities the Mets should pay more attention to. Did his search yield anyone worth acquiring?

Sherman's first suggestion is Jeremy Guthrie. He starts with a pretty convincing case against Guthrie:

Guthrie is coming off, by far, his worst season (10-17, 5.04 ERA), and his strikeout rate fell for a fourth straight year, never a good sign.

His strikeout rate didn't just decline, it went from barely average to bad:

via www.fangraphs.com

Guthrie seemingly never had very good stuff, which would violate Sherman's high-end stuff condition. But wait!

But Yankee hitters continued to praise his stuff.

That's a basically meaningless statement, since you wouldn't expect the Yankees to trash their opponents publicly. The assumption there, however, that a drop in "stuff" hasn't led to the drop in strikeout rate, is supported by Pitchf/x finding virtually no change in his pitches' movement. As for his extreme flyball tendencies, Sherman conflates some trends, and ignores most of his career numbers.

He yielded the most homers in a season in the AL since 2006 (35). Fewer than half (17) came at home, but he was the second most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009.

Guthrie, the third most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009, posted a 10.9% HR/FB, which is actually exactly equal to his career mark. In fact, the huge number of homeruns was the result of Guthrie going from a career extreme groundball pitcher to flyball pitcher suddenly. As a result, his homeruns allowed should only be expected to come down if you think he will revert back to a groundball pitcher suddenly, which is much less likely than simply regressing from some bad luck. While this expectation may be a decent gamble in itself, best-case Jeremy Guthrie is a groundball pitcher with averageish stuff, which is basically the opposite of what Sherman was trying to find. That being considered, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell, Sherman's proposed package, is a horrible trade for a pitcher who is best case Pelfrey-lite and worst case, useless.

For his second proposal, Sherman does something odd, pointing out how team-abuse led to Gil Meche injuring his arm, then quotes the organization that abused him to prove Meche would be alright:

But he was doing bullpen sessions late in the year and two Royals officials told me that if the team was in contention, he would have been able to pitch.

Was it the same Royals official who said Meche's injury came from having the wrong "mindset"? Meche did have some bad luck with homeruns, the difference between bad 5.40 tRA and a not-good-at-all regressed 5.04 tRA*. There's precedent, however: throughout most of Meche's mostly forgettable Seattle career he posted similar HR/FB numbers. Bottom line: why trade for and subsequently pay $24MM dollars for two years of a huge injury risk, with higher-upside, cheaper, injury risks on the free agent market? Busted Gil Meche for two years or Rich Harden for one? Sherman fittingly proposes trading Castillo, because the Royals need fielding help, Sherman and Dayton Moore being the last two people on Earth who believe Luis Castillo plays anything better than horrible defense.

His third idea, Ervin Santana, is like Gil Meche in that he did have some bad luck with homers last year, but has the larger red flag of arm issues and a big contract. Unlike Meche, however, Santana is a year removed from a great 6 WAR season and could be worth the risk. For that same reason, though, he'd likely cost more in trade.

Not being one to criticize without contributing, however, I'll add three buy-low pitchers, who don't necessarily conform to Sherman's criteria (much like his own three).

1. Felipe Paulino- Paulino went 3-11 with a 6.27 ERA, which likely makes Astros GM Ed Wade's eyes bleed. Underneath those superficial stats, however, Paulino had very good peripherals and an absurd HR/FB rate, making his tRA* an above-average 4.42. He's got blazing stuff, a very unfavorable home ballpark, and his value couldn't be lower. Trading for Paulino seems like a total no-brainer.

2. Sergio Mitre- I think Mitre fits Sherman's rubric for a trade target better than any of his three. Mitre demonstrated middling stuff with improved control, but somehow gave up 10 homeruns in just 51 ML innings. With an ERA of 6.79, and an xFIP of 4.19, Mitre may be worth the rare cross-town trade.

3. Braden Looper- Seriously. Looper surrendered a crazy 39 homeruns, playing his home games in hitter-friendly Miller Park. In Citi Field, Looper could likely replicate his solid back-of-the-rotation or better performances with the Cardinals.

Similar buy-low candidates: Ricky Nolasco (the king of bad luck: pitched like an ace, ERA like someone on the Mets), Brett Myers, Aaron Cook, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe.

Lackey And Saunders are Angels ALCS Yankee Stadium Starters

Rev Halofan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:14:05 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels helmets are shown during baseball practice in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009. The Angels will face the New York Yankees in the America League championship series beginning Friday in New York. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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ALCS Game 1: John Lackey @ CC Sabathia

ALCS Game 2: Joe Saunders @ A.J. Burnett

According to the Angels' own website, pitchers John Lackey and Joe Saunders will be the starters in ALCS games 1 and 2 at Yankee Stadium. The assumed Yankee pitchers in those games will be CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The logic of starting Saunders is two-fold: Lefties pace good at the billion-dollar-Bronx-bandbox and Angel Righty Weaver dominates on his home turf, where Games 3 and 4 are scheduled to take place.

While the Angels have many choices in great pitchers, the Yankees are hindered in a laughable dropoff in starting pitcher strength after their "Initial" two starters. The Bronx Bust may have to gas-out the obese Sabathia while the Halos have a luxury of four able-bodied starters in reserve in Matt Palmer, Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir and Jered Weaver.

Poll

Is Lackey / Saundo in the Bronx a Good Call?

Yes

669 votes

No

99 votes

768 votes | Poll has closed

Yankees Batters vs. Angels Pitchers

Rev Halofan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:45:49 -0000

Here is a brief, almost random rundown on some matchups that the Angels are best left to closely examine before they face the Yankees on Friday night for game 1 of the ALCS. As my Yankee-loving friend Roy Grillo said the other day on Facebook: We guarantee that Alfonso Soriano doesn't take the field in this series.

Hideki Matsui versus:

Joe Saunders: 1 for 1, 1 HR

Jason Bulger: 1 for 2, 1 HR

Godzilla can bang Lefties and Righties.

Derek Jeter versus:

Ervin Santana: 10 for 23, 2 HR

Joe Saunders: 7 for 15, 1 HR

John Lackey: 15 for 44, 1 HR

~~Probably~~ Definitely more annoying to opposing pitchers than Figgins has been lately...

Alex Rodriguez versus:

Jered Weaver: 5 for 15, 4 HR

Joe Saunders: 7 for 14, 2 HR

Brian Fuentes: 1 for 2, 1 HR

Jason Bulger: 1 for 1, 1 HR

Probably want to avoid throwing fastballs down the middle or hanging a curveball on a tee.

Poll

Angels Starters for ALCS Games 1 and 2

Lackey and Weaver

172 votes

Lackey and Kazmir, Weaver pitches best at home

266 votes

Kazmir and Saunders, Lefties have an edge in Yankee Stadium

41 votes

Palmer and Quinlan. Dude, nobody will have scouted them, Shhhh.

59 votes

538 votes | Poll has closed

Joe Saunders Wins Sweet 16, Mike Scioscia Wins 900th

Rev Halofan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:32:00 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Joe Saunders works against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Final Score in Oakland: Angels 5, Athletics 3

Mike Scioscia managed his 900th regular season victory, pitcher Joe Saunders won the 1st game of the Angels 2009 season and he won the 162nd and final regular season contest Sunday afternoon, but all fans are really wondering is whether or not he can win next Monday on the 23rd anniversary of the "Donnie Moore" Game, against the Halo's postseason nemesis Boston Red Sox.

Perhaps more important than Saunders 2 ER and 6 Hits surrendered in 5 smooth innings was Ervin Santana appearing out of the bullpen to toss 2 innings of 3 hit, no-run ball, striking out 3 in the process. Darren Oliver got his 20th Hold of the seasons and Kevin Jepsen had a sky 9th for his first Save of the year.

Mike Napoli hit his 20th homerun of the season, a solo shot, while Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales padded their 100+ RBI totals for the season Torii Hunter doubled in his 90th Ribby in a 3-run 5th inning. The Angels finish with 97 wins on the year, their 3rd best total in franchise history. They won 100 games last season and 99 games in their championship 2002 year.

Poll

Panther of the Game:

Mike Napoli

80 votes

Joe Saunders

168 votes

248 votes | Poll has closed

Jason Bulger Stiff Shoulder Scrambles Angels Bullpen Roster

Rev Halofan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:31:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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Jason Bulger was pulled early from Saturday's game when he complained of a Shoulder tightness to Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher. There is no word on whether or not he will be added to the postseason roster.

The Bullpen is easily the Angels biggest question mark headed into the postseason. Bulger was an integral part of the late inning relief corps.

Without Bulger, the Angels Bullpen Depth looks lke this:

Brian Fuentes: Closer

Kevin Jepsen: 8th / 9th

Darren Oliver: 7th / 8th / Lefty Situational

And then the ambiguities form: Ervin Santana will be called in if a starting pitcher falters, traditionally the role of Matt Palmer this season. Palmer may get a more important role and his 2 shutout innings on Saturday illustrate his effectiveness. Sean O'Sullivan could be a possibility and threw out of the pen the other day quite effectively.

A four man rotation and the six pitchers listed here leave room for other relievers, none of whom should get you too excited: Jose Arredondo, Trevor Bell, Rafael Rodriguez and Rich Thompson should only get the ball in the postseason with ten-run leads or 8-run deficits.

Poll

ALDS, 7th inning, Angels ahead by one run, Oliver just pitched the 6th, Bulger unavailable, Jepsen/Fuentes the obvious choice for the 8th/9th... who you gonna call?

Another inning from Cousin Oliver

144 votes

Magic Matt Palmer

175 votes

Black Magic Ervin Santana

392 votes

Ghostbusters

79 votes

790 votes | Poll has closed

Angels Set Runs Record : FRIDAY HALOLINKS

WiHaloFan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:31:37 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kevin Millwood, foreground, walks to the mound after giving up a two-run home run to Los Angeles Angels' Kendry Morales during the third inning. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Up next for Angels: Friday at Oakland -- latimes.com
Jered Weaver vs. Gio Gonzalez.

Millwood, Rangers wallop Angels - FOX Sports on MSN
"I didn't want to come out. This was the last chance I got to play for a long time, so I wanted to stay out there as long as I could," Millwood said. "We get paid to win ballgames, and that's the way we've got to approach it. This place has been pretty miserable the last three days, so getting a win today was pretty important for us."

Angels' Ervin Santana will start the playoffs in the bullpen -- latimes.com
Scioscia juggled his pitching staff to have John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders start the final four regular-season games in that order, and that's likely to be the way they will pitch against Boston.

Angels-Athletics Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
The Athletics finished in a tie for the majors' fifth-best record in September at 17-10, winning two of three last weekend in Anaheim. Oakland, though, has dropped four straight after a 4-2 loss in Seattle on Thursday and has clinched its first last-place finish since 1998.

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
--The Angels are only the second team since the 1930 Cardinals to have 10 players drive in 50 or more runs. The 2007 Tigers also had 10 players with 50 or more RBIs (including OF Craig Monroe, who drove in 55 before being traded).
--Angels starting pitchers led the majors with a 2.96 ERA in September. They lowered their season ERA from 5.00 to 4.48 over a 33-game stretch, moving from 12th among American League starting staffs to fifth.

Angels set franchise record for runs scored - angelsbaseball.com
The Angels set a franchise record for runs scored in a season when Terry Evans scores on Kevin Millwood's wild pitch

Video highlights from yesterday's game:

Davis homers; exchanges words with Lackey - MLB.com
Chris Davis and John Lackey exchange words Davis rounds the bases after homering in the top of the second inning

Ted Williams' frozen head for batting practice at cryogenics lab: book
Williams' severed head was then frozen, and even used for batting practice by a technician trying to dislodge it from a tuna fish can.

Fans gear up for ALDS after home finale | angelsbaseball.com: News
"It's like basketball. You guys are like the sixth man," said Figgins. "We couldn't do it without you." Hunter elicited the loudest cheers when he announced that the Angels are "the team to beat" and that the team is going to the playoffs "in Nick Adenhart's honor."

Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees have postseason pitching edge - Tim Marchman - SI.com
I've ranked the eight playoff staffs here by how well their best pitchers have done against strong offenses down the stretch. Specifically, I looked at how each team's top three starters and top two relievers have pitched since Aug. 16 against offenses that rank in the top five in their league in runs per game. These criteria are debatable to be sure, but they at least shed some light on how the pitchers who will actually be throwing important innings have performed lately against playoff-caliber offenses.

Angels set franchise runs record - angelsbaseball.com: News
A day after Evans drove home the Angels' 866th run on Wednesday to tie the franchise record for runs in a season, Evans scored the record-breaking run in the third inning of Thursday's 11-3 loss to the Rangers on a wild pitch by Kevin Millwood.

Angels Plans On Turning Tragedy Into Glorious Times - Bleacher Report
In front of a loud crowd wearing seas of red, the Angels were angling to sustain another division title, emotionally reflecting back on a shocking tragedy that left teammates numb, stunned and speechless.

October 2 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 2.
1966 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers wins his 27th game of the season and the final game of his career. Koufax's 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies clinches the National League pennant for the Dodgers.

Poll

John Lackey will start Game 1 of the ALDS, do you agree with that decision?

Yes, he should start Game 1.

283 votes

No, Weaver should start.

62 votes

No, Kazmir should start.

52 votes

397 votes | Poll has closed

TUESDAY HALOLINKS: A.L. West Championship Edition

WiHaloFan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:29:55 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

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Up next for Angels: Tuesday vs. Texas -- latimes.com
Scott Kazmir vs. Scott Feldman

AL West title is sweet, and bittersweet, for Angels -- latimes.com
They clinch fifth division championship in six years with 11-0 rout of Texas, then start the celebration -- but only after an emotional remembrance of the late Nick Adenhart.

Santana's seven-hit shutout gives Angels another AL West title - CBSSports.com
Ervin Santana pitched a seven-hitter for his fourth career shutout, while Maicer Izturis had three hits and two RBI to wrap up the Angels' fifth division crown in six years. Los Angeles (92-64) will open at home in the best-of-5 first round next week -- most likely against Boston, a familiar nemesis. The Red Sox need one victory or a Texas loss to earn the AL wild card. About 10 minutes into their clubhouse celebration, the players grabbed Adenhart's jersey and gave it a dousing. The Angels have taken Adenhart's jersey on every road trip and kept his locker intact in memory, and reliever Kevin Jepsen brought the shirt back to the clubhouse from the dugout for the celebration. "We remembered Nick before we started," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We've played the whole year with heavy hearts. But it was never about us, and it isn't about us. It's all about supporting Nick's family in any small way, and we're going to bring Nick's memory forward."

Game Wrapup - angelsbaseball.com
Behind an early offensive outburst that included a trio of three-run innings, the Angels sewed up their third straight AL West title. Ervin Santana went the distance and he got plenty of offensive help -- Kendry Morales homered and Bobby Abreu and Maicer Izturis each had three hits.

Rangers-Angels Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
The Angels are expected to counter with Scott Kazmir (9-9, 5.06), who helped Tampa Bay win the AL pennant last season. He's had mostly tough luck since being traded to Los Angeles on Aug. 28, going 1-2 with a 2.01 ERA in five starts. He suffered the loss in a 3-2 defeat Wednesday against visiting New York while receiving two runs for the fourth straight start from the majors' best-hitting team. Kazmir has a good chance at rebounding if the Angels can give him enough runs. He's 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 10 career starts against Texas - 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA in three this season.

Video highlight's from last night's game:

Angels clinch AL West crown with 11-0 win - MLB.com
Daily Recap: The Angels clinch the AL West crown with a 11-0 win over the Rangers

Figgins fields, seals the division - MLB.com
Chone Figgins fields the grounder to third and fires to first for the final out of the game, sealing the AL West for the Angels

How they got there: 2009 Angels - MLB.com
MLB.com takes an in-depth look at how the Angels made the 2009 postseason

Angel Highlight Videos - MLB.com
There were a bunch of videos at MLB.com, too many to list. Here's the link to the page that has them all.

Nick Adenhart was on everyone's mind...

Angels play for Nick Adenhart's memory -- latimes.com
The Angels clinched another American League West championship with an 11-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night, their fifth division title in six years, and the one player who wasn't there to live it, to feel it, was the one player who seemed to be everywhere in Angel Stadium."We took him onto the field, and not just on the center-field wall," Bulger said. "He's in our hearts right now. He's been a huge part of this season and will continue to be in the postseason."

Adenhart loss, leadership strength make season 'pretty special' - OCRegister.com
"You look back on that now and all that we went through as a team – it means a lot more," Mathis said. "We were in the same situation last year (winning the division). But the things that happened this year with Nick and everything, it feels like it’s pretty special."

Angels celebrate Adenhart after emotional clincher - Yahoo! Sports
With fewer wins and more scars than last season’s 100-victory club, the Angels are back in the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years. Outfielder Torii Hunter(notes) believes everything the Angels have endured in the past year, particularly pitcher Nick Adenhart’s(notes) tragic death, only made them stronger for this October. "We overcame a lot of obstacles, a lot more than anybody expected," Hunter said. "I definitely feel we haven’t played our best yet, and this year is different. But if you want to put your money on Boston, go ahead, do it. We believe in ourselves."

Title comes with heavy heart for Halos - angelsbaseball.com
So while the club will not soon forget both the memories of Adenhart and Gomez, Moreno said the next challenge will be to win the World Series in their honor this season. "Our goal is to a win a championship and we still haven't accomplished what we want to do," Moreno said. "We still have a lot of work to do."

Angels Win the West : baseballmusings.com
The Angels took no prisoners Monday night. They needed a win over Texas to clinch the AL West, and they dominated on both sides of the ball as they win the game and the division 11-0.

After up-and-down season, Angels face next hurdle -- beating Red Sox - CBSSports.com Baseball
"It's going to be a different scene now," Torii Hunter promised. "I have a lot of respect for Boston. But I think it's different. I think we're a different ballclub. We're playing to win. "We have a different energy. I wouldn't bank on the past."

Buster Olney blog -- Velocity and speed are distinct, and one series will prove it - ESPN

Some evaluators are intrigued by the matchup. "The Angels have to win the home games," said one evaluator, who has seen them play in the last week. If the Red Sox win one game out there to start the series, it's over -- and to be honest, I don't think the Angels will win a game. I'm really surprised, because when you look at the numbers, you'd think that the Angels have a good lineup, but they have a lot of guys who can be pitched to. They have a bunch of rug rats.

Olney's blog on ESPN is in the Insider section.

Postseason becoming habit for Halos - angelsbaseball.com
It's getting to be a habit. The Angels are returning to postseason play, having wrapped up their third consecutive American League West title by flattening their persistent pursuer, Texas, 11-0, on Monday night.

" Blog Archive " The War Between the Stats
The odd thing about this war, though, is that the general baseball public seems largely unaware of its existence. Most fans who attend, watch or listen to games are perfectly content with their knowledge of batting and earned run average, wins and losses and runs batted in. If they’ve even heard of VORP, most would try to catch one with a net. No, this war is being fought largely on the Internet, and has only recently begun to leak into broadcast booths. ESPN, despite its employment of a handful of unenlightened blabbermouths, feature OPS now as a part of their Sunday night telecasts.

September 29 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 29.

Poll

There's been some things written about pouring alcohol on Adenhart's jersey during last night's celebration. Do you think it was appropriate?

Yes, he's part of the team and should be included in the celebration

560 votes

No, under the circumstances it wasn't very cool.

55 votes

Undecided

36 votes

651 votes | Poll has closed

Angels Shut Out the Rangers; Clinch AL West!

scottnak — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:47:02 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu, front center, and teammates celebrate in front of a memorial for deceased teammate Nick Adenart after clinching the AL West title with an 11-0 win over the Texas Rangers in a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. Adenhart was killed in a car accident in Fullerton, Calif., in April. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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That's right, we fly flags here in Anaheim.

Final Score: AL West Champions Angels 11, Rangers 0

There's certainly a lot of players to highlight in this clinching game to talk about...
First, we have the amazing performance by Ervin Santana, pitching a CGSO!
And then Bobby Abreu, who was just a HR shy from hitting for the cycle.
Or Kendry Morales, with a 3/3 day and belting a HR in the 1st to make a strong statement early.
Then again, we can also highlight the fact that 7 different players scored a run for us...
Plus the fact that 6 different players racked up an RBI...

Oh, this was quite a game indeed. And what a game to clinch the AL West for the 3rd consecutive time.

We don't take no mess.
We fly flags in Anaheim.
And we will never forget...

This is for you Nick!

Poll

POTG

Ervin Santana

446 votes

Bobby Abreu

15 votes

Kendry Morales

52 votes

513 votes | Poll has closed