Game 45: Tigers 9, Angels 6
If you were to sum up the Angels’ season in one game, than Sunday afternoon’s contest against the Detroit Tigers would certainly suffice. Holding a 5-4 leading heading into the bottom of the eight inning, the Angels’ bullpen blew the team’s one-run lead, resulting in a 9-6 defeat at the hands of the A.L. Central leading Tigers.
At the start of the eighth, Jose Arredondo walked both Ryan Raburn and Adam Everett with one out. Mike Scioscia then inserted Jason Bugler, who subsequently went on to walk Curtis Granderson, loading the bases. Raburn was able to score on the next at bat due to an error by Morales, tying the score at 5. Bulger then walked Magglio Ordonez, who loaded the bases for Clete Thomas. Despite not starting the game, Thomas went on to hit a grand-slam, giving Detroit a 9-5 lead.
The lead was insurmountable for the Halos, who just scored one run in the ninth and were able to overcome such a large deficit. This one really hurts.
Still, here are some additional thoughts:
- Some serious changes need to be made in the bullpen. Jason Bulger (4.24 ERA), Jose Arredondo (5.09 ERA), and Justin Speier (5.06 ERA), all aren’t cutting it. Scot Shields, who is now on the disabled list and had an ERA over 6, wasn’t cutting it either. Brian Fuentes hasn’t been lights out, as he has an ERA of 4.95 and has three blown saves. I don’t have all the answers, but throwing these guys out there day after day, doesn’t seem to be a logical solution. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. Well, it is a little bit insane to be starting the same guys over and over, not making any changes, and expecting different results. Something needs to be done. It’s not my call to say what, since I am not a professional pitching coach. But I am smart enough to realize that there needs to be a few tweaks in the bullpen.
- Once again, Gary Matthews Jr. proved why he is the most overpaid player in all of baseball. Today, Matthews went 0-for-5, striking out twice, and allowed the tying run as a result of an errant throw in the eight inning. It’s absolutely ridiculous for a guy, who is batting .257 to even be getting any sort of playing time. Why not at least move Chone Figgins to the outfield and start Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar in the lineup. Neither Maircer or Aybar is spectacular, but they have posted better numbers than Matthews has this year. At least with Vladdy back full-time, Matthews is relegated to more of a spot-time starting role.
- Nobody on this team, with the exception of Torii Hunter, has been the least bit consistent this year. Today, Juan Rivera went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs and a home run. It was certainly nice to see him perform well, but in the two previous games this weekend, Rivera had gone 1-for-7 at the dish. The problem with this year’s bunch is that nobody can put it all together. They’ll have their nights, as Rivera did today, but they fail to build on solid performances. Absolutely no one on this roster has performed continuously. For a team to win the World Series or even just a playoff birth, consistency has to be the highest priority.
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