Evan and J.J. break down recent Spring games and what to look for in the future from the Angels and Dodgers, respectively.
“It’s Time for Angels Baseball”
LAST WEEK [ 4-3 this week ]
[ Monday March 3, Angels 6, Athletics 1] All winter long I professed my disgust of the Halos move to sign Torii Hunter. I mean seriously, he’s a good player with a great personality, but how many outfielders does one team need? I’m jumping on the band-wagon now after seeing him play today. (T. Hunter – 2 for 3, 2B, 3B, RBI)
[ Tuesday, White Sox 7, Angels 6 ] Are you kidding me? I know Green and Kennard aren’t going to be mainstays in the Angels’ pen, but you simply can’t lose ball-games when you lead by 2 in the 9th. K-Rod looked a little wild out there today, but you can’t complain about the results. (F. Rodriguez – 2IP 0ER, 2BB, 1K)
[ Wednesday, Mariners 6, Angels, 5 ] Eric Bedard looks like he’s going to be trouble this season. Nick Adenhart, on the other hand, was clearly overmatched today throwing against big league hitters. Fortunately he’s just 21 years old and will have a chance to get additional seasoning in the minors. Torii! Torii! Torii! (T. Hunter – 2 for 3, 2B, 3B)
[ Thursday, Angels 9, Giants 1 ] Oh, how the Giants suck these days. The Angels came out swinging, pounding youngster Matt Cain for 5 earned runs. Vladdy looks like he is in top shape as he crushed a two-run homer off Cain in the 1st. Long Beach State’s own Jered Weaver looks to pick up where he left off last season. He’s currently 2-0 this spring and had a great start today. (Je. Weaver – 3IP, 1H, 1ER, 4K’s)
[ Friday March 7, Angels 11, White Sox 1 ] I really don’t think the White Sox are going to do anything this year. Experts (ESPN) say they will give the Tigers a run for their money. I simply don’t see that. It was nice to see Garland get a win against his old team throwing 3 solid innings. Boy, do I wish that MLB would create a 4th outfield spot. (R. Willits – 3 for 3, 2B, 2R, 2RBI)
[ Saturday, Colorado 6, Angels 2 ] The Rockies hit the ball really hard no matter where they play. Dustin Moseley (a savior for the Halos last season) looked really shaky out there. I guess giving up a 400 ft HR to Matt Holiday in the 1st will do that to you. Boy, do I wish that MLB would create a 5th outfield spot (J. Rivera – 2 for 3)
[ Sunday, Angels 6, Rangers 4 ] 4 earned in 4 innings is not what I expected from Ervin Santana, after he posted some wicked numbers during Winter Ball. Talk about a guy with a lot of talent that just can’t be consistent with it. Although he didn’t walk a batter he did throw a wild pitch, and beaned Ian Kinsler to go along with giving up 6 hits. Guerrero continues to rake. (V. Guerrero – 2 for 2, 2B, RBI)
NEXT WEEK
The Angels play four of the next seven on the road including 4 games against National League foes. We’ll check in with Scot Shields a little later on in the week after he complained of having a stiff arm over the weekend. He’s definitely someone the Halos can ill-afford to lose for an extended period of time. Darren O’Day continues to impress the Angels as well. Expect the kid to get another two shots to pitch this week, and add to his Angels-leading nine strikeouts.
RANDOM NOTES
– Angels’ fans love their homegrown talent, and Ryan Budde is no exception. Budde expects to compete for the backup-backup catcher this spring (which means he’ll be playing at AAA Salt-Lake), but he looks to have the intangibles that make up a solid major-league catcher. I hope we get to see him at the Big A sometime this year.
– I was surprised to see Sean O’Sullivan be sent down to the Minors today. O’Sullivan entered his 2005 high school season as an elite talent, but fell from 1st Round status because of an inconsistent spring. He attended a JC in 2006 rather than attending San Diego State and was drafted as a sign and follow that year. I would have liked to see him pitching more than one inning at Spring Training before that decision was made. (S. O’Sullivan – 1IP, 2H, 1BB, 1K)
– Howie Kendrick might have the fastest bat on the Angels and that’s saying something considering the talent that hits in front of the man. Barring injury, I think Angels’ fans will hear a lot of “H-O-W-I-E” being chanted this summer.
– K-Rod looked much sharper in his second appearance this spring, striking out two in a perfect inning on the mound.
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“It’s Time For Dodger Baseball”
LAST WEEK [ 3-4-1 this week ]
[ Monday March 3, Dodgers 4, Baltimore 4 ] In true spring training fashion, Andre Ethier’s RBI single tied the score in the ninth and the game was called in the 10th. On the mound Chad Billingsley, returning from a groin injury, pitched two innings, giving up one run on three hits.
[ Tuesday, Dodgers 5, Washington 3 / Dodgers 3, Washington 4 ] In split-squad action the Dodgers took the opening game behind a good start from Esteban Loaiza.
[ Wednesday, Dodgers 2, New York Mets 3] Brad Penny and Chan Ho Park pitched well today, but not well enough.
[ Thursday, Dodgers 9, Boston 6 ] On ESPN, Matt Kemp, Luke May and Jason Repko each homered, Repko’s a grand slam in the top of the 9th, which proved to be the winner.
[ Friday, Dodgers 4, St. Louis 6 ] Not to be outdone by their teammates, Nomar Garciaparra, Andrew Jones, and Ethier each homered in the loss.
[ Saturday, Dodgers 20, St. Louis 6 ] A night that saw 20-mph winds also saw 20 Dodger hits.
[ Sunday, Dodgers 4, Boston 0 ] Another strong start from Loaiza and a three-run home run from Matt Kemp get a win before the largest crowd in Vero Beach history.
NEXT WEEK
The Blue will be splitting up next weekend, as half the team will be traveling to Beijing, China to take on the San Diego Padres. Tommy Lasorda will manage the team state side while Joe Torre travels over seas. There are many things that make me smile, but seeing Lasorda dressed in Blue, sitting in the dugout, makes me smile like I’m five years old again.
RANDOM NOTES
– Watching Andrew Jones struggle to catch up to Spring Training fastballs makes my stomach hurt. He just didn’t look comfortable on Sunday, going 0-for-2 and striking out twice. Maybe he just wasn’t comfortable as the DH? And it’s Spring, and the pitchers are always ahead of the hitters. See, look at me, I’m already in mid-season form when it comes to making excuses for my team.
– Boy, we could really use a third baseman, huh? Youngster Andy LaRoche (thought to be the next generation at the hot corner) will have to undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament and will be out 10 weeks. Good thing we have Nomar, right? Oh wait, LaRoche replaced Nomar in the game because Garciaparra got beaned in the wrist the inning before. Where’s a juiced up Adrian Beltre when you need him?
– If Russell Martin is my favorite young Dodger, Matt Kemp is a close second. His home run in the first inning off Diceke Matsusaka went so far, the camera man could not find it. Later on, Vin Scully said it went over the grass hill in left field. In other words, if he hit that ball in Chavez Ravine, it would have landed on the 76 Gas Station.
– Another way I know it’s baseball season: Scully used three or four pitches to explain that Red Sox Mike Lowell hasn’t chewed gum on the baseball field since he was eight. Mostly because the third baseman vividly remembers striking out while working on some Big League Chew. I love you, Vin.