Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2019

Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs Has Died

It's still early and the cause of death has not been announced, but it's official. I wonder if he took his own life. This is enormously sad.


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 2:40 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Sponsors Bail on Fresno Grizzlies After Class AAA Affiliate Showed Memorial Day Tribute Video

I love this video!

Good on the Grizzlies!

Let's just hope the woke sponsors just chill the fuck out and get with the patriotic program. Don't cave to the censoring Democrat Party left.

At LAT, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez video spurs more sponsors to drop Fresno Grizzlies."

And USA Today, "Fresno Grizzlies losing major sponsors in aftermath of offensive Ocasio-Cortez video."



Posted by AmPowerBlog at 9:20 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Sports Equinox

Today in Los Angeles, at LAT, "For L.A. restaurants and bars gearing up for Sunday's 'Sports Equinox,' churros and wings are home runs":
If you’re heading to the downtown area on Sunday, you may want to leave early to beat the massive crowds flocking to regional arenas during an unprecedented convergence of a half-dozen Los Angeles professional sports teams playing home games on the same day.

And then prepare to be creative heading home to avoid being ensnared by traffic.

By winning Game 3 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers triggered an event that awestruck statistical wags have dubbed a “Super Sports Equinox” involving all five major U.S. professional leagues — Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, MLS and NHL.

In this sports bash, it’ll be the Dodgers vs. Red Sox in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium; the Rams vs. the Green Bay Packers at the Coliseum; the Clippers vs. the Washington Wizards at Staples Center; and the Kings vs. the New York Rangers at the same venue. The Ducks are also home against the San Jose Sharks at Anaheim’s Honda Center, and L.A’s Major League Soccer team the Galaxy is hosting the Houston Dynamo at StubHub Center in Carson.

Various other events, including Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the largest Day of the Dead celebration in California, and Los Angeles Comic Con at the L.A. Convention Center, which drew 90,000 visitors last year, will add to the numbers — and possible delays — on the road...
More:


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 3:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Dodgers Win 3-2 in 18 Innings, in Longest Game in World Series History

I watched the whole thing, and boy to I want it to come to an end. I'm just happy the Dodgers won, to make it worth it, dang. (*Eye roll.*)

At LAT, "Dodgers beat Red Sox in the longest game in World Series history:

The joyous throng gathered around home plate at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, seven hours and 20 minutes after this monstrosity of a baseball game had begun.

Never before had a World Series game lasted this long.

Never before had a playoff game lasted this long. Never before had the Dodgers experienced a victory quite like their 3-2 walkoff over the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the World Series, an 18-inning agony that ended with sweet relief when Max Muncy launched a solo home run.

"The feeling was pure joy and excitement," Muncy said. "That's about all I can think of, because it's hard to describe how good a feeling it is."

The Dodgers crowded the plate as Muncy rounded the bases. Dodger Stadium teetered with delirium. Muncy disappeared inside the throng, having taken Boston pitcher Nathan Eovaldi deep and perhaps tilted the balance of this series. The Dodgers still trail in the series, 2-1. But the cost of Boston's pitching decisions may last beyond the marathon.

Eovaldi had been listed as Boston's starter for Game 4, scheduled for Saturday evening. Instead he pitched six innings, logging 97 pitches and effectively wiping himself out of consideration for the next two games at Dodger Stadium. Boston manager Alex Cora did not commit to a replacement in the aftermath. As if the series required more intrigue, at 1:27 a.m., the Dodgers announced their Game 4 starter was no longer Rich Hill, but would be named later.

Eovaldi had been listed as Boston's starter for Game 4, scheduled for Saturday evening. Instead he pitched six innings, logging 97 pitches and effectively wiping himself out of consideration for the next two games at Dodger Stadium. Boston manager Alex Cora did not commit to a replacement in the aftermath. As if the series required more intrigue, at 1:27 a.m., the Dodgers announced their Game 4 starter was no longer Rich Hill, but would be named later.

The particulars of Game 3 boggle the mind. The teams combined to throw 561 pitches. There were more strikeouts (34) than hits (18). Muncy ended the game in his eighth plate appearance. It was his first time up after nearly ending the game by hooking a ball just foul down the right-field line.

"My goodness," infielder David Freese said. "I don't even know what happened tonight. Man. How do you pull a walkoff homer barely foul and then go oppo tank next AB? That's incredible."

The postgame celebration was far from raucous. The players were too tired to gloat. Around the 15th inning, the team's chef distributed peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches. The Dodgers built a shrine composed of bananas and paper cups, with infielder Brian Dozier pouring sunflower seeds as an offering to the baseball gods.

Around the 16th inning, Hill went to Roberts and asked: What do you need? The Dodgers needed offense, more than pitching. Clayton Kershaw appeared as a pinch-hitter in the 17th. He lined out, in one of the better at-bats by a Dodger in the late hours.

The sluggish offense performance underscored a reality from Game 3: a loss, and a 3-0 deficit, would have been devastating.

"Huge win, because of a lot of different factors," utility man Enrique Hernandez said. "Not only are we down, 2-1, instead of 3-0, but they put a toll on their bullpen, as well."

Hernandez's voice was hoarse. The fans who stayed at Dodger Stadium until the end could relate.

"As the game kept going, you look up and see the 18th inning, and you're like 'Holy cow, where did the game go?' " Muncy said. "Those last nine innings or so just kind of blended together."

A series of excruciating outcomes sent the game into extra innings. A symbol of urgency rose midway through the seventh inning, as the Dodgers clung to a one-run lead against baseball's best offense. Kenley Jansen had logged only a pair of two-inning appearances all season, but the time for caution had long passed. Needing a victory to stall Boston's momentum, Roberts turned to his closer.

After seven scoreless innings from rookie ace Walker Buehler, it was up to Jansen to slam the door. He could not. He served up a tying solo home run tor Jackie Bradley, Jr., on a 2-0 cutter with two out in the eighth. Jansen returned for a scoreless ninth, but his mistake ruined a gorgeous outing from Buehler, who struck out seven and permitted two hits in seven scoreless innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers squandered an opportunity. One day removed from an 88-pitch start in Game 2, Boston's David Price loped into the game. He gave up a leadoff single to Cody Bellinger. Trying to put himself in scoring position, Bellinger got picked off, moments before Yasmani Grandal took a walk. Cora turned to closer Craig Kimbrel, who walked Chris Taylor but got pinch-hitter Dozier to pop up and strand the runners.

The decision to use Dozier was puzzling, with Freese on the bench...
Still more.

Posted by AmPowerBlog at 11:40 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Saturday, September 15, 2018

A's Riding D-List Starting Rotation Right Into October

The Wild Card spot is nice, and the A's have the second American League spot nailed down, but it'd be a lot better if the Athletics could win the American League West division outright. I remember in the 2014 AL Wildcard, the A's played Kansas City in perhaps the best baseball game I've ever seen. Spectacular play, but heartbreaking for Oakland fans.

At least in the division championship series, it's not all on the line in one single game. Boy, that's rough.

In any case, I'm enjoying watching the A's as much as I can. The Angels are eliminated and are currently 19.5 game backs behind the Houston Astros. It's been one of those seasons.

The Astros lost last night to the Arizona Diamonbacks, and Oakland beat the Tampa Bay Rays. The A's are 2.5 game behind Houston, so it's still down to the wire.

More later.

But see ESPN:



Posted by AmPowerBlog at 8:55 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Oakland Athletics Tied for First in American League West Division

The A's won again last night, and the Mariners beat the Astros for the fifth time in a row, pushing the Athletics back up to a first place tie with Houston in the American League West.

It's great!

I mean, I'm an Angels fan first and foremost, of course. But I love the Athletics and they're making a serious run for the post-season. Really serious! They were something like twelve games out of first place a while back, but they started racking up the best record in baseball for the last month or so. And here they are, tied for first.

The season's been magical up there in the East Bay too. When they opened up the top level seats --- Mount Davis, the sky-high section that was built to lure the Raiders back to Oakland back in the day --- it was the first time in 13 years, and was one hella phenomenon. You can see across the bay on a clear day. Just spectacular.

In any case, let's hope the Athletics continue to have a hot streak here, that they take the first place spot in the standing outright over the next few days. I just wish I could watch them on TV. The Angels are fading and this is the time I wind down my game viewing until the playoffs.

On Twitter:


This story is especially good:


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 8:40 AM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Mike Trout Responds to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's Comments

The O.C. Register's Jeff Fletcher asked the initial question about Mike Trout earlier this week during coverage of the All-Star Game:


And also at USA Today, "Mike Trout, Angels respond to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's comments on star":
In a startling rebuke of Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday issued a vigorous defense of All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, touting his commitment to promoting the game and his work in the community.

The Angels' statement, which calls Trout "an exceptional ambassador for the game," comes one day after Manfred told a gathering of the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America that Trout's lack of widespread popularity among casual sports fans was due in part to his hesitance to participate in activities that might promote him.

"Mike has made decisions on what he wants to do, doesn't want to do, how he wants to spend his free time or not spend his free time," Manfred said in the hours before MLB's All-Star Game at Nationals Park. "I think we could help him make his brand very big.

"But he has to make a decision to engage. It takes time and effort."

The Angels fired back in kind on Wednesday, with a withering statement that did not mention Manfred by name but certainly made clear who they were referencing.


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 10:29 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Angels Off to Best Start Since 1979

At LAT:


For a team that has been so much about one player, the Angels keep winning as a group.

On Friday, they made it six victories in a row with key offensive contributions from everyone from a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols, to a pinch-hitter, Luis Valbuena. Five relievers strung together four more shutout innings and catcher Rene Rivera gunned down Whit Merrifield attempting to steal second for the final out.

"It's a team win tonight," starting pitcher Andrew Heaney said after a 5-4 triumph over Kansas City. "I put us in a hole early and they came back. Everybody did a great job."

And that included, naturally, Shohei Ohtani, who has dominated the game and the headlines. This time, the rookie had two hits and scored the winning run.

What's more, the legend of Ohtani and his immense popularity swelled again as the Angels apparently requested that a group of his fans at Kauffman Stadium quell its passion, for the good of the star and his team.

"I heard it," Ohtani, through an interpreter, said of the vocal support he received. "I'm thankful for the cheer. But at the plate I try to focus and block out all the noise."

A local reporter, citing security personnel, noted that someone evidently with the Angels contacted authorities to ask that the clamor be tempered.

"I was aware of that," Ohtani said. "But I wasn't the one who asked for it. I think they just did it so everyone could kind of focus at the plate. I was thankful for that."

And so went another night at the ballpark for the Angels, who improved to 12-3, matching the 1979 club for the best record in franchise history after 15 games.

That '79 group then lost four straight, something that seems unlikely for these Angels...


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 8:55 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Shohei Ohtani Makes History in Angels' 13-9 Comback Victory Over Athletics

The Angels are off to a great start. They're 6-2 so far, and both pitching and hitting are almost unrecognizable from last year.

I'm excited!

At LAT, "Down 6-0, Angels' bats awaken with homer by Ohtani and beat the Athletics 13-9":


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 10:40 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Friday, November 3, 2017

For the Dodgers, Lots of Talent But No Guarantees

The latest on the loser Dodgers. Oh, what a bummer was Game 7.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Dodgers have decisions to make in quest for World Series return":

His eyes gleaming, his season over, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen stood before a crowd of reporters and issued a declaration.

"This team is not going to give up," Jansen said. "We're going to bring a championship back to L.A. I promise you that."

On any day before Wednesday — on Feb. 1 or July 1 or Oct. 1 — the words would have sounded like a pledge. But Jansen spoke on Nov. 1, minutes after his team lost to the Houston Astros in the seventh game of the World Series. In moments like these, all proclamations ring hollow.

The 2017 Dodgers won 104 regular-season games and accumulated enough accolades to fill a trophy case — a fifth National League West title, the best regular-season record since leaving Brooklyn, the team’s first National League pennant since 1988 — yet they headed into the winter without reaching the last goal on their checklist. They stood at the base of the summit, but could not reach the top. As the players packed for the winter, they struggled to acknowledge how difficult it might be to get back.

“I’m not really thinking about next year,” pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. “We all know the team we’re going to have coming back.”
The collection of talent does not guarantee a return to the Fall Classic. Houston assembled a similarly youthful roster. There will be healthy challenges from the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals in the National League, while the New York Yankees appear to be a budding force in the American League, along with the Cleveland Indians. And history does not appear to be on the Dodgers’ side.

No team has won back-to-back championships since the Yankees captured three in a row from 1998 to 2000. Since 2000, four teams have appeared in the World Series in consecutive seasons: the 2000-2001 Yankees, 2008-2009 Philadelphia Phillies, 2010-2011 Texas Rangers and the 2014-2015 Kansas City Royals.

Only the Royals won a title in their return engagement — after falling in Game 7 the year before to San Francisco. Kansas City leaned on that agony throughout the following season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested his players could find similar motivation.

"I know our guys and I know that there won't be a hangover," Roberts said. "They will be more incentivized, and I think they'll be hungrier."

Except baseball does not always reward its best. The Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series to the Cubs last October. Focused on atoning, the Indians raced to the best record in the American League this season. Yet they still fell in the first round to the Yankees.

When the heartache subsides, the Dodgers will still enter the offseason in an enviable position. They support the game's largest payroll and run a well-stocked farm system. The overwhelming majority of their roster can return for 2018, and the front office may choose to make only cosmetic changes to the composition of this group...
More.

Posted by AmPowerBlog at 3:25 PM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

Monday, October 30, 2017

Astros Beat Dodgers 13-12 in Game 5 of #WorldSeries

Oh boy, what a game!

At LAT:


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 7:25 AM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Yuli Gurriel's Offensive Gesture

Following-up, "Dodgers Get Even: #WorldSeries."

This is bad. This is really bad.

I gotta say, though. Yu Darvish was classy in response.

On the front-page today, at LAT, "Yuli Gurriel's offensive gesture unleashes World Series debate about racism and political correctness":

The world was watching when Yuli Gurriel made a racially charged gesture during Friday’s World Series game.

It came after a moment of triumph: The Houston Astros first baseman had just hit a home run off of Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish. He returned to the Astros’ dugout, where he put his fingers to the sides of his face and lifted the corners of his eyes — a “slanted eyes” gesture widely regarded as a racist mockery of Asians.

Gurriel also used the word “chinito,” or “Chinese boy,” in reference to Darvish, who is of Iranian and Japanese descent.

The episode, caught on video and repeated endlessly on television and social media, opened up a new heated conversation about race and identity in professional sports, which has already been grappling with NFL players taking knees during the national anthem.

Many found Gurriel’s antics as juvenile and insulting as they were sadly familiar.

“It just felt like, ‘Man, again?’ Like, we’re so used to this,” Jason Chu, a Chinese American rapper based in Los Angeles. “People don’t even pause. They think that this is acceptable, socially, to target Asian Americans in this way, or Asians in general.”

Chu said trash talk is a routine part of competition, but Gurriel’s behavior was offensive because it mocked Darvish for being Asian.

Well-known Asian Americans, including Los Angeles chef Roy Choi and actor Daniel Dae Kim, spoke out against Gurriel. Kim pointed out that the Gurriel incident was not the first time that slurs and stereotypes have been used against players in Major League Baseball.

“Maybe Gurriel will change that,” Kim said in a tweet to a Times reporter.

On Saturday, Gurriel apologized for his behavior, saying in a statement that he made “ an offensive gesture that was indefensible…. I deeply regret it. I would particularly like to apologize to Yu Darvish, a pitcher that I admire and respect.”

Major League Baseball acted swiftly: Gurriel will be suspended without pay for five games at the start of the 2018 season and will have to undergo sensitivity training. He won’t miss any games in the World Series.

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the suspension Saturday after he met with Gurriel before the Astros were to play the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series. There is precedent for such a suspension: Matt Joyce of the Oakland Athletics and Kevin Pillar of the Toronto Blue Jays each were suspended two games this season for using anti-gay slurs.

The controversy resonated in both Los Angeles and Houston, which are among the most racially diverse cities in the nation and have prided themselves as being melting pots that welcome immigration and celebrate tolerance. There was debate in both cities about how seriously Gurriel’s behavior should be taken.

In Koreatown, Maria Rizo, who is Cuban American, said she didn’t see anything wrong with it. “It’s like saying African American or Hispanic,” she said.

In Houston, Britny Cuellar and her husband said the gesture made them groan because they worried it would overshadow all the team has accomplished. Cuellar, a 27-year-old schoolteacher, was pushing their 2-year-old daughter in a stroller outside Minute Maid Park on Saturday, decked out in Astros gear...
More.


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 1:05 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Dodgers Get Even: #WorldSeries

What a game!

At the Los Angeles Times, "Dodgers pull even in World Series by defeating Astros 6-2 in Game 4":

Cody Bellinger skidded into second base like a kid on a slip-and-slide, a 22-year-old rookie enjoying the World Series for the first time in four games. He leapt to his feet and banged his hands together. Inside the Dodgers dugout, moments after Bellinger’s ninth-inning double paved the way for a 6-2 victory over the Astros in Game 4 of the World Series, his teammates responded with glee.

Bellinger looked stoic. Dirt caked his uniform. Lost for so long, he found himself at an opportune time for the Dodgers, who have evened this series at 2-2. A double by Bellinger in the seventh led to his team’s first run. His next hit put his team ahead and opened the door for a five-run flood.

“Every day you see him grow a little more,” starting pitcher Alex Wood said. “To see him break through was awesome.”

After a sacrifice fly by Austin Barnes padded the lead, Joc Pederson thundered a three-run homer to mute the 43,322 fans at Minute Maid Park. In his first outing since blowing a save in Game 2, closer Kenley Jansen surrendered a solo home run to Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. It was only the second hit of the game for the Astros.

A pitcher’s duel ratcheted up the tension beneath the roof of this ballpark. Wood did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Astros outfielder George Springer homered. Houston starter Charlie Morton suppressed the Dodgers until the seventh, when Bellinger recorded his first hit of the World Series and Logan Forsythe tied the game with an RBI single.

Wood pulled his team out of a pit dug by Yu Darvish in Game 3, shielded a tired bullpen from overexposure and kept the Dodgers from falling two games behind the Astros. The offense slumbered at the outset before awakening late. The team turns to Clayton Kershaw for Game 5 on Sunday in a Game 1 rematch with Astros ace Dallas Keuchel. No matter what, the Series will return to Los Angeles on Tuesday for Game 6.

“We’ve got a three-game series now, and we’ve got our guy on the mound tomorrow,” outfielder Chris Taylor said. “We’re right where we want to be.”

The confidence stems from more than Kershaw. The emergence of Bellinger adds to the equation. Bellinger revitalized the Dodgers offense when he was called up in April. He boomed 39 home runs and earned a spot on the All-Star team. As he slumped through this World Series, his teammates and coaches simplified the message directed his way.
More.


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

U.S. Bank Building Lit Up in Downtown Los Angeles

For the Dodgers, who are one win away from going to the World Series for the first time in 29 years. That's going to be sweet. Game four in Chicago is tonight!

Posted by AmPowerBlog at 7:20 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Yasiel Puig Puts on Swaggering Show in NLCS Game 1

From Bill Plaschke, at the Los Angeles Times, "With bat flips and fly balls, Yasiel Puig puts on a swaggering Game 1 show":

He ran out of the dugout during introductions with his tongue wagging playfully out of his mouth. He took off his cap to reveal lightning bolts shaved into his haircut.

Then, a couple of hours later, with a bat flip and a chest thump and roars that made Dodger Stadium literally shake, the Yasiel Puig Show officially began.

Fifth inning, line drive to left field, sprint to second base, pounding chest, flailing arms, run-scoring double.

Seventh inning, fly ball over left-field fence, swagger around the bases, curtain call out of the dugout, more tongue wagging, home run.

Now that’s entertainment, with Puig taking the Dodgers and their enchanted fans on a raucous, rollicking trip to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

“It’s impacting everyone,’’ said manager Dave Roberts afterward of Puig. “It’s great when you can play with such emotion. … He loves the big stage, and right now he’s playing at a high level and not only the fans, but his teammates are feeding off of it.’’

The night began as a drama, with the Dodgers announcing that their star shortstop, Corey Seager, would be lost for the entirety of the seven-game series becase of a lower back strain.

It then became an adventure, as the underdog Cubs took a 2-0 lead after four innings with a two-run homer by Albert Almora Jr. against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

But, by the time the evening ended, it was a joyous musical that, based on a serenade running through Chavez Ravine these days, would be titled, “Puiiiiig!’’

The Dodgers, now three wins from their first World Series appearance in 29 years, will attempt an encore Sunday night at Dodger Stadium in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series. The Dodgers led the Cubs two games to one in last year’s NLCS before collapsing and losing three straight, so nothing is being taken for granted. But, after one game, they clearly appear to be the more complete team.

And, of course, there’s only one Puig.

“I’m coming in here and preparing more this year than any years here with the team,’’ said Puig. “I’m so proud of myself, and I want to keep going and do the best I can for my teammates and for myself.”

Nobody epitomizes the Dodgers’ current journey more than their free-spirited, 26-year-old right fielder who, since joining the team at the start of its division-title run in 2013, has run the gamut from star to scorned and now back to star again.

He’s been cheered. He’s been benched. He’s been idolized. He’s been demoted. He’s been nearly traded about a dozen times, and, as recently as a month ago, he was scolded and punished for showing up late and missing batting practice.

But Dodgers management always kept him around in hopes that one day, he would maximize his incredible potential under the brightest of lights. That time appears to be now. So far, this October belongs to him.

“He’s really made exponential strides,’’ said Roberts. “He’s obviously a huge part of what we’re doing now, and I couldn’t be prouder.’’
More.


Posted by AmPowerBlog at 12:50 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Dodgers' Epic Season Collapse

At LAT, "How did Dodgers go from possibly the best of all time to, right now, the worst team in the majors?":

The first loss felt innocuous. On Aug. 26, a crisp, clear evening out at Chavez Ravine, there was no way Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could have foreseen the avalanche awaiting his team.

After getting shut out by the Milwaukee Brewers, Roberts wore a smile as he pulled up a chair at his postgame news conference.

“You’re going to have those nights,” he said. “We’ve got a good club.”

At that moment, the start of one of the worst stretches in franchise history, Roberts and the Dodgers stood atop the baseball world. The team had already won 91 games — the same number it won in all of 2016 — with a month remaining in the season. Their lead in the National League West was 20 games, and the primary concern was keeping the regulars fresh and settling the roster for an October playoff run.

The team entertained thoughts about making history: Challenging the major league record of 116 wins in the regular season, then snapping a 28-season World Series drought in October.

The best team in baseball. The sobriquet fit. Those were the 2017 Dodgers, the purported team of a lifetime, a group assembled by a high-powered front office, supported with the sport’s largest payroll, aided by strategic innovations, infused with a rare combination of stardom and depth, and imbued with a flair for the dramatic. No lead felt safe when the Dodgers came to the plate. Anything seemed possible.

Everything, except for what happened next. By losing 10 in a row and 15 of 16 heading into Monday night’s game at San Francisco, the Dodgers shattered the confidence of a fan base wary after four consecutive early playoff exits.

The pitchers have been pummeled. The offense has been silent. Yu Darvish and Curtis Granderson, the two stars acquired by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in July and August, have flopped. The losing has become constant, a counterpoint to a summer in which the team appeared incapable of it. And the Dodgers have three weeks to resurrect their morale.

With no answers in sight, fans have cast about for solutions. The explanations vary from the illogical (Roberts juggles his lineup too often) to the inconsequential (the arrival of Granderson hurt the team’s chemistry) to the supernatural (the team was cursed by a Sports Illustrated cover proclaiming “Best. Team. Ever?”).

The actual answer is something that cannot be solved by a ritual burning of a magazine or a campfire “Kumbaya” to build unity or a tough-love speech by a manager. The Dodgers have foundered because of diminished performances from the players they relied upon during their historic summer.

“It’s past the point of anger and frustration now,” All-Star shortstop Corey Seager said Sunday afternoon. “We have to go out and play better.”

The skid occurred in stages, building from a nuisance into a puzzle into a source of full-blown dread for fans and a source of lost sleep for team officials. Sometimes at night, Roberts joked over the weekend, he looks up at the ceiling and reminds himself what his team’s record is. He did not always sound this downtrodden.

After the fifth loss, on Aug. 31, which completed a three-game sweep by Arizona in Phoenix, Roberts offered perspective. The Dodgers had not experienced a three-game losing streak all summer. He was disappointed in his starting pitchers, but all teams, he reasoned, go through times like this. “We just have to turn the page,” he said.

After the eighth loss in nine games, Roberts looked resolute. The Dodgers had dropped three of four to the woeful San Diego Padres, but the manager crossed his arms and declined to overreact. “I can assure you, this won’t break us,” he said.

After the 12th loss in 13 games, Roberts bumped into a reporter outside the clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. The losing had gotten so contagious, even ace Clayton Kershaw was affected. Following another sweep by Arizona, Kershaw got pummeled by Colorado. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Roberts said...
More.

Also, "Dodgers skip the champagne after their playoff-clinching victory they didn't know about."

Posted by AmPowerBlog at 7:15 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Friday, September 1, 2017

Angels Acquire Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips

Hey, I can dig it.

I like Cameron Maybin, who was sent to Houston, but if the acquisition of Upton and Phillips helps the Angels make the postseason, it's no problem.

And the front office did some serious business with these acquisitions.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels signal they're in it to win it by trading for Justin Upton":

This is bigger than Yu Darvish.

You might have wondered if the Dodgers were trying their hardest to win the World Series, but you never had to wonder whether they were trying to win. The Dodgers were bound for October, with or without Darvish.

The Angels? Mike Trout, some wings and a prayer.

When the July 31 trade deadline came and the Angels were afloat in the wild-card race, they made one move: dumping one of their most reliable relievers for no good reason, and nothing good in return.

With one bold move on Thursday, the Angels announced they were back.

Back to relevance. Back to winning. Back to a commitment to excellence.

No longer will the Angels allow themselves to be held hostage by the ghost of Josh Hamilton. When they agreed to acquire Justin Upton from the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, they finally removed the“vacancy” sign from left field, three years after they exiled Hamilton to Texas.

They could have had Upton two winters ago, or Yoenis Cespedes, Dexter Fowler, Alex Gordon or Jason Heyward. They passed on them all, trying to pass off Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava as a legitimate major league platoon. They still had to pay Hamilton, after all.

The Angels’ left fielders have hit 27 home runs in the three years of the post-Hamilton era, seven this season. Upton has hit 28 home runs this season, 11 in August.

The Angels’ second basemen had a .589 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage), the lowest for any American League club at any position, aside from shortstop for the Kansas City Royals (Alcides Escobar). After two years and zero offense there in the post-Howie Kendrick era, the Angels doubled down on this year and traded for Brandon Phillips on Thursday as well.

Trout has drawn 11 walks in his last eight games, and not just because of his plate discipline. For most of the season, no Angels hitters besides Trout and Andrelton Simmons ranked above league average. They rank last in the AL in OPS. Frankly, with their starting pitching in tatters for most of the season, it’s a miracle they are in contention.

But they awoke Thursday — the last day before organizational rosters are frozen for postseason eligibility — and found themselves one game out of the second AL wild-card spot, two games behind the New York Yankees for the top wild-card spot.

The disabled list is clearing. Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs are back in the starting rotation, with ace Garrett Richards expected to follow any day now. C.J. Cron hit two home runs on Tuesday. Albert Pujols hit two home runs on Wednesday.

The players deserved some help, and owner Arte Moreno gave it to them.

Moreno doesn’t come around the ballpark as often as he used to, and he doesn’t have much to say publicly, leaving fans to wonder whether he remains engaged and interested in his team. He takes pride in running the team as a successful business, with no debt. He could sell the team for 10 times what he paid for it.

On Thursday, he showed he still is in it to win it. The Angels’ lone World Series appearance, remember, came the year before he bought the team.

This is the last year of the Hamilton contract. Moreno will pay about $35 million to left fielders this year — $26 million to Hamilton, the rest to Upton and Cameron Maybin.

It isn’t that the Angels’ payroll is taking a huge jump this year. It’s not. The Angels let the Houston Astros take Maybin on a waiver claim, and the $1.5 million the Angels save there will cover much of the $3.7 million Upton is owed for the rest of this season. The Tigers will pay some of that too. And the Angels’ commitment to the 36-year-old Phillips is less than $1 million; he’s a free agent come fall.

No, the plaudits for Moreno come because Upton has four years and $88.5 million left on his contract after this season. He could opt out, but Moreno assumed that risk — and, really, there’s not much to lose here.

The Angels know they get a month of Upton for a few million bucks, without losing either of their two legitimate prospects in the trade. They just might get four more years of a premium power hitter at a market rate.

Upton, who turned 30 last week, has hit at least 25 home runs five years running. They ought to hope he does not opt out. If he does, they won’t get a draft pick.

The Angels cannot dream of getting anywhere near that production of anyone in their farm system by 2020.

That is the last year of Trout’s contract. The Angels don’t have time for a tank job if they want to persuade him to stay. They need to show him they can win, with him, and soon.

And, as of Thursday, they are two big bats closer to doing something they never have done since baseball’s best player joined the Angels in 2011: winning a postseason game.
Posted by AmPowerBlog at 11:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Dodgers Acquire Curtis Granderson

So I saw Curtis Granderson featured at the Dodgers' Twitter feed, and I thought "Why's he putting on a Dodger jersey? Must be doing cross-team MLB promotions, or something." Then I thought, "Wait, the Dodgers traded for Curtis Granderson?" And I googled it. Yep, they snagged the dude from the Mets. Granderson's got tremendous energy and charisma. I've seen him play clutch baseball here and there, but I've never really followed his game closely. His acquisition by the Dodgers illustrates the team's intent to win the World Series, and of course Granderson's totally stoked.

Here's Bill Plaschke, at LAT, "The Dodgers' front office swings for the fences with acquisition of Curtis Granderson":

It happened again. They did it again.

Late innings, out of nowhere, a screaming line drive, a sprint toward home, dust flies, fans gasp, victory appears.

It happened again. The Dodgers’ front office did it again.

The magic of this wondrous baseball team is nearly being matched, walk-off for walk-off, by the magic of the guys who have assembled it. Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi went deep in extra innings for the second time in less than three weeks Friday night, picking up October-honed outfielder Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets for virtually nothing, and now can there be any question?

In their third season here, Friedman and Zaidi understand Dodgers fans’ anguish. They connect with their desperation. They share their hope. They get it, and they’re going for it.

Even with the team steamrollering to what might be the best regular-season record in baseball history, possibly breaking the fabled 116-victory mark, Friedman and Zaidi are still shaking things up, adding a veteran left-handed hitter, sending down former top prospect Joc Pederson, emphasizing that their only goal is one shared by anyone who has spent the last 29 years going out of their blue minds.

“We’ll take the 11 wins in October over the 116 wins in the regular season any day,” Zaidi, the team’s general manager, said in a phone interview.

Remember when everyone was worried that they were satisfied with building for the future at the expense of today? About five minutes before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, with nothing big happening, folks everywhere were beginning to gripe about two guys who cared more about the process than the present.

Then, boom, they walked it off with the deal for starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who has done just enough to help the team win all three of his starts. And now, wham, they have walked it off again by acquiring Granderson, a great clubhouse guy who has 18 home runs since May 1, who can still work up some serious exit velocity against right-handed pitching, and who has played in a dozen postseason series, including two World Series.

He is a big-swinging starting outfielder against right-handers. He is invaluable bench depth on other days. He is 36, he has seen it all, he batted .389 against the Dodgers in a 2015 division series, hit three homers in the 2015 World Series, and becomes yet another gleaming chess piece that can shine under the lights.

“He has the kind of grinding mentality that plays in October,” Zaidi said...
More.
Posted by AmPowerBlog at 10:55 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Angels Surge to Sole Possession of Second American League Wildcard Spot

There's video at MLB, "8/12/17: Pujols' late double propels Halos to 6-3 win."

And here's AP's report at LAT (the Times has no beat reporter covering the Angels right now), "Angels rally for 6-3 victory over the Mariners and to get back into a wild-card playoff spot."

Finally, check Jeff Fletcher, at the O.C. Register, "Angels move into 2nd wild card spot with 5th straight victory."

Let's see how long this lasts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, considering the Angels' (inconsistent) experience this season. Sheesh:
SEATTLE — The Angels have reached a notable, although meaningless, moment.

They are currently sitting in the second wild card spot, after running their winning streak to five games with a come-from-behind, 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.

“It gives us a little taste of what’s left to come,” Jesse Chavez said.

The Angels have taken the first three games of this series against the team that was leading the race for the second wild card when it began. The Mariners were since passed by the Minnesota Twins, who also lost on Saturday to allow the Angels to pass them both.
At 60-58, the Angels still have 44 games to play, which is why being in playoff position now means little.

Asked if there was any small significance to draw from the standings now, Manager Mike Scioscia said flatly: “No. Nope. We’ve got a game tomorrow.”

To JC Ramirez, the standings don’t mean as much as the way the Angels are currently playing. They have now won 11 of their last 15 games.

“You’ve seen the tough season we’ve been through and now we finally gained that spot,” Ramirez said. “People that weren’t hitting are now hitting. People who weren’t pitching very well are now doing good. This is the kind of team we are. This is the kind of team we were supposed to be since the beginning of the season.”

The characteristic that has been on display most lately is a penchant for late-inning heroics. They scored the decisive runs in the eighth and ninth innings in all three victories so far in Seattle. And in the past two games, they overcame seventh-inning deficits, of four runs on Friday and two on Saturday...
More.
Posted by AmPowerBlog at 10:15 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Friday, August 11, 2017

American League Wild Card Race Tightens

The Angels won a dramatic 9th-inning victory last night in Seattle, after a terrible blown save by Bud Norris.

Here's the story, at LAT, "Mike Trout's three-run double in ninth inning gives Angels win after blowing three-run lead."

And with that, the AL wildcard race tightened even further. I wrote about it here, "The American League Wild Card Race is Getting Insane."

Earlier this week the Angels were catching up to Kansas City, but the Cards swept the Royals in St. Louis this week. (See, "Fowler makes more rally magic for suddenly 'dynamic' Cards.") Now both the Angels and Royals are one game behind Tampa Bay and Seattle (both tied at a .509 winning percentage, behind the Yankees for the first wildcard spot).

I love it!

Here's a piece debating the utility of MLB's wildcard playoff system, "Is Major League Baseball’s double-wild-card format working? MLB's six-year-old playoff set-up has its pros and cons." And a killer few paragraphs for me:
Matt Clapp: I still can’t decide how much I like the two Wild Cards. I’m a big believer in the better team being rewarded. Say the WC1 wins 96 games, and the WC2 wins 88 games. And then the WC2 beats the WC1 in the one-game playoff. That’s very unfair to the WC1, as they have absolutely been the better team over 162 games, and baseball should in no way be judged by one game.

Then again, 2015 was an example of the two Wild Cards being a good thing. The NL Central featured three teams with at least 97 wins; the Pirates were the WC1 with 98 wins and the Cubs were the WC2 with 97 wins. Those were the three best records in baseball! One of them being completely left out would’ve been quite lame. Of course, the Pirates would argue that it was even more lame that they won 98 games and had to face a historically red-hot pitcher in Jake Arrieta.

Again, one game deciding anything in baseball flat-out sucks. I’d prefer they find a way to make it a three-game play-in, but that’s of course difficult with scheduling. And because of the scheduling issues, Theo Epstein said in 2015 that he proposed the idea of a three-game playoff which included a doubleheader for two of the three games to make things easier. This would also be a very weird way to decide the Wild Card winner, but in my opinion it still beats just one game in deciding the more Division Series representative.

Whatever the case, what we think doesn’t matter. What matters is how it’s working out for MLB, and it’s working tremendously. Look at the AL Wild Card race right now. There are NINE teams (including the two currently leading the race) within four games for two spots. Several teams have a legitimate playoff shot because of the second Wild Card, and this means much more fan interest. Fans of the teams in the race will go out to the ballpark into deep September. Baseball fans that generally don’t even care about those teams will be following these games just because pennant races are compelling. Then the one-game playoff is fantastic drama, must-see TV for people that aren’t even big baseball fans. In general, it’s all more eyes on the game, more discussion on social media/TV/radio, and more money. This all makes it a success for MLB, regardless of whether or not we think it’s the best way to be handled...

Posted by AmPowerBlog at 9:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)