Thursday, May 06, 2004
Fillin' the Closet/Gettin' Figgy Wit It
A Full Closet Is A Good Closet
No, I don't mean skeletons, I mean brooms--and the Angels accrued another this week sweeping the Tigers in mashing fashion, almost scoring 30 runs in 3 games. That's, of course, after taking 7 of 9 on the road. Two of the three hottest teams in baseball are 1-2 in the AL West--and it's not the A's/Mariners. The Halos finished April 13-10 and are 5-0 thus far in May. How have they done it? How do you think? 162 runs, 2nd only to the Astros, heading into play today. It certainly hasn't been the pitching, which is 8th in the AL even with the bullpen, which is 3rd in AL ERA at 3.18. Starter ERA? 5.41. Lesson? Right now, after Colon, pray that Escobar's nail and Lackey's consistency hold and then, I don't know, hope the bats are warm. This is certainly no way to play all 162 though.
GA not OK
Still no sign of Garret Anderson, but the tests are back and it's nothing serious--we think. That's a relief, 'cause all that "impinging on the nerve" stuff was makin' me nervous. It's still not good though. He's being tested for rheumatoid arthritis now, which is typically chronic, and according to Rotowire, GA says he probably won't go to NY and BAL next week. Don't expect him back when he's eligible. But hey, who needs him? The Angels are 11-2 without him, right? Well, they may not have needed him yet, but they will and GA owners should be a little worried. The last time he didn't play 150 games? 1995. Hurry back, Garret. The Angels would've been 16-0 in those 13 games if they'd had his bat (That's right--he's that good).
Gettin' Figgy Wit It
How could I have gone this far without talkin' about the new Angels sparkplug in the 3 hole (hitting him 3rd is insane--don't care what Scioscia says)? Chone has certainly been gettin' Figgy wit it out in CF--er, at SS--er, at 3B--just where can't this guy play? Dude's got 55 ABs and has already posted 13 plates, 8 bags, and oh yeah, he's hitting .327. He's got 4 triples! Pick him up? With GA's back probs lingering, Salmon out, and Eck another groin "pop" away from trouble--and don't forget Glaus and his shoulder--Figgy is gonna play most days until all of them are healthy. So, yeah, get him, because I think it'll be at least a couple more weeks until that happens. Know this, though, he's behind all those guys I mentioned. When they're healthy, his PT will be sub duty.
Meat out, Meat In
Just when you thought it was safe to not shut your eyes every 5th day when Ramon Ortiz took the hill, Scioscia replaces him with Aaron Sele in the rotation, who will go tonight. Mean anything? Meat out, meat in, I say again. Sure, Sele looked good on Saturday, but that's five innings and his trends the last three years have been more BB, less K, and more HR. That's a recipe for really thick meat--Grade A. Okay, he's been injured and maybe he's finally starting to turn it around, but for now I'd stay about as far away from Sele as you would Pepe Le Pieu. Only when Gregg hits the rotation will I feel safe. Course then, the pen will suffer with both Ortiz and Sele in it. However, I think they'd both (especially Ortiz) be better in a pen role. We'll see, but avoid JS for now. Please.
Lackey Not Lacking
Last week, I allowed myself to take a little heat for not giving Washburn enough credit this year (although his numbers are flimsy, to put it lightly). Now it's your turn, Halos readers. I got a grand total of zero e-mails agreeing (and plenty in disagreement) with my faith that John Lackey can be a quality starter. Okay, he started 0-3 with an 8+ ERA. Fine. His last two starts? 2-0, 2.63 ERA, 7 K, The Ks are a little low, but I said quality starter, not ace. If Lackey gets the kind of run support Wash has been gettin', he's gonna look golden but really be bronze. Lackey is good, people. Not great. Good. In AL leagues above 8 teams, he'd be a solid number 3 or 4 guy. Any other place, he's a pretty good stream.
It's Wing Time
It's really not even that close. Jose Guillen must not like me comparing him to the DLed Tim Salmon. Check out his line: 12-25 (.480), 3 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R--but maybe the best sign? 4 BB, 3 K. That's the kind of discipline we need to see on a regular basis. Can he do it? I'm not optimistic, but this week is clearly a good start. And, of course, the Guillen/Salmon Watch will have to be put on hiatus until Timmy can't get back into the lineup. My only disclaimer was that I made my projection based on equal playing time, but Salmon may not be able to get his bones to go enough. Scoring Wings at home? Erstad 1, Figgins 1, now Guillen 1.
Odds and Ends
Has anyone seen the D that Adam Kennedy has been sportin' lately? He's been givin' all Angels' fans some serious glovin'. It's only May, but his glove lookin' awful shiny so far--kinda goldish. . . The Correspondents league is in full swing. I'm two points out of first, after spending at least a week in the top spot in April. More info on that at Inside the Halo, because I'm asking for your help to bring me the mighty banner for our league. . . Erstad has 20 RBI, 17 R, and 4 SB, but is he worth owning? More at ITH (http://angelsflb.blogspot.com). . . The Angels get their first taste (of 19 straight) against the loaded AL East starting right now. Important tests ahead. Reporting of the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
No, I don't mean skeletons, I mean brooms--and the Angels accrued another this week sweeping the Tigers in mashing fashion, almost scoring 30 runs in 3 games. That's, of course, after taking 7 of 9 on the road. Two of the three hottest teams in baseball are 1-2 in the AL West--and it's not the A's/Mariners. The Halos finished April 13-10 and are 5-0 thus far in May. How have they done it? How do you think? 162 runs, 2nd only to the Astros, heading into play today. It certainly hasn't been the pitching, which is 8th in the AL even with the bullpen, which is 3rd in AL ERA at 3.18. Starter ERA? 5.41. Lesson? Right now, after Colon, pray that Escobar's nail and Lackey's consistency hold and then, I don't know, hope the bats are warm. This is certainly no way to play all 162 though.
GA not OK
Still no sign of Garret Anderson, but the tests are back and it's nothing serious--we think. That's a relief, 'cause all that "impinging on the nerve" stuff was makin' me nervous. It's still not good though. He's being tested for rheumatoid arthritis now, which is typically chronic, and according to Rotowire, GA says he probably won't go to NY and BAL next week. Don't expect him back when he's eligible. But hey, who needs him? The Angels are 11-2 without him, right? Well, they may not have needed him yet, but they will and GA owners should be a little worried. The last time he didn't play 150 games? 1995. Hurry back, Garret. The Angels would've been 16-0 in those 13 games if they'd had his bat (That's right--he's that good).
Gettin' Figgy Wit It
How could I have gone this far without talkin' about the new Angels sparkplug in the 3 hole (hitting him 3rd is insane--don't care what Scioscia says)? Chone has certainly been gettin' Figgy wit it out in CF--er, at SS--er, at 3B--just where can't this guy play? Dude's got 55 ABs and has already posted 13 plates, 8 bags, and oh yeah, he's hitting .327. He's got 4 triples! Pick him up? With GA's back probs lingering, Salmon out, and Eck another groin "pop" away from trouble--and don't forget Glaus and his shoulder--Figgy is gonna play most days until all of them are healthy. So, yeah, get him, because I think it'll be at least a couple more weeks until that happens. Know this, though, he's behind all those guys I mentioned. When they're healthy, his PT will be sub duty.
Meat out, Meat In
Just when you thought it was safe to not shut your eyes every 5th day when Ramon Ortiz took the hill, Scioscia replaces him with Aaron Sele in the rotation, who will go tonight. Mean anything? Meat out, meat in, I say again. Sure, Sele looked good on Saturday, but that's five innings and his trends the last three years have been more BB, less K, and more HR. That's a recipe for really thick meat--Grade A. Okay, he's been injured and maybe he's finally starting to turn it around, but for now I'd stay about as far away from Sele as you would Pepe Le Pieu. Only when Gregg hits the rotation will I feel safe. Course then, the pen will suffer with both Ortiz and Sele in it. However, I think they'd both (especially Ortiz) be better in a pen role. We'll see, but avoid JS for now. Please.
Lackey Not Lacking
Last week, I allowed myself to take a little heat for not giving Washburn enough credit this year (although his numbers are flimsy, to put it lightly). Now it's your turn, Halos readers. I got a grand total of zero e-mails agreeing (and plenty in disagreement) with my faith that John Lackey can be a quality starter. Okay, he started 0-3 with an 8+ ERA. Fine. His last two starts? 2-0, 2.63 ERA, 7 K, The Ks are a little low, but I said quality starter, not ace. If Lackey gets the kind of run support Wash has been gettin', he's gonna look golden but really be bronze. Lackey is good, people. Not great. Good. In AL leagues above 8 teams, he'd be a solid number 3 or 4 guy. Any other place, he's a pretty good stream.
It's Wing Time
It's really not even that close. Jose Guillen must not like me comparing him to the DLed Tim Salmon. Check out his line: 12-25 (.480), 3 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R--but maybe the best sign? 4 BB, 3 K. That's the kind of discipline we need to see on a regular basis. Can he do it? I'm not optimistic, but this week is clearly a good start. And, of course, the Guillen/Salmon Watch will have to be put on hiatus until Timmy can't get back into the lineup. My only disclaimer was that I made my projection based on equal playing time, but Salmon may not be able to get his bones to go enough. Scoring Wings at home? Erstad 1, Figgins 1, now Guillen 1.
Odds and Ends
Has anyone seen the D that Adam Kennedy has been sportin' lately? He's been givin' all Angels' fans some serious glovin'. It's only May, but his glove lookin' awful shiny so far--kinda goldish. . . The Correspondents league is in full swing. I'm two points out of first, after spending at least a week in the top spot in April. More info on that at Inside the Halo, because I'm asking for your help to bring me the mighty banner for our league. . . Erstad has 20 RBI, 17 R, and 4 SB, but is he worth owning? More at ITH (http://angelsflb.blogspot.com). . . The Angels get their first taste (of 19 straight) against the loaded AL East starting right now. Important tests ahead. Reporting of the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
