Back to three games under.... safe to watch again :)

[floplag]

When this team gets close to evening it up i just take a few days off... they dont seem to have the fortitude to push thru and get on the black side of the ledger right now. 
when the  pitching shows up to offense takes a break and vice versa. 
Till they manage to get solidly above 500 any talk of playoffs should be deferred. 

[Troll Daddy]

9 minutes ago, floplag said:

When this team gets close to evening it up i just take a few days off... they dont seem to have the fortitude to push thru and get on the black side of the ledger right now. 
when the  pitching shows up to offense takes a break and vice versa. 
Till they manage to get solidly above 500 any talk of playoffs should be deferred. 

There’s talk of playoffs?

[floplag]

12 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

There’s talk of playoffs?

From a lot of people, yes.  They look a the standings and think "well were only a couple back of the wild card" and start to get delusions.  This team isnt on that level right now, but its close, and it could be quickly if the front office works its magic.
Dont get me wrong im not suggesting we stop working toward that goal im just not going to take it seriously till we can get above 500 and stay there. 

[Angel Oracle]

Get to 1 under, then slump, rinse, repeat.

One year, they will actually finish over .500 again.

[floplag]

4 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Get to 1 under, then slump, rinse, repeat.

One year, they will actually finish over .500 again.

I actually think they will this year.  This team will be much better in the second half in my opinion after the stop gap guys have been replaced.   If Cahill/Harvey were even close to what we hoped for they already likely would be, but thats moot. 
This isnt a negative post per say, just a vent of frustration that each time they get close they seem to shart the bed. 

[Claude]

2 minutes ago, floplag said:

I actually think they will this year.  This team will be much better in the second half in my opinion after the stop gap guys have been replaced.   If Cahill/Harvey were even close to what we hoped for they already likely would be, but thats moot. 
This isnt a negative post per say, just a vent of frustration that each time they get close they seem to shart the bed. 

Pretty sure that the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros will all be better in the second half also. 

[Troll Daddy]

1 minute ago, floplag said:

I actually think they will this year.  This team will be much better in the second half in my opinion after the stop gap guys have been replaced.   If Cahill/Harvey were even close to what we hoped for they already likely would be, but thats moot. 
This isnt a negative post per say, just a vent of frustration that each time they get close they seem to shart the bed. 

I agree ... the Angels will get a infusion of players coming off injury. Most importantly Upton who is a impactful bat. The bullpen will also benefit as well. I’d like to know were JC Ramirez will fit in  ... starter or reliever? 

Still need a front of a rotation starter to buy into any real type of success this season. 

[floplag]

12 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

Pretty sure that the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros will all be better in the second half also. 

agreed, i never suggested we would be better than any of them, just better than we are now.   

[Mark PT]

Is Cahill gone yet?

[PattyD22]

In my opinion, this team has overachieved just to get to 1 game under .500 (Now 3 but the point remains).  We have/had 2 starters who's ERA is north of 7.00 and one who is now gone.  One of the teams main bats and an important piece of the puzzle is on the IL and may be for the rest of the season, who knows.  Kole Calhoun, for the first 2 months of the season couldn't hit his ass with both hands, nor could Cozart, and for the most part our aging 1st baseman/DH also.  It was without Ohtani until last month, who is still finding his swing.

With all that being said, this team found guys like Fletcher, LaStella, Goodwin, Buttrey, and some lucky breaks here and there to put them in position to be, at least, in the discussion for a 2nd Wild Card spot.  

I don't wear rose colored glasses, and I'm the same fan as all of you.  I'm frustrated by the lack of consistency and some of the horrific FA signing's.  What could have been if these guys produced at near 50% of their intended capability?  BUT......they haven't, and yet there may be a chance.  I'm not optimistic that Upton is going to be the savior that some think he might but he has the potential to be an upgrade offensively.  I'm hoping some of the pitching that returns to the team performs to their past history, which will free up management to make some moves.  These are all hypothetical scenario's but who knows?

I'm still praying we get to .500 

 

[Mark PT]

4 minutes ago, PattyD22 said:

In my opinion, this team has overachieved just to get to 1 game under .500 (Now 3 but the point remains).  We have/had 2 starters who's ERA is north of 7.00 and one who is now gone.  One of the teams main bats and an important piece of the puzzle is on the IL and may be for the rest of the season, who knows.  Kole Calhoun, for the first 2 months of the season couldn't hit his ass with both hands, nor could Cozart, and for the most part our aging 1st baseman/DH also.  It was without Ohtani until last month, who is still finding his swing.

With all that being said, this team found guys like Fletcher, LaStella, Goodwin, Buttrey, and some lucky breaks here and there to put them in position to be, at least, in the discussion for a 2nd Wild Card spot.  

I don't wear rose colored glasses, and I'm the same fan as all of you.  I'm frustrated by the lack of consistency and some of the horrific FA signing's.  What could have been if these guys produced at near 50% of their intended capability?  BUT......they haven't, and yet there may be a chance.  I'm not optimistic that Upton is going to be the savior that some think he might but he has the potential to be an upgrade offensively.  I'm hoping some of the pitching that returns to the team performs to their past history, which will free up management to make some moves.  These are all hypothetical scenario's but who knows?

I'm still praying we get to .500 

 

The savior cant come from Upton, it has to come from pitching. As you said two guys are north of 7 ERA. I think Scaggs and Heaney are no. 3-5 pitchers at best. We have no 1-2 starters on this team. 

[Duren, Duren]

Generally speaking, the offense can score runs at a decent pace. Even Pujols and Calhoun are contributing more than last year, though far from peak career levels. 

It's the pitching that keeps them constantly regressing from passing that elusive .500 mark. Rarely has the team gone even three or four games in a row with consistent shutdown pitching. We see the occasional great game or two from a starter, or reliable bullpen effectiveness. But then bam! Another failure to keep the opposition under control. 

At a minimum, you need three better than average starters pitching every five days. It doesn't matter what kind of stuff they have, if they are young or old. They just have to be bulldogs on the mound, avoid beating themselves and be smart and situationally savvy.

Current baseball rarely sees the old school workhorse starter who can navigate through even seven innings and put up 200 plus innings. Overuse of the bullpen has changed the whole mindset of what is expected from starters. And too much dependence on analytics. They have their place, but more emphasis should be on reframing the mental side of starting pitching and developing a ferocious tenacious competitivess.

Say what you want about the Dodgers, but historically they have always had that kind of pitching philosophy. Check the innings pitched by their aces. Koufax, Drysdale, Sutton, Hershiser, Valenzuela, Kershaw. Even for their eras they were warriors on the mound who were smart and knew how to manage a game.  Many others too relative to their roles. 

We can't go back to the past, but we need much more consistent starting pitching to get to .500 and beyond.