The Official Los Angeles Angels 2017 Wild Card Tracker

[Jwhitt33]

2 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

Rooting for the Mets, Jays, and Tigers tonight.

Tigers have shit the bed last 2 weeks vs wild card teams. Thrown in towel like they always do.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

[nando714]

Here come be the rangers 

[Angel Oracle]

I have never, eeeever, seen a race like this one for the 2nd WC!

Eight teams separated by just 3.5 games this late into the season?Are you freaking kidding me?

[nando714]

10 hours ago, nando714 said:

Here come be the rangers 

Rangers have a 4 game set with the white sox. Look for them to take at least 3 of those games 

[tdawg87]

Texas is the biggest threat.

[totdprods]

20 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Texas is the biggest threat.

They don't have the pitching. It'll be between the Angels and whomever is in 2nd in the AL East and AL Central races. 

I just don't see Texas, Baltimore, Minnesota, or even Seattle hanging in there with their pitching staffs.

Indians, Royals, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees are the threats as all of them are pretty good teams as is, and most are already a bit ahead of us. We have to not only catch them but hope one from each race starts slipping far enough to get stuck with the Twins, Rangers, Orioles group.

[tdawg87]

They don't have the pitching but they certainly have the hitting. Plus they're the only team in the WC race with a positive run differential.

Their pitching hasn't been that bad either. 8th in team ERA.

[totdprods]

3 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

They don't have the pitching but they certainly have the hitting. Plus they're the only team in the WC race with a positive run differential.

Their pitching hasn't been that bad either. 8th in team ERA.

Darvish was a big part of that though. That is a rotation that's holding on by a thread.
Their rotation currently can't keep them in this. And they don't have anyone in the wings to help. 
Hamels: 3.48 ERA, but a FIP of 4.52 and a K/9 of 5.7, down from his career 8.6 K/9
Cashner: 3.32 ERA, but a FIP of 4.42, and a K/9 of 4.7, down from a career 7.5 K/9
Perez: 5.08 ERA, WHIP of 1.57
Griffin: 5.07 ERA, FIP of 6.05
Ross: 7.02 ERA, 31 walks and 31 strikeouts

The biggest reason they're a threat is because we have so many head-to-head games with them still. 

 

[Jwhitt33]

11 hours ago, nando714 said:

Rangers have a 4 game set with the white sox. Look for them to take at least 3 of those games 

White sox and tigers are keeping and gonna keep a lot these teams in it. I'm looking at you twins and Kansas City. Least the Angels have a 4 game set with white sox in late September that needs to be taken advantage of.

[Chuck]

[totdprods]

On 8/17/2017 at 10:15 AM, nando714 said:

Rangers have a 4 game set with the white sox. Look for them to take at least 3 of those games 

We get 4 against the Sox too. 

[Tank]

31 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

beautifully written, chuck.

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

beautifully written, chuck.

Actually I just embedded the shareable code from Baseball Reference.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2017-standings.shtml

 

[Angel Oracle]

Jays already lost today.

[totdprods]

Several series start tonight that, once again, help the Angels regardless of the winner.

Rays vs. Mariners, Indians vs. Royals, Red Sox vs. Yankees.

Either teams split series and beat themselves up and don't make any real movement, or one team drubs another and pushes them farther back.

Angels don't have as many of these head to head series left like the other WC teams do (unless you consider Texas a threat) so if everyone keeps beating each other up, the Angels have a chance to pull ahead nicely if they just keep taking as many series as possible.

[tdawg87]

I don't think KC winning helps us.

[Angel Oracle]

8 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I don't think KC winning helps us.

Not when they have a bunch of games with the Toothless Tiggers and Neophyte ChiSox

[totdprods]

42 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I don't think KC winning helps us.

It brings Cleveland down closer to us, and while that may not seem like a big deal now, it could near end of season. 

The Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, and Royals are all four pretty good teams and could very well finish #1 and #2 in their divisions. If those two second place teams finish better than the Angels, we're on the outside looking in. 

We need to end with a record better than one of those teams, and hope we finish ahead of Seattle and Texas *and* hope Minnesota, Tampa, and Baltimore fade.

KC winning now squeezes us from below, but brings Cleveland's record closer for us to pass, should they become the WC threat later in the year.

[totdprods]

34 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Not when they have a bunch of games with the Toothless Tiggers and Neophyte ChiSox

And this is why Cleveland and KC's best outcome for the Angels is that they just beat each other up evenly head to head and never really gain ground. Both teams have enough games against CWS and DET to put some serious distance ahead of them.

[tdawg87]

KC is 0.5 games behind the Angels. Cleveland is 5.5 games ahead of KC. 

Yeah I'm rooting for Cleveland to sweep.

[DMVol]

Can't pitch, can't win...

[Angel Oracle]

Might be the beginning of the end for 2017.

[totdprods]

On 8/18/2017 at 5:34 PM, tdawg87 said:

KC is 0.5 games behind the Angels. Cleveland is 5.5 games ahead of KC. 

Yeah I'm rooting for Cleveland to sweep.

That is a good outcome too.

No matter who wins those games, it helps the Angels. Sure there are outcomes that are a little preferable, but either way, it helps. 

[Angel Oracle]

What's gotten into the Dipeutereds?   I thought the Halos buried them after the 4 game sweep?