Posts Tagged ‘Maicer Izturis’
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Teixeira for Kotchman? I Just Don’t Know.July 31st, 2008
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19th in runs scored. 19th in hits. 22nd in home runs. 19th in RBIs. 24th in total bases. 22nd in on base percentage. And 22nd in slugging.
On paper, this doesn’t really sound like a division contending team, let alone the best team in baseball by a fair margin. But when you factor in 8th in ERA, 7th in shutouts, 1st in saves (by ten saves, between first and second), 25th in earned runs against (yes, that’s a good thing), a winning starting rotation, a solid bullpen, a slid defense, a consistent running game, and you get the Angels.
Up until last night at about 5-something eastern time, the Angels were not the media’s favorite team to look at. In fact, the Angels crept slowly into first place without so much as a sneeze. It wasn’t until about three weeks after the Angels took first place that ESPN even took notice on their power rankings. The Angels were clearly the underdogs of 2008, who’s game was so much more old-school than any other teams, besides maybe the Minnesota Twins and a more distant example in the Baltimore Orioles.
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The Problem with MatthewsMay 26th, 2008
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Because I spend countless hours between driving to work and driving to school and driving to the gym and driving home (and with gas prices over four dollars, God help me), I listen to a fair amount of talk radio. Recently I’ve become an addict of AM 830, which has gotten me involved in discussions of the economy, politics, and of course, baseball. Both the morning broadcasts and the two hours prior to an Angels’ game are devoted to sports and baseball talk, and so I’ve heard a little bit about this topic between listening and reading.
It’s no news that Gary Matthews Jr. has had a slow start. It’s no news that MANY players have had a slow start. Between Vlad Guererro’s .254 batting average after 48 games, the lowest of his career in that amount of time and Torii Hunter’s bit of a recent slump, the Angels have had to rely on different players for productivity, including a very hot Casey Kotchman and Mike Napoli. It also doesn’t help that their consistency man is out day to day, Chone Figgins, and the middle infield is basically in shambles, as Sean Rodriguez has taken to Howie Kendrick’s position, Maicer Izturis back to short while Erick Aybar nurses a dislocated pinky finger.
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Surprising Effectiveness in ‘08May 5th, 2008
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John Lackey. Kelvim Escobar. Howie Kendrick. Maicer Izturis. Dustin Moseley. Chone Figgins.
There are some pretty big names in there. Lackey has been out since the start of the season with a strained right tricep, and has been making decent strides so far in his rehab assignment. Kelvim Escobar, co-ace to Lackey, who both combined for 37 wins in 2007, has also been out since spring with a tear in his labrum which may need surgery, though he’s been attempting to avoid it, learning to live for now with the discomfort in his throwing arm. Howie Kendrick has been an off-and-on DL regular, this time with a strained left hamstring that has limited him to only ten games and 36 total at-bats so far this season. Izturis and Moseley have only recently joined the DL, with a stiff lower back and right forearm stiffness, respectively. Figgins has yet to formally join the list, being instead day-to-day with a slight strain to his hamstring as well from a more than magnificent slide home in yesterday’s victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
For as much as I can remember, this may very well be the third start of the season in a row where the Angels have had significant starters on the disabled list. But this year, the list of injuries should be something fierce – two starters, several from the bullpen have gone off and on, one of baseball’s most sought after second basemen (though I still personally cannot figure out why), and arguably the league’s most effective lead-off hitter/the team’s stolen-base king.