Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Closing In
The Angels have now caught and passed the Texas Rangers for 2nd place, only 1.5 back of the Elephant Men and the top spot in the AL West. They’re finding ways to win games, which is what happens when teams make runs. They’ve won 5 in a row, 8 of the last 10, and 10 of the last 13. It’s a sketchy run though, because in August both the ERA is up and AVG is down from July marks. Colon is doing much better though, Escobar threw a gem last Friday and Lackey is in a groove (more on that later), so the pitching performance is improving despite the stats. The Halos don’t play another division game until September 13th, when they’ll finish out against the West, so scoreboard watching may become a temptation. Against the East and Central, the Halos are a combined 34-22.
ITH July Fantasy Golden Halo
ITH (insidethehalo.blogspot.com) awarded John Lackey the July Halo for this line: 4-1, 3.06 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 28 K, 6 BB in 32.1 IP. Stellar month. John’s only owned in 3% of mixed leagues, so right now, he’s an excellent pickup having a 7.7 K/9 and a 3.8 K/BB since the beginning of July. His BAA of .240 in July is the lowest he’s had since the month he entered the majors in June 2002 (.220). Naturally, his hit rate (H%) was lower in July at 20%, but other numbers show that the month wasn’t what should be considered a fluke. John can be a solid starter for the Halos, if not spectacular. He’s an excellent add for streamers and a team with weak pitching. Check out Inside the Halo for the complete season breakdown of the weekly and monthly Fantasy Halos and all my other material.
Back Where They Belong
Per my suggestion (not really, but it does feel nice to have called for this 3 weeks ago), Scioscy switched Vlad back to 3rd and put Garret Anderson back in the cleanup spot this past week, calling it his “most productive, best lineup”, according to the team’s website. He cited Vlad’s higher OBP in front of Anderson, whose OBP has never been in the stellar range like Guerrero’s. This, of course, could possibly downgrade Vlad’s RBI opportunities, but will probably help him overall. His OPS is 129 points higher in the 3 spot. Anderson will likely benefit in RBI now with the Vlad-masher in front of him. He, too, hits better in his usual position. GA’s OPS is 153 points higher in the 4 hole. All hail Scioscy for correcting this lineup situation.
What is “I Don’t Have the Slightest Idea?”
I know I’m the “analyst” (emphasis on the quotation marks) here, but that’s how I’d answer Alex Trebek if he told me the answer was The Key To Aaron Sele’s 2004 Success. Maybe Mulder and Scully know. His K/BB is 1.14, his K/9 is a career-low 3.83, his ERA is 4.60, WHIP 1.43--nothing looks anywhere near ownable. Yet he’s 7-0. Gotta be lucky, right? Well, the hit rate against him is 28%--a little low but nothing drastic. His strand rate is 71%--also right around the mean. So he’s not been all that lucky. What is goin’ on? Is there an extra fielder on a grassy knoll we don’t know about? Brain thieves? That it? His last five starts his BB/9 is 4.0 and his K/9 is 2.0. That’s insane. How has he fared in those starts? 2-0. His run support is 6.2, so maybe that’s at least a clue.
Does the Q Mean Quality?
Robb Quinlan has posted a 20-game hitting streak, causing his ownership in mixed leagues to rise to almost 50% and he’s now almost universally owned in ESPN AL leagues. Will Quinlan be the Opening Day starter at 3rd for the Halos in 2005? I don’t know that I’d bet on it. RQ is still kinda young at 27, but he’s not really shown the ability to do what he’s been doing in the minors before, and currently his hit rate is 38%, which won’t last. The fact is that there’s no denying the man’s hot, so he’s a good add for now, especially at that troublesome hot corner roster spot. I’m not sayin’ Q’s no good—at 27, he could just be coming of age, but the chances are against it. Expect a dropoff in performance over the long haul to around .280 with less power than he’s been showing.
Bengie, Come Home!
Yeah, I know that’s the Lassie line, but the fact is for now and the foreseeable future, the Angels are probably gonna be doggin’ it behind the plate. With the elder Molina out, it’s been left in the hands of little bubby Jose and Josh Paul, who’ve actually done quite well so far, hitting .320 together in Bengie’s absence. Don’t expect that to last though. What may be surprising to some though is that Jose is splitting time with Paul at all. Since BM’s injury, Jose has gotten 5 starts and Paul 3, and Scioscia has said there won’t be a regular guy for now. That means AL owners should look elsewhere if possible for their C needs. If, by chance, you’re in an All-Anaheim league though, I’d go with Paul because he’s likely to reach base more often.
Odds and Ends
Jarrod Washburn is still over a week away from even throwing a baseball, so his return could be much further away than Angels fans and his owners are hoping. . .Will there be a Big Cat prowling the Stadium? Andres Galarraga is 6-15 with AAA Salt Lake with a bomb and 5 RBI. Don’t be surprised to see him soon. . .”X-Files” Sele pitches tonight against another pitcher who’s been mysteriously good with awful peripherals, Daniel Cabrera of the Orioles. Might shape up to be the ugliest game on tap tonight. . .12 of the next 15 for the Halos are against sub-.500 teams. A run here is necessary, especially with 9 at home. . .Troy Percial’s ERA since July 1 is 1.42, but he’s still not overpowering hitters with a 1.6 K/BB in the same span. Exercise caution. For the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
ITH July Fantasy Golden Halo
ITH (insidethehalo.blogspot.com) awarded John Lackey the July Halo for this line: 4-1, 3.06 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 28 K, 6 BB in 32.1 IP. Stellar month. John’s only owned in 3% of mixed leagues, so right now, he’s an excellent pickup having a 7.7 K/9 and a 3.8 K/BB since the beginning of July. His BAA of .240 in July is the lowest he’s had since the month he entered the majors in June 2002 (.220). Naturally, his hit rate (H%) was lower in July at 20%, but other numbers show that the month wasn’t what should be considered a fluke. John can be a solid starter for the Halos, if not spectacular. He’s an excellent add for streamers and a team with weak pitching. Check out Inside the Halo for the complete season breakdown of the weekly and monthly Fantasy Halos and all my other material.
Back Where They Belong
Per my suggestion (not really, but it does feel nice to have called for this 3 weeks ago), Scioscy switched Vlad back to 3rd and put Garret Anderson back in the cleanup spot this past week, calling it his “most productive, best lineup”, according to the team’s website. He cited Vlad’s higher OBP in front of Anderson, whose OBP has never been in the stellar range like Guerrero’s. This, of course, could possibly downgrade Vlad’s RBI opportunities, but will probably help him overall. His OPS is 129 points higher in the 3 spot. Anderson will likely benefit in RBI now with the Vlad-masher in front of him. He, too, hits better in his usual position. GA’s OPS is 153 points higher in the 4 hole. All hail Scioscy for correcting this lineup situation.
What is “I Don’t Have the Slightest Idea?”
I know I’m the “analyst” (emphasis on the quotation marks) here, but that’s how I’d answer Alex Trebek if he told me the answer was The Key To Aaron Sele’s 2004 Success. Maybe Mulder and Scully know. His K/BB is 1.14, his K/9 is a career-low 3.83, his ERA is 4.60, WHIP 1.43--nothing looks anywhere near ownable. Yet he’s 7-0. Gotta be lucky, right? Well, the hit rate against him is 28%--a little low but nothing drastic. His strand rate is 71%--also right around the mean. So he’s not been all that lucky. What is goin’ on? Is there an extra fielder on a grassy knoll we don’t know about? Brain thieves? That it? His last five starts his BB/9 is 4.0 and his K/9 is 2.0. That’s insane. How has he fared in those starts? 2-0. His run support is 6.2, so maybe that’s at least a clue.
Does the Q Mean Quality?
Robb Quinlan has posted a 20-game hitting streak, causing his ownership in mixed leagues to rise to almost 50% and he’s now almost universally owned in ESPN AL leagues. Will Quinlan be the Opening Day starter at 3rd for the Halos in 2005? I don’t know that I’d bet on it. RQ is still kinda young at 27, but he’s not really shown the ability to do what he’s been doing in the minors before, and currently his hit rate is 38%, which won’t last. The fact is that there’s no denying the man’s hot, so he’s a good add for now, especially at that troublesome hot corner roster spot. I’m not sayin’ Q’s no good—at 27, he could just be coming of age, but the chances are against it. Expect a dropoff in performance over the long haul to around .280 with less power than he’s been showing.
Bengie, Come Home!
Yeah, I know that’s the Lassie line, but the fact is for now and the foreseeable future, the Angels are probably gonna be doggin’ it behind the plate. With the elder Molina out, it’s been left in the hands of little bubby Jose and Josh Paul, who’ve actually done quite well so far, hitting .320 together in Bengie’s absence. Don’t expect that to last though. What may be surprising to some though is that Jose is splitting time with Paul at all. Since BM’s injury, Jose has gotten 5 starts and Paul 3, and Scioscia has said there won’t be a regular guy for now. That means AL owners should look elsewhere if possible for their C needs. If, by chance, you’re in an All-Anaheim league though, I’d go with Paul because he’s likely to reach base more often.
Odds and Ends
Jarrod Washburn is still over a week away from even throwing a baseball, so his return could be much further away than Angels fans and his owners are hoping. . .Will there be a Big Cat prowling the Stadium? Andres Galarraga is 6-15 with AAA Salt Lake with a bomb and 5 RBI. Don’t be surprised to see him soon. . .”X-Files” Sele pitches tonight against another pitcher who’s been mysteriously good with awful peripherals, Daniel Cabrera of the Orioles. Might shape up to be the ugliest game on tap tonight. . .12 of the next 15 for the Halos are against sub-.500 teams. A run here is necessary, especially with 9 at home. . .Troy Percial’s ERA since July 1 is 1.42, but he’s still not overpowering hitters with a 1.6 K/BB in the same span. Exercise caution. For the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
