Orange County Register: Fryer: Angels' sleepwalking act disappoints fans

[tomsred]

Why are we even arguing in this thread.  Its a foregone conclusion the Royals just got lucky and the Angels got unlucky.

Wrong, the Royals were better in this series, and they proved it.  They outpitched the Angels (both starters and bullpen), and they outhit the Angels.  They played better defense by a wide margin.  There was nothing lucky about their performance at all, they showcased all of their talents. Too many of you want to believe that the Angels are better, or have more talent than the Royals.  In the ACLS the Angels were definitely not better than the Royals.  We didn't even beat them head to head during the regular season.  Hey Angels, go find a way to get better.

[QuinlansMinion]

Wrong, the Royals were better in this series, and they proved it.  They outpitched the Angels (both starters and bullpen), and they outhit the Angels.  They played better defense by a wide margin.  There was nothing lucky about their performance at all, they showcased all of their talents. Too many of you want to believe that the Angels are better, or have more talent than the Royals.  In the ACLS the Angels were definitely not better than the Royals.  We didn't even beat them head to head during the regular season.  Hey Angels, go find a way to get better.

I know I was being sarcastic because of how many people on this board say the playoffs are a crapshoot and the Angels are just unlucky.

[Doug Van Oort Sr]

I have said this before:

 

There isn't a manager in baseball who would have started Cowgill over Hamilton in the playoffs. Quit talking like that was an rational option.  During the playoffs you go with your best and you hope your best performs.  Hamilton didn't but Hamilton having a bad year is the equivalent of Cowgill having an average year.  

 

Trout, Ianetta, Cron, Freese:  All had just one more hit than Hamilton.  You really think Cowgill would have made a difference?  Your fooling yourself.  The whole team sucked on offense.  

 

You guys talk as if only Cowgill would have played we would have won the ALDS.

 

In the regular season you take Hamilton who hasn't played in a month on a rehab assignment to see some live pitching and get his timing down.  Since this was not an option the Angels put him into a short 5 game series to get his timing down.  I would of taken Cowgil, or even Navarro.  Hamilton sucks the life out of this team.

[Troll Daddy]

Wow! You babies still crying over spilt milk.

Get over it already

Btw according to Fangraphs ... Trout did more harm than good for the team. Did Howie even get a hit in the series ? I believe he was batting fourth.

[tennischmp]

Has anyone mentioned that Cowgill would have caught the ball in Game 1 to save a run?

[mancini79]

Cowgill should have pitched instead of Salas in Game 1. It's a fact he wouldn't have given up the HR to Moustakas in the 11th.

[joeywings]

Cowgill should have pitched instead of Salas in Game 1. It's a fact he wouldn't have given up the HR to Moustakas in the 11th.

The game would have not gone to extra-innings with Cowgil in there.

[mtangelsfan]

The game would have not gone to extra-innings with Cowgil in there.

 

You clearly must be the richest man in the world with your obvious ability to see things as facts that nobody else can.  What a priceless skill.

[stormngt]

Then blame Dipoto for putting him on the roster.

Josh Hamilton was 0-6 with RISP...his RBI came in a runner at 3B, 1 out, in the 8th inning of game 3. His clutch AB tightened the game up to 8-3.

He shouldn't even have been on the ALDS roster

[tennischmp]

Then blame Dipoto for putting him on the roster.

 

It's Scoscias job to decide who is on the postseason roster or not

[Jeff Fletcher]

It's Scoscias job to decide who is on the postseason roster or not

They do it together with the coaches. Dipoto has the final say. He's the boss.

[Jay]

No way.  86 was like being kicked in the nuts repeatedly by Chuck Norris.  This year was like getting kicked in the nuts twice by the guy next door.

 

After being kicked in the nuts repeatedly by Chuck Norris you barely feel it when the guy next door kicks you in the nuts.

[tennischmp]

They do it together with the coaches. Dipoto has the final say. He's the boss.

Fair enough. But Scioscia does have the final say in who plays correct?

[mtangelsfan]

Fair enough. But Scioscia does have the final say in who plays correct?

 

If Dipoto wanted Hamilton on the roster, he damn sure wanted him to play.  It wouldn't make sense otherwise.  That isn't to say Sosh shouldn't have replaced him after his miserable performance in game one.

[Jeff Fletcher]

Hamilton would not have been on the roster if both Scioscia and Dipoto didn't agree they wanted him to play.

Once the series began, Scioscia could have benched Hamilton but I assume he'd talk to Dipoto about it.

I think they were clinging to the hope that they could get through the DS while absorbing his bad at-bats and the payoff would be he'd be productive in the rest of the postseason. That's what happened in 2010.

[yk9001]

I think they were clinging to the hope that they could get through the DS while absorbing his bad at-bats and the payoff would be he'd be productive in the rest of the postseason. That's what happened in 2010.

 

Angels brass expecting results from a player similar to four seasons ago (on another team) seems to be a recurring theme.

[tdawg87]

To be fair, the offense did fine without him during the season, so I can understand how Mike and Jerry would see it that way. They couldn't have predicted the entire offense to go limp like it did. That's on Trout, Pujols, Kendrick, et al.

[disarcina]

I disagreed completely with placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster and said so BEFORE the series.

 

even if you suggest that you go with Hamilton over Cowgill in Game One, there's no way you keep Hamilton in there after watching his first three ABs in Game One.

 

Honestly, Sosh's sticking with Hamilton in the starting line up for Games Two and Three after the ABs he had in Game One is something that I simply cannot understand and cannot be satisfactorily explained to me (or I think anyone else).

 

I would give Sosh sort of a pass on placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster (even if I completely disagree with that) - but keeping him in after Game One ABs -- no way.

 

Now, having said that -- Hamilton terrible series alone DID NOT LOSE the series for us -- it contributed to the loss but so did other things.

 

and, hey, let's face it -- we got beat by the things that win playoff games -- pitching, defense and add some very strategically used KC speed.

 

KC had how many pitchers on the ALDS roster? 9 or 10 -- what did the Halos have ? -- 11/12?  those extra roster spots allowed KC to keep a Gore/ Dyson speedster combo on the roster.

 

meanwhile, Campana -- a true speedster -- like KC's Gore -- could have helped the Halos.

 

oh well.

 

off -season -- and, hey, guys, -- we need rotation help.

[70runner]

Crapshoot my ass.  KC was the better team.  Angels coasted into the playoffs and couldn't turn the switch back on.   

 

Hamilton wasn't much more helpless than the rest of the MOTO.  That said, he should not have started against a LHP, even Vargas.   Maybe against RHP, but I would have gone with Navarro (and said so).  

 

Angels are old and slow, cannot manufacture runs when the boppers are sleepwalking. 

 

The 2 sacrifices to get RISP for Hamilton: priceless.

 

Must get younger...somehow.  Must. 

 

Long term contracts for old guys, no mas. 

[Guest]

Crapshoot my ass.  KC was the better team.  Angels coasted into the playoffs and couldn't turn the switch back on.   

 

Hamilton wasn't much more helpless than the rest of the MOTO.  That said, he should not have started against a LHP, even Vargas.   Maybe against RHP, but I would have gone with Navarro (and said so).  

 

Angels are old and slow, cannot manufacture runs when the boppers are sleepwalking. 

 

The 2 sacrifices to get RISP for Hamilton: priceless.

 

Must get younger...somehow.  Must. 

 

Long term contracts for old guys, no mas. 

That's going to be hard considering we traded all our Rondons away to try to win this year (and, to a lesser extent, next year). 

We will likley need to sign a couple #4 or #5 free agent starters (e.g. Brandon McCarthy)

[Brent Maguire]

Crapshoot my ass.  KC was the better team.  Angels coasted into the playoffs and couldn't turn the switch back on.   

 

Hamilton wasn't much more helpless than the rest of the MOTO.  That said, he should not have started against a LHP, even Vargas.   Maybe against RHP, but I would have gone with Navarro (and said so).  

 

Angels are old and slow, cannot manufacture runs when the boppers are sleepwalking. 

 

The 2 sacrifices to get RISP for Hamilton: priceless.

 

Must get younger...somehow.  Must. 

 

Long term contracts for old guys, no mas. 

So many people buy into this momentum thing in the playoffs and there's no evidence that it actually exists. 

 

The Royals played well for 3 games. The Angels did not. It happens in baseball. 

[Brent Maguire]

If anybody wants to read about momentum for the playoffs, here you go:

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9617

 

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-playoff-myths-to-ignore/

 

I won't deny that there's probably some small amount of momentum that exists but history shows that it isn't all that important. 

[Docwaukee]

So many people buy into this momentum thing in the playoffs and there's no evidence that it actually exists. 

 

The Royals played well for 3 games. The Angels did not. It happens in baseball. 

they didn't even play all that well.  They had some nice defensive plays and got a couple of big hits while the halos shit the bed offensively.  The Halos and any team in fact, should not be adjusted based on anything that happens over a few games in the playoffs.  

 

those articles are great btw and exactly what  I suspected.

 

Anyone calling for major changes relative to the last three games we played is just wrong.  I can totally understand people being pissed off and/or disappointed, but to suggest roster reconstruction is rooted in supposition and anecdotal situations.  

[yk9001]

I disagreed completely with placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster and said so BEFORE the series.

 

even if you suggest that you go with Hamilton over Cowgill in Game One, there's no way you keep Hamilton in there after watching his first three ABs in Game One.

 

Honestly, Sosh's sticking with Hamilton in the starting line up for Games Two and Three after the ABs he had in Game One is something that I simply cannot understand and cannot be satisfactorily explained to me (or I think anyone else).

 

I would give Sosh sort of a pass on placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster (even if I completely disagree with that) - but keeping him in after Game One ABs -- no way.

 

Now, having said that -- Hamilton terrible series alone DID NOT LOSE the series for us -- it contributed to the loss but so did other things.

 

and, hey, let's face it -- we got beat by the things that win playoff games -- pitching, defense and add some very strategically used KC speed.

 

KC had how many pitchers on the ALDS roster? 9 or 10 -- what did the Halos have ? -- 11/12?  those extra roster spots allowed KC to keep a Gore/ Dyson speedster combo on the roster.

 

meanwhile, Campana -- a true speedster -- like KC's Gore -- could have helped the Halos.

 

oh well.

 

off -season -- and, hey, guys, -- we need rotation help.

 

This is such an excellent point.  Look how Gore is a game changer now in the ALCS.  This wasn't a crapshoot.  The better team, with better weapons, won.