Angels @ A's series afterthoughts
Now that the Angels have finished their series in Oakland, it's time to think about what we have learned:
- The Angels starting pitching is right there with the best of them. Lackey, Santana and Byrd all were good to excellent.
- The Angels can score of Harden and Zito.
- The Angels bullpen is in a serious funk. No lead is safe. Shields, Donnelly, K-Rod, you can't trust anybody right now.
- The Angels need a southpaw for the pen. The Eric-Chavez-At-Bat today proved that once again.
- OC should not hit at the top of the order. He went only 2-13 with 1 BB in Oakland. Move Kennedy in the 2 spot. His .379 OBP is just wasted down there.
- Vlad needs better protection. With Anderson out, Vladdi was walked intentionally three in the rubber game, a treatment that usually only Bonds receives.
- The Angels need to get a grip on themselves. There were so many errors, misplays and brain lapses over the last weeks, you couldn't count them. I don't know what the team must do, I'm not a coach, but something has to be done. And flipping the batting order around will not be enough.
- The Angels need a bat!!! (See 6.) Mr Stoneman, give up a prospect, will you? How many middle infielder do you want to play in 2008? And why did you give OC 4 years in the first place?
Mr Scioscia, if you let Kotchman hit behind Vlad, you must believe that he can protect him and get the job done if the opponent pitches around him. Then why pinch hit for him? If you pinch hit for him, you obviously don't trust his ability. Then why did you put him behind Vlad in the first place???
Suggested lineups for the next games:
Against lefties:
Jeff DV, DH (.476, .577, .667)
Kennedy, 2B (.303, .349, .403)
Vlad, RF (.294, .363, .500)
Anderson, LF (.338, .361, .472)
Molina B C (.380, .420, .648)
Finley, CF (.268, .317, .464)
Erstad, 1B (.248, .333, .323)
OC, SS (.240, .330, .313)
Figgins, 3B (.196, .277, .266)
Against righties:
Figgins, CF (.326, .367, .451)
Kennedy, 2B (.330, .388, .412)
Vlad, RF (.322, .375, .585)
Anderson, LF (.263, .297, .419)
Rivera, DH (.262, .302, .508)
Erstad, 1B (.300, .351, .417)
Molina C (.270, .302, .402)
Izturis, 3B (.283, .321, .415)
OC, SS (.254, .297, .371)
I never realised that Figgins was that bad against lefties. You can't have him lead off against a southpaw with that kind of numbers. Maybe he should stop switch-hitting?
posted by Bjoern @ 2:14 AM
2 comment/s
2 Comments:
Bjoern, let me congratulate you. Out of all the sites I've gone to, you were the most levelheaded and I've gone to a whole lot!
I don't know what's going on with Figgins re lefties. He wasn't like that before. Perhaps, he should stop switch hitting. Still, DaVanon leading off is a stretch. I'd rather try Kennedy although the heart attack he'd have may do him harm. As far as OC, I think he hits better ahead in the lineup and is better for his psyche. He said it himself. If he goes below again, he may hit worse. The problem is he's in the lineup at all. Izturis made a believer out of a lot of people while Cabrera was hurt. However, he's getting paid too much. I agree that this team is screaming for a meeting if not only to say "we're not that good to give games away." It's hard to think of a starter who hasn't made a key error in the past two weeks. I think Benjie gets off the hook.
Wow, my first "real" comment. Thx! :)
I agree that DaVanon leading off might not work out, but I'd say give him a shot. He's quick and Scioscia likes that at the top. I also thought about Kennedy hitting first, but agree he won't feel comfortable there.
And for Cabrera: Even if he's better ahead in the lineup, I'd say a .280 OBP in the bottom hurts a team less than a .300 OBP at the top.
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