"They aren't trying, or don't care"

[xboom28x]

Showalter rested his vets and starters. Didn't seem to cause a problem for them in their series vs the Tigers (who had to fight down to the wire to make it).

 

Most managers would go with the veterans (Wilson and Hamilton) over inexperienced rookies with zero playoff appearances (Rasmus and Navarro) in an elimination game. To think they would have fared better is a huge stretch and pure hindsight.

Edited October 8, 2014 by xboom28x

[Guest]

Showalter rested his vets and starters. Didn't seem to cause a problem for them in their series vs the Tigers (who had to fight down to the wire to make it).

 

Most managers would go with the veterans (Wilson and Hamilton) over inexperienced rookies with zero playoff appearances (Rasmus and Navarro) in an elimination game. To think they would have fared better is a huge stretch and pure hindsight.

I don't see Buck Showalter or Bruce Bochy treating the ALDS as a rehab game for a guy who hasn't played in over a month, veteran or not.

Edited October 8, 2014 by ScottLux

[Inside Pitch]

Angels have a tendency to take advantage of bad pitching and fold against good pitching.

 

Really?  You would think from all the talk about how they own Felix and then the 50 million posts when they get beat by Cy Whatshisname that it was the opposite.  I guess I'd just like to see all the teams that feast on good pitching because I remember someone listing the performances of some top end pitchers Vs the Angels earlier this year and going down the list to find the Angels had outperformed the league when facing them.

[mtangelsfan]

I don't see Buck Showalter or Bruce Bochy treating the ALDS as a rehab game for a guy who hasn't played in over a month, veteran or not.

 

You don't see it because you don't want to, the truth is you have no evidence to make such a statement either way.

[Troll Daddy]

The Angels are loaded with veterans who know from experience how to manage their energy and competitive emotion over a grueling 162 game season.  They did it more effectively than anyone else this year.  So effectively, they clinched a playoff position with 10 or so games left in the season.  So now they can rest the vets, give the youngins a chance to play.  All good right?  Some use the word coast, but whatever the word is an argument can be made that they lose some of that competitive edge during the "coast".  Suddenly they are matched against a team fresh off an intense end of the season race to qualify AND an even more intense 1 game winner take all.  Angels, trying to recover the intensity, vs KC, riding the intensity. 

 

Difficult to quantify the intensity effect, not so difficult to quantify the effect of some very odd decisions by Scioscia.  He didn't play small ball, prudently with this lineup, all year.  Then suddenly he's hip deep in small ball.  The infamous 3-1 count sacrifice order to Calhoun which, even if it works, they walk Trout to get to the GIDP machine.  Sacrificing one of his best hitters twice to provide a RISP for one of his worst hitters.  The absurd excuse for not bunting Cowgill to third...to preserve his defensive catcher for another inning.   When did Iannetta turn into a good defensive catcher?  I understand Hamilton in game 1, sorta, gotta try it, but to continue the failed experiment for game 2 & 3?  Nibs starting the most impt game of the season seemed very risky going in.  Not blaming Scioscia for the sweep, but frankly he didn't help much.

 

How can you be so sure they would walk Trout? They did pitch to him on a full count.

[m0nkey]

How about when one team wants it more than the other? Another dumb idea

[Blarg]

I don't see Buck Showalter or Bruce Bochy treating the ALDS as a rehab game for a guy who hasn't played in over a month, veteran or not.

Showalter can't play Davis, he is suspended for the next five games. Machado is out for the season. Botchy put Tim Hudson back into the rotation after missing part of September, Morse and Pagan were left off the roster because they were still nursing injuries. Now why not produce a scenario that fits in context.

[Jay]

Really?  You would think from all the talk about how they own Felix and then the 50 million posts when they get beat by Cy Whatshisname that it was the opposite.  I guess I'd just like to see all the teams that feast on good pitching because I remember someone listing the performances of some top end pitchers Vs the Angels earlier this year and going down the list to find the Angels had outperformed the league when facing them.

 

Weird I thought the Angels were 0-5 against Hernandez this year.

 

Actually Hernandez is a good example.  The Angels managed to score 5 runs against Hernandez in his 5 starts, to go along with 48 strikeouts and 9 walks.

 

.119/.188/.169/.357

 

One of those games was against our scrubs though.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Jay

[Guest]

Really?  You would think from all the talk about how they own Felix and then the 50 million posts when they get beat by Cy Whatshisname that it was the opposite.  I guess I'd just like to see all the teams that feast on good pitching because I remember someone listing the performances of some top end pitchers Vs the Angels earlier this year and going down the list to find the Angels had outperformed the league when facing them.

Angels had a tendency to feast on good pitching and fold against terrible pitching between 2010 and 2013, the years they not-coincidentally missed the playoffs. Last year for example we lost the season series to the Astros. This year that wasn't the problem.

 

The early playoff exits though is a symptom of a different problem which has been with us for the last 10 consecutive years -- Angels take much longer than most teams to shake off rust and play at top form after any sort of break. They start slow in April, after every all star break, and at the start of the playoffs. In the regular season there is enough time for the team to go on long hot streaks to make up for it but ther's no such luxury in a 5 game series.

Edited October 8, 2014 by ScottLux

[tomsred]

Tell that to Shoemaker, who beat every ace he faced this year.

Pitchers don't beat other pitchers without some run support.  There was no run support in the ALDS.

[Stradling]

Pitchers don't beat other pitchers without some run support. There was no run support in the ALDS.

That was my point